Helen R. Flach
Note: Burke's American Families with British Ancestry, 1975, p. 2597,
Byrd formerly of Broxton.
From West Virginia Encyclopedia, p. 748:
U.S. Senator and Governor of Virginia, born in Martinsburg, the son of
Richard Evelyn and Eleanor Bolling (Flood) Byrd. He was educated in
public schools and in Shenandoah Valley Academy in Winchester,VA. At the
age of 15 he began to work for the Winchester Star, of which he became
publisher as an adult. He operated several apple orchards and was
interested in geneeral farming and peach culture as well. He was elected
to the Virginia State Senate in 1915 and 1923, was chairman of the
Democratic State Committee in 1922 and 1924 and in 1926 was elected
Governor. He was appointedSenator in 1933 to fill an unexpired term and
was re-elected in 1934 and served successively until 1965, when his son,
Harry Flood Jr. took his seat in the Senate. A folklore explanation of
why Byrd was born in West Virginia: His mother couldn't make it over the
line in time."
He represented Shenandoah, Frederick, and the city of Winchester in the
Virginia State Senate.
1887 - 1966 (78 years)
