The Last Great Senator

No person was involved in so much history and yet received so little attention as Senator Robert C. Byrd, the longest-serving U.S. senator in history. Initially elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1952, Byrd served for six years before being elected to the Senate in 1958. He served as secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus from 1967 to 1971 and Senate Majority Whip from 1971 to 1977. Over the years he gained the trust of his party eventually in 1989 being named President pro tempore of the United States Senate making him third in the line of presidential succession. In The Last Great Senator David A. Corbin examines Byrd's complex and fascinating relationships with ten presidents of the United States, from Eisenhower to Obama.