Robert C. Byrd: Child of the Appalachian Coalfields

by Robert C. Byrd, Gaston Caperton (Foreword)

This autobiography follows West Virginia senator Robert C. Byrd’s experiences from his boyhood in the early 1920s to his election in 2000, which won him an unprecedented eighth term in the Senate. Within these pages, Senator Byrd offers commentary on national and international events that occurred throughout his long life in public service. 

His journey from the hardscrabble coalfields to the marbled halls of Congress has inspired generations of people in West Virginia and throughout the nation. From reading the stories of the Founding Fathers as a young boy by the light of a kerosene lamp to the swearing of an oath for more than a half-century to guard the US Constitution, Senator Byrd’s life is legendary. 

Until his death on June 28, 2010, Byrd stood by his principles, earning the affection of the people of his home state and the respect of Americans from all walks of life. With his beloved Erma ever by his side, Robert C. Byrd never forgot his roots, harkening back to those early lessons that he learned as a child of the Appalachian coalfields.

This new paperback edition includes a foreword by Gaston Caperton, governor of West Virginia from 1989–1997.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History

859 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Robert Carlyle Byrd was a United States Senator from West Virginia, and a member and former Senate Leader of the Democratic Party. Byrd was a senator from January 3, 1959, until his death, and was the longest-serving senator, as well as the longest-serving member in congressional history. He was the Dean of the Senate from 2003 to 2010. He was also the oldest member of the current Congress at the time of his death (Strom Thurmond was the oldest to serve in Congressional history), and was the first person to serve uninterrupted for half a century as a senator.

Byrd was President pro tempore of the United States Senate from 2007 to 2010, a position that put him third in the line of presidential succession, behind Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He also held this post previously from 1989 to 1995, briefly in January 2001, and from June 2001 to January 2003.

Byrd held a wide variety of both liberal and conservative political views. He also held many leadership positions: Senate Conference Secretary, Majority Whip, Minority Leader and twice Majority Leader.

Reviews

[Erin]

A Christmas gift from my husband.