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110-502: The glacier derives its name from "Strom Camp" near its foot, occupied during December 1929 by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition geological party under Gould. Strom Camp was named by that party for Sverre Strom, first mate of the ship City of New York , who remained ashore as a member of the winter party and headed the snowmobile party which hauled supplies in support of the two field parties. The Strom Glacier forms to

220-427: A chance of winning the presidential nomination. Roosevelt won on the fourth ballot. Although Byrd never again formally sought the presidency nor became his party's candidate, Southern Democrats drafted him in several campaigns between 1944 and 1960. At the 1944 Democratic National Convention , Southern delegates opposed to Roosevelt's New Deal and racial policies nominated Byrd as the party's presidential candidate. He

330-711: A coma for four months. He was 79 years of age and had been a senator for over 32 years. He was interred in Mount Hebron Cemetery in Winchester. Byrd worked in public service for almost fifty years, becoming an influential figure in U.S. politics, and through his Byrd machine , the most powerful force in Virginia politics for much of the 20th century. His leading role in defying the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) by devising

440-487: A family-owned orchard, and they moved there. The cabin was constructed from chestnut logs and remains one of the few examples of natural chestnut bark existing in the United States due to the chestnut blight . The Byrds had three sons: Harry F. Byrd Jr. , Bradshaw Beverley Byrd, and Richard Byrd, and one daughter, Westwood Beverly Byrd. In 1926, Byrd purchased Rosemont Manor, an estate outside Berryville, adjacent to

550-548: A federal judgeship in Virginia in 1939. Byrd broke with Roosevelt and became an opponent of the New Deal , but he was an internationalist and strongly supported Roosevelt's foreign policy. As war loomed in 1941 Congress approved his proposal for a joint House–Senate committee to look into ways of eliminating nonessential expenditures. By late September, the Joint Committee on Reduction of Non-essential Federal Expenditures

660-514: A fifty-year political career, no statement of Byrd's ever more succinctly spelled out his view of government. In 1907, he founded The Evening Journal in nearby Martinsburg, West Virginia . He sold the paper in 1912 to associate Max von Schlegell. In 1908, at the age of 21, he became president of The Valley Turnpike Company , overseeing the Valley Turnpike, a 93-mile (150-km) toll road between Winchester and Staunton . Earning $ 33

770-690: A letter from Nuku Hiva (the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia ) to Chambers, the ship's commanding officer, commending him and his crew "for the courage and efficiency" displayed following the explosion that made Byrd "feel proud to be an American. Great heroism was displayed, especially by the men who lost their lives rescuing the wounded." Byrd completed the Special Mission in December and participated in

880-633: A man got into debt, there was small chance of getting out of it." Even worse in Byrd's eyes was the dilemma of the state itself, which was also heavily in debt during Byrd's youth. Before the Civil War, Virginia had taken on debt to help finance many internal public improvements (canals, turnpikes, and railroads) through the Virginia Board of Public Works . Most had been destroyed during the War, although

990-475: A month, he was required to drive the entire route at least twice a month to inspect it and arrange any repairs. As automobile traffic increased, he ensured road conditions were maintained within the available revenues. He held that office for seven years until his election to state office. Byrd also owned extensive apple orchards in the Shenandoah Valley and an apple-packing operation which was among

1100-511: A mountain range, the Ames Range , after her father. They had four children – Richard Evelyn Byrd III , Evelyn Bolling Byrd Clarke, Katharine Agnes Byrd Breyer, and Helen Byrd Stabler. By late 1924, the Byrd family moved into a large brownstone house at 9 Brimmer Street in Boston's fashionable Beacon Hill neighborhood that had been purchased by Marie's father, a wealthy industrialist. Byrd

1210-587: A parade in New York City, and Congress passed a special act on December 21, 1926, promoting him to the rank of commander and awarding both Floyd Bennett and him the Medal of Honor . The Josephine Ford was flown around the country in celebration. Bennett was promoted to the warrant officer rank of machinist. Byrd and Bennett were presented with Tiffany Cross versions of the Medal of Honor on March 5, 1927, at

