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PreObit Robert Byrd
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United States Senator Robert Carlyle Byrd, 1917-XXXXX YEAR XXXXX. [mi]
Born Cornelius Calvin Sale, Jr, he was rechristened and raised by his aunt and uncle, Vlurma and Titus Byrd.
The longest-serving member of the US Senate, Byrd served an unprecedented nine consecutive terms in the United States Senate XXXXX IF HE FINISHES THE NINTH XXXXX and spent over 60 years in public office, never losing an election.
Arguably, Byrd's attitudes towards race relations closely mirror America's as they developed into the 21st century: a Ku Klux Klan member in his twenties, he later vigorously denounced this involvement and distanced himself from his earlier views on segregation and other race issues. In 2005, he reflected on what he described as his "albatross":
"I know now I was wrong. Intolerance had no place in America. I apologized a thousand times [...] and I don't mind apologizing over and over again. I can't erase what happened."
To incorporate:
2008 Obama, Kennedy http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/19/byrd-supports-obama/
tribute to kennedy (yt)
Suggested tags: byrd robertbyrd obit obituary senate senator unitedstates us usa politics
