University of Virginia Library

Anderson Lauds Stamina

As a result, he follows a
schedule that, as famed
columnist Jack Anderson once
said, "few other men could
stand. Sen. Byrd works a virtual
seven-day work week.

"The morning is usually
devoted to reviewing important
constituent mail and conferring
with his staff," explained Mr.

Anderson. "Then he goes to
the floor for the rest of the
day, taking a few minutes off
to eat a light lunch by himself
in the Democratic cloakroom
just off the Senate floor."

"When the Senate adjourns,
Byrd returns to his office to
resume work on constituent
matters. He seldom goes home
for dinner until 10 p.m."

A man of medium build,
silver-gray hair worn long and
combed back, he strikes you at
first as exceedingly dull
because of his conservative
dress and low-keyed manner of
speech.

However, nothing could be
farther from the truth. His
mind is keen, his speech is
sharp and his manner attentive
and direct.

For example, during the
1946 race for the West Virginia
House of Delegates, his first
political contest, he was
plagued by lack of reputation
and finance. He did not even
know how to drive a car.

Yet, with the help of
friends for transportation,
Byrd shouldered his fiddle
and charmed the "holler" and
"crick" people of West Virginia
with his wit and talent. On
the other hand, he hit them
with a fiery tongue espousing a
pragmatic, fundamentalist
doctrine which has carried him
ever since.

Reminiscing about the first
race, Byrd said later, "I put up
the 10 dollar filling fee and ran
for the House of Delegates.
Some of my friends said I
could not win because I had no
money and no connections. I
took my violin under the arm,
and everywhere I went I played
two or three tunes to get
attention, after which I would
make my little speeches. It has
been said I fiddled my way
into the state legislature.
Perhaps so."

His ability to relate so well
with the "country folk" in
West Virginia can be traced to
his birth. Orphaned only ten
months after he was born in
Wilkesboro, N.C., he was raised
by foster parents during the
depression years in the southern
West Virginia mining town of
Stokesberry.

For Robert Byrd there were
many days of pinto beans and
cornbread, a fare hardly
customary for a prospective
U.S. Senator.

He graduated from Mark
Twain High School at 16 as
valedictorian and began to
work in a service station three
miles from home. Soon he
married and obtained a job as a
butcher. Cold mornings and
long winter walks to work each
day did not exactly offer
encouragement of better things
to come, especially for a
political career.

Yet, these "lowly
beginnings" enabled Robert
Byrd to begin his career by
relating exceedingly well with
the people of West Virginia. He
now appeals to a majority of
voters by running on the same
law-and-order, fundamentalist
platform emphasizing his rise to
prominence from poverty. His
manner is smooth and his
philosophy "down home."

In fact, his popularity has
given him an unparalleled
political record in the state.
Since that 1946 race, he has
served two terms in the state
House, one in the West Virginia
Senate, three in the United
States House of Representatives
and three in the Senate.

Not only has Mr. Byrd
never lost a political election,
he has held more elective
legislative positions than any
other West Virginian. He has
been popular ever since he
"fiddled" his way into the
state legislature in 1946.

In the 1958 Senatorial race
he lead the ticket, winning by a
margin of 18,573 votes, and in
1964 he received 85.4 per cent
of all Democratic votes cast.

In recent election years, his
fiddle has lain dormant – with
the enormous pluralities he has
won at the polls, he no longer
needs it. In fact, in the 1970
Senate re-election campaign,
Byrd did not even use bumper
stickers or buttons; his
newspaper campaign ads were
two inch by one column and
said simply, "Byrd November
Third."

Since that first race,
Byrd has come a long way, first
by educating himself at four
southern West Virginian
colleges and by moving to the
United States House of
Representatives in 1952.