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1320-560: A political faction that became known as the Byrd Organization . Byrd served as Virginia's governor from 1926 until 1930, then represented the state as a U.S. senator from 1933 until 1965. He came to lead the conservative coalition in the Senate, and opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt , largely blocking most liberal legislation after 1937. His son Harry Jr. succeeded him as U.S. senator, but ran as an Independent following

1430-481: A presidential candidate, he received votes in the 1956 presidential election and 15 electoral votes in the 1960 election . Harry Flood Byrd was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia , in 1887 (just two weeks after future fellow U.S. senator Absalom Willis Robertson was born in the same community). His parents, Eleanor Bolling (Flood) and Richard Evelyn Byrd Sr. , moved the young family to Winchester, Virginia ,

1540-461: A privately financed expedition, where he headed the inaugural aircraft crew that successfully flew over the South Pole. Byrd strongly advocated for ski-equipped aircraft, despite the considerable operational, logistical, and maintenance challenges they posed, necessitating the establishment of significant onshore bases to address these issues. As a result of his achievement, Byrd was promoted to

1650-840: A series of laws, known as the Stanley Plan , to implement his "massive resistance" policy. This led to closure of some public school systems in Virginia between 1959 and 1964, most notably a five-year gap in public education in Prince Edward County, Virginia . In 1933 Byrd was appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate ; he won reelection as a Democrat in 1933, 1934, 1940, 1946, 1952, 1958, and 1964. Byrd and his colleague Carter Glass invoked senatorial courtesy to stop President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's nomination of Floyd H. Roberts to

1760-622: A time as Honorary National President (1931–1935) of Pi Gamma Mu , the international honor society in the social sciences. He carried the society's flag during his first Antarctic expedition to dramatize the spirit of adventure into the unknown, characterizing both the natural and social sciences. To finance and gain both political and public support for his expeditions, Byrd actively cultivated relationships with many powerful individuals, including President Franklin Roosevelt, Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, John D. Rockefeller Jr. , and Vincent Astor . As

1870-567: A token of his gratitude, Byrd named geographic features in the Antarctic after his supporters. On his second expedition during the summer of 1933–1934, (it was winter in the US, above the equator) Byrd spent five months alone operating a meteorological station, Advance Base, from which he narrowly escaped with his life after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning from a poorly ventilated stove. Unusual radio transmissions from Byrd finally began to alarm

1980-463: Is numbered 753 in the Scott's Catalog. The U.S. Post Office contracted with the expedition for this purpose as it had no other means to deliver mail to and from the Antarctic. Approximately 150,000 pieces of such mail went through the special Antarctic post office in 1933 to 1934. As only members of the post office were authorized to postmark and handle mail, Charles F. Anderson, a special representative of

2090-616: Is some controversy as to whether or not Byrd was actually the first person to reach the North Pole. It is generally believed that the distance Byrd claimed to fly was longer than the possible fuel range of his airplane. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor , the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration, and the Navy Cross , the second highest honor for valor given by the U.S. Navy. Byrd

2200-629: The Antietam Paper Company . The company refused to ship more newsprint on credit, so Byrd cut a deal to make daily cash payments in return for ownership. As Byrd would later say, "when you have to hunt for them that way, you get to know how many cents there really are in a dollar." He eventually bought the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record and several other papers in the Shenandoah Valley. His family operated these papers until April 1, 2018, when they were sold to

2310-485: The Electoral College : eight unpledged electors from Mississippi (all of that state's electoral votes), six unpledged electors from Alabama (the other 5 electoral votes from that state went to John F. Kennedy ), and a faithless elector from Oklahoma (the other 7 electoral votes from that state went to Richard Nixon ). Shortly after leaving office, Byrd died in 1966 from a brain tumor; he had been in

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2420-606: The Interstate Highway System , and played a key role in the passing of the 1964 Revenue Act . He had blocked the bill until President Lyndon Johnson agreed to decrease the total budget to under $ 100 billion. Subsequently, he helped push the Act through. Byrd retired from the Senate for health reasons in November 1965. His son, Harry F. Byrd Jr. , was appointed his successor. Having supported Al Smith ,

