` I know that she is looking down from the heavens smiling at me and saying congratulations my dear Robert -- but do n't let it go to your head , '' Byrd 's statement said . Sen. Robert Byrd logs his 20,774th day -- almost 40 years -- in Congress . He is known for his encyclopedic knowledge of congressional procedure and history . West Virginian says joining Ku Klux Klan in 1940s was his ` ` most egregious mistake '' When he arrived in Washington in 1953 , gasoline costs 20 cents a gallon , a car was 3 cents .
Sen. Robert Byrd logs his 20,774th day -- almost 40 years -- in Congress . He is known for his encyclopedic knowledge of congressional procedure and history . West Virginian says joining Ku Klux Klan in 1940s was his ` ` most egregious mistake '' When he arrived in Washington in 1953 , gasoline costs 20 cents a gallon , a car was 3 cents .