Sen. Robert Byrd Dies at 92

Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia,the longest serving member of Congress, died Monday. He was 92.

Byrd, entered a Washington, D.C., hospital last week after showing signs of dehydration and heat exhaustion. But what seemed initially like a minor condition worsened. He had been in frail health for several years.

The senator was a looming figure in both the Senate--where his knowledge of parliamentary procedure is well-known, and where he served as president pro tempore of the Senate--and in West Virginia, where his prowess in procuring federal funds for his home state is legendary.

But his age started to show in recent years. He was hospitalized three times in 2008 and twice again last year. His frailty briefly was noted many times during the the health-care-reform debate, with every vote counting in the Democrats' effort to overcome Republican filibusters. Sen. Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, said, "What the American people ought to pray is that somebody can't make the vote tonight," a statement that was widely interpreted to be a reference to Byrd. As the Charleston Gazette reports, he was involved in key legislative events despite his faltering health. 

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, is expected to appoint a replacement. But as FiveThirtyEight.com reports, the appointment is an interim one, pending a special election, since it will likely occur before July 3.