2530-599: The Legion of Merit . In 1946, Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal appointed Byrd as officer in charge of Antarctic Developments Project. Byrd's fourth Antarctic expedition was code-named Operation Highjump . It was the largest Antarctic expedition to date and was expected to last 6–8 months. The expedition was supported by a large naval force (designated Task Force 68), commanded by Rear Admiral Richard H. Cruzen . Thirteen US Navy support ships (besides

2640-508: The Ogden Newspapers Inc. of Wheeling, West Virginia. Thus started what would become Byrd's famous "pay-as-you-go" policy. He developed a lifelong aversion to borrowing money and any indebtedness. "I stand for strict economy in governmental affairs," Byrd proclaimed. "The State of Virginia is similar to a great business corporation ... and should be conducted with the same efficiency and economy as any private business." In

2750-669: The Skyline Drive , the Blue Ridge Parkway , and the Virginia state park system. Byrd's influence kept Shenandoah National Park segregated during its construction by the CCC, at its initial establishment, and even a year after the Truman Administration mandated full desegregation in all National Parks. Shenandoah National Park's main visitor center is named in his honor. The Blue Ridge Parkway bridge over

2860-733: The United States Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS) in 1944 to 1945. On February 10, 1945, Byrd received the Order of Christopher Columbus from the government of the Dominican Republic . Byrd was present at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. He was released from active duty on October 1, 1945. In recognition of his service during World War II, Byrd received two awards of

2970-714: The United States Supreme Court ruled in 1915 that West Virginia owed Virginia $ 12,393,929.50. After the Reconstruction period, most of Virginia's governors insisted upon paying state bondholders, rather than pay for public education (newly added in Virginia Constitution of 1869) or other government services. The Readjuster Party , which briefly challenged the Conservative Party of Virginia (the latter of which became

3080-518: The Virginia (Byrd's birth state). A base camp named " Little America " was constructed on the Ross Ice Shelf , and scientific expeditions by snowshoe , dog sled , snowmobile , and airplane began. To increase the interest of youth in arctic exploration, a 19-year-old American Boy Scout , Paul Allman Siple , was chosen to accompany the expedition. Siple went on to earn a doctorate and

3190-765: The Virginia Military Institute for two years and transferred to the University of Virginia , before financial circumstances inspired his starting over and taking an appointment to the United States Naval Academy , where he was appointed as a midshipman on May 28, 1908. On June 8, 1912, Byrd graduated from the Naval Academy and was commissioned an ensign in the United States Navy. On July 14, 1912, he

3300-520: The White House by President Calvin Coolidge . Since 1926, doubts have been raised, defenses made, and heated controversy arose over whether or not Byrd actually reached the North Pole. In 1958, Norwegian-American aviator and explorer Bernt Balchen cast doubt on Byrd's statement on the basis of his knowledge of the airplane's speed. Balchen said that Bennett had confessed to him months after

3410-458: The massive resistance strategy has come to dominate public memory of his career, leading to a mixed legacy. The author of the most comprehensive biography of Byrd (as of 2024), Dr. Ronald L. Heinemann, Squires Professor of History at Hampden-Sydney College from 1969 to 2007, assessed Byrd's life and career in Harry Byrd of Virginia (published in 1996). Heinemann concluded that although Byrd

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3520-536: The Atlantic Ocean. Byrd was one of several aviators who attempted to win the Orteig Prize in 1927 for making the first nonstop flight between the United States and France. Once again, Byrd named Floyd Bennett as his chief pilot, with Norwegian Bernt Balchen, Bert Acosta , and Lieutenant George Noville as other crewmembers. During a practice takeoff with Anthony Fokker at the controls and Bennett in

3630-617: The Atlantic nonstop, another 20 years were needed before it would be realized on a commercial scale. In 1928, Byrd began his first expedition to the Antarctic involving two ships and three airplanes: Byrd's flagship was the City of New York (a Norwegian sealing ship previously named Samson that had come into fame as a ship some said was in the vicinity of the Titanic when the latter

