Robert Byrd,voice of US Senate,dies at 92

Robert C Byrd,the longest serving member of the US Senate,a fiery orator and hard-charging power broker who steered billions of federal dollars...

Robert C Byrd,the longest serving member of the US Senate,a fiery orator and hard-charging power broker who steered billions of federal dollars to his beloved West Virginia,died on Monday. He was 92.

A spokesman for the family,Jesse Jacobs,said that Byrd died peacefully at 3 am at Inova Hospital in Fairfax,Virginia. He had been in the hospital since late last week.

At first Byrd was believed to be suffering from heat exhaustion and severe dehydration,but other medical conditions developed. He had been in frail health for several years.

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A man of humble,Depression-era upbringing,Byrd held his seat for over 50 years,working tirelessly all that time to make sure his state never missed out on its share or even more,in some cases of the federal largesse. He was the Senates majority leader for six of those years and was third in the line of succession to the presidency,behind House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Flags at the Capitol and the White House flew at half-staff on Monday as Washington mourned Byrds passing. Byrds desk in Senate chamber was draped in black.