Sen. Harry Byrd

Former Senator from Virginia

Elected Positions

Dates	Title	Representing
1959-1964	Senator	Virginia
1953-1958	Senator	Virginia
1947-1952	Senator	Virginia
1935-1946	Senator	Virginia
1933-1934	Senator	Virginia

Voting Record

From Mar 1933 to Oct 1964, Byrd missed 336 of 4,457 roll call votes, which is 7.5%. This is worse than the median of 5.3% among the lifetime records of senators serving in Oct 1964. The chart below reports missed votes over time.

Show the numbers...

Time Period	Votes Elligible	Missed Votes	Percent	Percentile
1933 Mar-Jun	95	13	13.7%	67^th
1934 Jan-Jun	124	21	16.9%	67^th
1933 Mar-Mar	1	0	0.0%	0^th
1935 Jan-Mar	37	3	8.1%	67^th
1935 Apr-Jun	46	2	4.3%	67^th
1935 Jul-Aug	43	13	30.2%	67^th
1936 Jan-Jun	56	12	21.4%	33^rd
1937 Jan-Mar	19	3	15.8%	40^th
1937 Apr-Jun	20	4	20.0%	80^th
1937 Jul-Aug	31	1	3.2%	20^th
1937 Nov-Dec	21	5	23.8%	80^th
1938 Jan-Jun	79	15	19.0%	50^th
1939 Jan-Mar	17	1	5.9%	67^th
1939 Apr-Jun	35	3	8.6%	17^th
1939 Jul-Aug	41	6	14.6%	50^th
1939 Oct-Nov	20	0	0.0%	0^th
1940 Jan-Mar	40	6	15.0%	67^th
1940 Apr-Jun	62	9	14.5%	50^th
1940 Jul-Sep	38	2	5.3%	33^rd
1940 Oct-Nov	5	1	20.0%	67^th
1941 Jan-Jan	1	0	0.0%	0^th
1941 Jan-Mar	23	0	0.0%	0^th
1941 Apr-Jun	31	3	9.7%	63^rd
1941 Jul-Sep	22	0	0.0%	0^th
1941 Oct-Dec	21	0	0.0%	0^th
1942 Jan-Mar	23	2	8.7%	43^rd
1942 Apr-Jun	28	2	7.1%	29^th
1942 Jul-Sep	19	4	21.1%	57^th
1942 Oct-Dec	23	11	47.8%	86^th
1943 Jan-Mar	19	2	10.5%	33^rd
1943 Apr-Jun	47	5	10.6%	67^th
1943 Jul-Sep	13	6	46.2%	78^th
1943 Oct-Dec	28	5	17.9%	67^th
1944 Jan-Mar	51	10	19.6%	67^th
1944 Apr-Jun	22	2	9.1%	67^th
1944 Aug-Sep	7	0	0.0%	0^th
1944 Nov-Dec	17	3	17.6%	60^th
1945 Jan-Mar	17	0	0.0%	0^th
1945 Apr-Jun	40	3	7.5%	67^th
1945 Jul-Sep	27	3	11.1%	72^nd
1945 Oct-Dec	23	1	4.3%	11^th
1946 Jan-Mar	13	0	0.0%	0^th
1946 Apr-Jun	74	0	0.0%	0^th
1946 Jul-Aug	47	2	4.3%	67^th
1947 Jan-Mar	30	3	10.0%	81^st
1947 Apr-Jun	52	2	3.8%	76^th
1947 Jul-Jul	39	2	5.1%	81^st
1947 Nov-Dec	8	0	0.0%	0^th
1948 Feb-Mar	28	0	0.0%	0^th
1948 Apr-Jun	74	0	0.0%	0^th
1948 Aug-Aug	8	1	12.5%	86^th
1949 Jan-Mar	35	0	0.0%	0^th
1949 Apr-Jun	76	0	0.0%	0^th
1949 Jul-Sep	82	0	0.0%	0^th
1949 Oct-Oct	20	0	0.0%	0^th
1950 Jan-Mar	49	0	0.0%	0^th
1950 Apr-Jun	80	0	0.0%	0^th
1950 Jul-Sep	77	0	0.0%	0^th
1950 Dec-Dec	10	0	0.0%	0^th
1951 Jan-Jan	1	0	0.0%	0^th
1951 Jan-Mar	20	3	15.0%	88^th
1951 Apr-Jun	70	1	1.4%	42^nd
1951 Jul-Sep	93	10	10.8%	88^th