3740-625: The Atlantic nonstop, naming Balchen to replace Bennett, who had not yet fully recovered from his injuries, as chief pilot. Byrd, Balchen, Acosta, and Noville flew from Roosevelt Field, East Garden City, New York , in the America on June 29, 1927. On board was mail from the US Postal Service to demonstrate the practicality of aircraft. Arriving over France the next day, they were prevented from landing in Paris by cloud cover; they returned to

3850-511: The British designation of R-38 ). As fate would have it, Byrd missed his train to take him to the airship on August 24, 1921. The airship broke apart in midair, killing 44 of 49 crew members on board. Byrd lost several friends in the accident, and was involved in the subsequent recovery operations and investigation. The accident affected him deeply and inspired him to make safety a top priority in all of his future expeditions. Due to reductions in

3960-607: The Byrd family's once vast fortune through gambling and bad investments. One younger brother was Naval aviator and polar explorer Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd (1888–1957). His other younger brother, Thomas Bolling Byrd (1890–1968), became an infantry captain during World War I . Their uncle Henry De La Warr Flood served in the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress from Appomattox County from 1901 to 1921. Another uncle from Appomattox County, Joel West Flood , served as that county's Commonwealth Attorney (1919 to 1932), in

4070-551: The Byrd statue was subsequently removed in 2021. In 2016, forty-five years after its 1971 founding, Harry F. Byrd Middle School, a National Blue Ribbon School in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia , was renamed to Quioccasin Middle School . In response to a campaign in the local community, the Henrico County School Board agreed that "having a school named after a man who supported school segregation

4180-633: The Chief of Naval Operations. The expedition continued in Antarctica without him until the last of its participants left Antarctica on March 22, 1941. As a senior officer in the United States Navy, Byrd was recalled on active duty on March 26, 1942, and served as the confidential advisor to Admiral Ernest J. King . From 1942 to 1945 he served on the South Pacific Island Base Inspection Board, which toured bases in

4290-770: The Democratic governor of New York , in the 1928 U.S. presidential campaign , Byrd was selected by the Virginia Democratic Convention as a favorite son for the 1932 presidential nomination. According to the American political historian Steve Neal , at one point during the Democratic National Convention Byrd was offered the vice-presidential slot in exchange for instructing his 24 delegates to vote for Franklin D. Roosevelt , but declined because he believed he had

4400-805: The Herbert Range to enter Strom Glacier near the head of Ross Ice Shelf. Named by the Southern Party of the New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition, 1963-64, in association with Mount Cohen. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Geological Survey . Byrd Antarctic Expedition Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957), an American naval officer ,

4510-681: The James River in Big Island, Virginia was named and dedicated to him in 1985. On November 26, 1968, the Virginia State Highway Commission named Virginia State Route 7 , a historic road which travels from Alexandria past Berryville to Winchester, as "Harry Flood Byrd Highway" between Alexandria and Winchester. In 2021, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to rename Route 7 within

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4620-601: The Navy Department Commission on Training Camps. In the autumn of 1917, he was sent to naval aviation school at Pensacola, Florida . He qualified as a naval aviator (number 608) in June 1918. He then commanded naval air forces at Naval Air Station Halifax in Nova Scotia , Canada, from July 1918 until the armistice in November. In that assignment, he was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant and

4730-422: The Navy after the First World War, Byrd reverted to the rank of lieutenant at the end of 1921. During the summer of 1923, then-Lieutenant Byrd and a group of volunteer Navy veterans of the First World War helped found the Naval Reserve Air Station (NRAS) at Squantum Point near Boston, using an unused First World War seaplane hangar which had remained more-or-less intact after the Victory Destroyer Plant shipyard

4840-403: The Postmaster General, was assigned to the post office at Little America in Antarctica. In late 1938, Byrd visited Hamburg, and was invited to participate in the 1938/1939 German " Neuschwabenland " Antarctic Expedition, but declined. (Although Germany was not at war with the United States at this time, Adolf Hitler had been serving as Führer of the German Reich since 1934, and i nvaded Poland

4950-494: The Secretary of the Navy, the Commander-in-Chief United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations ordered Byrd to assume direction of a survey and "investigation of certain islands in the East and South Pacific in connection with national defense and commercial air bases and routes." The members of the Special Navy Mission sailed from Balboa, Canal Zone, on USS Concord , Captain Irving Reynold Chambers, commanding, in September 1943. A large explosion at sea on October 7, 1943, took

