ROBERT C. BYRD - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 10/08/1987 - HFSID 266084

ROBERT BYRD
His signed, typed letter to a Senate colleague, declining to testify at hearings on the Family Security Act of 1987.
Typed Letter signed: "Robert" as Senate Majority Leader, 1p, 8½x11. On personal Senate letterhead. Washington, D.C., 1987 October 8. To Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. In full: "Thank you for your letter informing me that as of September 14th, there were 55 co-sponsors of the Family Security Act of 1987, and for inquiring if I wish to testify at the hearings. I appreciate your writing to me in this regard, but I will not be testifying. With best wishes, I am Sincerely yours," Handwritten postscript by Byrd: "Bet to you." Robert C. Byrd (1917-2010) represented West Virginia in the U.S. Senate from 1959 until his death in 2010 - he was the longest serving member of the United States Congress in history. He has served as Majority Leader (1977-1980, 1987-1988), Minority Leader (1981-1986) and President Pro Tempore of the Senate (third in line for the Presidency, 1989-1995). Between 1989 and 2009, whenever the Democratic Party held a majority, Byrd chaired the power Appropriations Committee. He had clout on other important committees too: Armed Services, Rules and Budget. A master of parliamentary procedures, Byrd knew just how to exploit arcane Senate rules to achieve his goals and stymie opponents. A conservative when first elected, Byrd moved gradually to the left during his Senate tenure. The Americans for Democratic Action, whose scores on Senate voting records are a good measure of liberalism, had rated Byrd at 16% in 1964 (when he filibustered civil rights legislation), rising to 95% in 2005. Byrd was the last surviving Senator to have voted to admit a new State to the Union. Fourteen of his colleagues had not even been born when Robert Byrd entered the Senate. DIRECTLY FROM THE SALE OF THE ESTATE OF DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN. Moynihan (1927-2003) represented New York in the U.S. Senate as a Democrat for four terms (1977-2001). A prolific author, he served in the administrations of four Presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford". Estate inventory numbers in upper right (ink) and left margin (stamp). Pencil note in upper right. Otherwise, fine condition.