1951 Oct-Oct	15	0	0.0%	0^th
1952 Jan-Mar	12	0	0.0%	0^th
1952 Apr-Jun	86	3	3.5%	64^th
1952 Jul-Jul	6	1	16.7%	85^th
1953 Jan-Mar	8	0	0.0%	0^th
1953 Apr-Jun	42	0	0.0%	0^th
1953 Jul-Jul	36	0	0.0%	0^th
1954 Jan-Mar	32	0	0.0%	0^th
1954 Apr-Jun	47	0	0.0%	0^th
1954 Jul-Sep	84	0	0.0%	0^th
1954 Dec-Dec	8	0	0.0%	0^th
1955 Jan-Mar	26	0	0.0%	0^th
1955 Apr-Jun	35	3	8.6%	82^nd
1955 Jul-Aug	23	1	4.3%	61^st
1956 Jan-Mar	47	2	4.3%	63^rd
1956 Apr-Jun	46	2	4.3%	67^th
1956 Jul-Jul	32	1	3.1%	65^th
1957 Jan-Mar	16	0	0.0%	0^th
1957 Apr-Jun	39	2	5.1%	54^th
1957 Jul-Aug	41	1	2.4%	64^th
1958 Feb-Mar	36	0	0.0%	0^th
1958 Apr-Jun	83	8	9.6%	85^th
1958 Jul-Aug	68	5	7.4%	80^th
1959 Jan-Apr	57	3	5.3%	74^th
1959 May-Aug	119	13	10.9%	83^rd
1959 Sep-Sep	29	0	0.0%	0^th
1960 Jan-Apr	77	12	15.6%	83^rd
1960 May-Aug	119	7	5.9%	56^th
1960 Sep-Sep	5	0	0.0%	0^th
1961 Jan-Apr	31	1	3.2%	55^th
1961 May-Aug	126	7	5.6%	77^th
1961 Sep-Sep	33	3	9.1%	71^st
1962 Jan-Mar	22	0	0.0%	0^th
1962 Apr-Jun	56	3	5.4%	48^th
1962 Jul-Sep	115	17	14.8%	84^th
1962 Oct-Oct	16	0	0.0%	0^th
1963 Jan-Mar	8	0	0.0%	0^th
1963 Apr-Jun	66	6	9.1%	73^rd
1963 Jul-Sep	52	2	3.8%	34^th
1963 Oct-Dec	78	8	10.3%	70^th
1964 Jan-Mar	58	0	0.0%	0^th
1964 Apr-Jun	104	6	5.8%	82^nd
1964 Jul-Sep	99	13	13.1%	78^th
1964 Oct-Oct	1	0	0.0%	0^th

Primary Sources

The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:

Congressional Biographical Directory for elected positions
United States Congressional Roll Call Voting Records, 1789-1990 by Howard L. Rosenthal and Keith T. Poole.
Martis’s “The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress”, via Keith Poole’s roll call votes data set, for political party affiliation for Members of Congress from 1789 through about year 2000
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress for the photo

Recent Legislative Activity

Elections and Offices

Sen. Harry Byrd [D-VA, 1959-1964] leaves office as Senator from Virginia

Oct 03, 1964

Elections and Offices

Sen. Harry Byrd [D-VA, 1959-1964] takes office as Senator from Virginia

Jan 07, 1959

Elections and Offices

Sen. Harry Byrd [D-VA, 1959-1964] leaves office as Senator from Virginia

Aug 24, 1958

Elections and Offices

Sen. Harry Byrd [D-VA, 1959-1964] takes office as Senator from Virginia

Jan 03, 1953

Elections and Offices

Sen. Harry Byrd [D-VA, 1959-1964] leaves office as Senator from Virginia

Jul 07, 1952