5060-413: The South Pacific in May and June 1942. The report submitted by the Board describes conditions found at each base and analyses, lessons learned in planning and equipping these bases. The report contains recommendations applicable to the individual bases and others designed to be helpful in the planning of future advanced bases. On 1 September 1943, in compliance with a series of letters from the President to

5170-447: The U.S. A New York Times editorial following Byrd's retirement from the U.S. Senate in 1965 gave a similar assessment: "A talented man, Byrd chose to stand outside the broad currents of his time and to set his face against the future... He began as a force and ended as an anachronism." Possibly Byrd's greatest and most enduring achievement in public life was his strong advocacy for the creation of Shenandoah National Park , as well as

5280-469: The U.S. Congress (beginning in 1932 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Henry St. George Tucker ), and as a state appellate Judge (of the Virginia Fifth Circuit, based in Richmond, from 1940 to 1964). Born only twenty-two years after the end of the American Civil War , Byrd grew up in an era when "the Shenandoah Valley was still a place of genteel poverty  ... Harry Byrd never lacked food, but he had no money for luxuries. No one had any money. If

5390-409: The Virginia Democratic Party), advocated adjusting the terms of the prewar bonds, but had a relatively brief lifespan. Thus, the issue of Virginia's public debt was far from resolved during Byrd's formative years. Byrd married Anne Douglas Beverley, a childhood friend, on October 7, 1913. They lived with her parents in Winchester until 1916, when he built a log cabin, named Westwood, in Berryville at

5500-401: The adjutant general of Rhode Island, for making great strides in improving the efficiency of the militia. Shortly after the entry of the United States into the First World War in April 1917, Byrd oversaw the mobilization of the Rhode Island Naval Militia. He was then recalled to active duty and was assigned to the Office of Naval Operations and served in a desk job as secretary and organizer of

5610-444: The aviation element during the expedition led to Byrd's renown as a pioneer of aircraft in exploration. During this expedition, Byrd made the acquaintance of Navy Chief Aviation Pilot Floyd Bennett and Norwegian pilot Bernt Balchen , both of whom would later contribute to Byrd's expeditions. Bennett served as a pilot in his flight to the North Pole the next year. Balchen, whose knowledge of Arctic flight operations proved invaluable,

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5720-484: The co-pilot seat, the Fokker Trimotor airplane, America , crashed, severely injuring Bennett and slightly injuring Byrd. As the plane was being repaired, Charles Lindbergh won the prize by completing his historic flight on May 21, 1927. (Coincidentally, in 1925, then Army Air Service Reserve Corps Lieutenant Charles Lindbergh had applied to serve as a pilot on Byrd's North Pole expedition, but apparently, his bid came too late.) Byrd continued with his quest to cross

5830-428: The coast of Normandy and crash-landed near the beach at Ver-sur-Mer (known as Gold Beach during the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944) without fatalities on July 1, 1927. In France, Byrd and his crew were received as heroes and Byrd was invested as an Officer of the French Legion of Honor by Prime Minister Raymond Poincare on July 6. After their return to the United States, an elaborate dinner in their honor

5940-517: The consent of either. The slate got 17,205 votes nationwide. In 1956 , the year that Byrd initiated the "massive resistance" campaign, the States' Rights Party of Kentucky named Byrd as a presidential candidate. He received 2,657 votes in that state; in South Carolina, in the same election, he received 88,509 votes as the choice of an independent (i.e. unpledged ) slate of electors with the endorsement of former governor James Byrnes and Senator Strom Thurmond . In 1960 , Byrd received 15 votes in

6050-452: The debt remained and the infrastructure needed to be rebuilt to get crops and goods to market. Virginia's first postwar legislature had affirmed those debts at original terms (highly favorable to bondholders, which by then were mostly out-of-state purchasers at rates a small fraction of par value). Some related to improvements in the area that separated during the war to form the new State of West Virginia ; those were litigated for decades until

6160-444: The decline of the Byrd Organization. Byrd succeeded to what had been the Virginia Democratic Party organization of U.S. senator Thomas Staples Martin , who died in 1919. Elected the 50th governor of Virginia in 1925, initially Byrd reorganized and modernized Virginia's government. His political machine dominated state politics for much of the first half of the 20th century. Byrd was vehemently opposed to racial desegregation of

6270-401: The expedition. The flight left from Spitsbergen (Svalbard) and returned to its takeoff airfield, lasting 15 hours and 57 minutes, including 13 minutes spent circling at their Farthest North . Byrd and Bennett said they reached the North Pole, a distance of 1,535 miles (1,335 nautical miles ). When he returned to the United States from the Arctic, Byrd became a national hero. He was thrown

6380-483: The family apple orchards. The family moved into the antebellum mansion in 1929, at the end of Byrd's term as governor, after some renovations. As a businessman, Byrd had several operations: publishing newspapers, running a local turnpike, and selling apples and apple products. In 1903, Harry Byrd took over his father's newspaper, the Winchester Star . Under his father's ownership, it came to owe $ 2500 ( equivalent to $ 85,000 in 2023 ) to its newsprint supplier,

6490-451: The flagship USS  Mount Olympus and the aircraft carrier USS  Philippine Sea ), six helicopters, six flying boats, two seaplane tenders, and 15 other aircraft were used. The total number of personnel involved was over 4,000. Harry F. Byrd Harry Flood Byrd Sr. (June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) was an American newspaper publisher, politician, and leader of the Democratic Party in Virginia for four decades as head of

6600-437: The flight of the airship Norge that flew from Spitsbergen (Svalbard) to Alaska nonstop with a crew including Roald Amundsen , Umberto Nobile , Oscar Wisting , and Lincoln Ellsworth . In 1927, Byrd announced he had the backing of the American Trans-Oceanic Company , which had been established in 1914 by department-store magnate Rodman Wanamaker for the purpose of building aircraft to complete nonstop flights across

6710-452: The flight that Byrd and he had not reached the pole. Bennett, who had not completely healed from the early crash, developed pneumonia after participating in a flight to rescue downed German aviators in Greenly Island, Canada, leading to his death on April 25, 1928. Bennett, though, had started a memoir, given numerous interviews, and wrote an article for an aviation magazine about the flight before his death that all confirmed Byrd's version of

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6820-427: The flight. The 1996 release of Byrd's diary of the May 9, 1926, flight revealed erased (but still legible) sextant sights that sharply differ from Byrd's later June 22 typewritten official report to the National Geographic Society. Byrd took a sextant reading of the Sun at 7:07:10 GCT. His erased diary record shows the apparent (observed) solar altitude to have been 19°25'30", while his later official typescript reports

6930-484: The funding needed to finance Byrd's expedition to the Antarctic. The expedition, via the Post Office, sold philatelic subscription Philatelic covers to be serviced at the official USPOD post office set up in the Antarctic exploration base , dubbed Little America , and which was officially established on October 6, 1933. All mail sent to the Antarctic required at least one Byrd II 3 cent stamp (pictured), along with sufficient postage amounting to 53 cents. The postage stamp

7040-428: The general election. In 1923, he became a member of the Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution . As governor, serving a term from 1926 to 1930, Byrd pushed through constitutional amendments that streamlined the state government and allowed for more efficient use of tax dollars. He also made property taxes solely a county responsibility. When it was obvious that increased spending on road construction

7150-487: The head of Strom Glacier. It stands near the extremity of a spur which descends from the northeast shoulder of Mount Fridtjof Nansen. Discovered and visited in November 1929 by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition geological party under Laurence Gould. Named by Byrd for Mrs. Laurence J. Webster, a contributor to the expedition. 85°12′S 164°15′W  /  85.200°S 164.250°W  / -85.200; -164.250 . A small glacier draining northward from Mount Cohen of

7260-506: The largest on the East Coast. He later pointed out that he paid his African-American workers the same wages as his white farm workers. In the 1950s, Edward P. Morgan 's assistant visited Byrd's Northern Virginia farm during the apple harvest and was outraged by the living conditions of the migrant workers . This prompted Morgan to take up the issue of migrant labor in his CBS Radio Network commentaries. Producer Fred W. Friendly then prompted his close associate Edward R. Murrow to produce

7370-415: The late 1960s. Byrd became one of the most vocal proponents of maintaining policies of racial segregation . Byrd authored and signed the " Southern Manifesto " condemning the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education . His call for " massive resistance " against desegregation of public schools led to many Virginia schools closing rather than be forced to integrate. He helped draft

7480-413: The lives of 24 Concord crewmen, including the executive officer, Commander Rogers Elliott. Caused by ignition of gasoline fumes at the stern of the ship, the explosion threw some men overboard, while others were killed from concussion, burns, fractured skulls and broken necks. Several sailors died while trying to save their shipmates. The dead were buried at sea on October 8. On October 23, 1943, Byrd wrote

7590-412: The men at the base camp, who then attempted to go to Advance Base. The first two trips were failures due to darkness, snow, and mechanical troubles. Finally, Thomas Poulter , E. J. Demas , and Amory Waite arrived at Advance Base, where they found Byrd in poor physical health. The men remained at Advance Base until October 12. when an airplane from the base camp picked up Dr. Poulter and Byrd. The rest of

7700-466: The men returned to base camp with the tractor. This expedition is described by Byrd in his autobiography Alone . During the summer months the days were long and the evenings existed in twilight. Inside the exploration headquarters Byrd had fashioned a large calendar on the wall, where he would cross off each day as it passed. A CBS radio station, KFZ, was set up on the base camp ship, the Bear of Oakland and The Adventures of Admiral Byrd program

7810-409: The next year .) Byrd's third expedition was the first one financed and conducted by the United States government. The project included extensive studies of geology, biology, meteorology, and exploration. The innovative Antarctic Snow Cruiser was brought with the expedition, but broke down shortly after arriving. Within a few months, in March 1940, Byrd was recalled to active duty in the Office of

7920-815: The north of the Herbert Range . Webster Knob is above its head, at the end of Barracouta Ridge . It flows northeast past the Duncan Mountains to its north. The Cohen Glacier enters the Strom Glacier from its right. The Strom Glacier passes LaForrest Rock to its west before entering the Ross Ice Shelf to the northwest of the Axel Heiberg Glacier . 85°18′S 166°30′W  /  85.300°S 166.500°W  / -85.300; -166.500 . A prominent rock knob at

8030-495: The public schools, and was the leader of massive resistance , a campaign of opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Brown v. Board of Education that led to closure of some public schools in Virginia in the 1950s. Students who were denied their education in several Virginia counties became known as the "lost generation". According to Clarence M. Dunnaville Jr. , Byrd was a racist and avowed white separatist . Although Byrd paid his black and white workers similarly, he

8140-596: The public schools, but received most of his education from the private Shenandoah Valley Academy in Winchester. Byrd's ancestors included the First Families of Virginia . His paternal ancestors included Col Benjamin Harrison of Brandon Plantation , William Byrd II of Westover Plantation (who established Richmond ) and Robert "King" Carter of Corotoman . His maternal ancestors included John Rolfe and Pocahontas . His ancestor William Byrd III squandered

8250-522: The rank of rear admiral by a special act of Congress on December 21, 1929. As he was only 41 years old at the time, this promotion made Byrd the youngest admiral in the history of the United States Navy. By way of comparison, none of his Annapolis classmates became admirals until 1942, after 30 years of commissioned service. He is one of only four persons including Admiral David Dixon Porter , Arctic explorer Rear Admiral Donald Baxter MacMillan and Rear Admiral Frederic R. Harris , to have been promoted to

8360-600: The rank of rear admiral in the United States Navy without having first held the rank of captain. After a further summer of exploration, the expedition returned to North America on June 18, 1930. Unlike the 1926 flight, this expedition was honored with the gold medal of the American Geographical Society . This was also seen in the film With Byrd at the South Pole (1930), which covered his trip there. Byrd, by then an internationally recognized, pioneering American polar explorer and aviator, served for

8470-401: The road system could be completed within ten years through such cooperation... A tour of the highway system convinced him of the progress being made in extending the arterial network. Indeed, over 2,000 miles would be added to the system during Byrd's governorship, 1,787 of these miles in 1928. Road building was one way to keep the voters happy and prove the efficacy of pay-as-you-go." While he

8580-400: The same 7:07:10 apparent solar altitude to have been 18°18'18". On the basis of this and other data in the diary, Dennis Rawlins concluded that Byrd steered accurately, and flew about 80% of the distance to the pole before turning back because of an engine oil leak, but later falsified his official report to support his statement of reaching the pole. Accepting that the conflicting data in

8690-733: The same year. Young Harry Byrd's father became wealthy as an apple grower in the Shenandoah Valley , and publisher of the Winchester Star newspaper. He represented Winchester in the Virginia House of Delegates , and served as that body's Speaker from 1908 until 1914. He was the United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia from 1914 until 1920. Harry initially attended

8800-438: The sextant data in the long-unavailable original official typewritten report are all expressed to 1 second, a precision not possible on Navy sextants of 1926 and not the precision of the sextant data in Byrd's diary for 1925 or the 1926 flight, which was normal (half or quarter of a minute of arc). If Byrd and Bennett did not reach the North Pole, then the first flight over the pole occurred a few days later, on May 12, 1926, with

8910-668: The state would sacrifice future flexibility by committing too many resources to paying off construction debt. In 1923, Byrd was sued by the Virginia Highway Contractors Association because he said their activities "by combination and agreements may be very detrimental" to the State. The court dismissed the suit, stating the criticism was legal, imposing all costs upon the association. The publicity helped him to be elected Governor of Virginia in November 1925, easily defeating Republican Samuel H. Hoge in

9020-713: The television documentary Harvest of Shame on this issue. In 1915, while still heading the Valley Turnpike Company, at the age of 28, Byrd was elected to the Virginia Senate . That election was to begin his 50 years of service in various roles in the state and federal government. At the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond , as a new state senator, Byrd was initially a progressive with an early interest in road improvements. He

9130-489: The temporary rank of lieutenant commander. For his services during the war, he received a letter of commendation from Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels , which was after World War II converted to a Navy Commendation Medal . After the war, Byrd volunteered to be a crew member in the U.S. Navy's 1919 aerial transatlantic crossing. This mission was historic, as it was the first time the Atlantic Ocean

9240-521: The trip on May 18, 1919, achieving the first transatlantic flight. In 1921, Byrd volunteered to attempt a solo nonstop crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, prefiguring Charles Lindbergh 's historic flight by six years. Byrd's ambition was dashed by then acting Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt Jr. , who felt the risks outweighed the potential rewards. Byrd was then assigned to the ill-fated dirigible ZR-2 (formerly known by

9350-510: The typed report's flight times indeed require both northward and southward ground speeds greater than the flight's 85-mph airspeed , a Byrd defender posits a westerly-moving anticyclone that tailwind-boosted Byrd's ground speed on both outward and inward legs, allowing the distance said to be covered in the time stated (the theory is based on rejecting handwritten sextant data in favor of typewritten alleged dead-reckoning data ). This suggestion has been challenged by Dennis Rawlins, who adds that

9460-569: The unincorporated areas of Loudoun County, "Leesburg Pike". Byrd's home from 1926 until his death, Rosemont Manor, still exists and is surrounded by about 60 acres. Although many acres of Byrd's former orchards are now commercial and residential properties, Rosemont is now open to the public as a bed and breakfast, as well as event venue. A statue of Byrd was installed in Richmond's Capitol Square in 1976. The statue became controversial after Virginia began to reconsider its historical monuments, and

9570-420: Was a greatly-talented and intelligent politician, one who came to dominate Virginia politics and substantially impact U.S. politics for decades, he frequently overlooked many other issues he could have helped address in favor of defending white supremacist policies and resisting the changing of the times, consequently squandering his long-term reputation on a doomed battle to preserve de jure racial segregation in

9680-677: Was a member of the Senate Committee on Roads, the Finance Committee, the Steering Committee, the Committee on Privileges and Elections, and the Committee of Schools and Colleges. He advocated a tax on gasoline as a fair method of raising revenue for road construction. However, he first came to prominence in 1922, when he led a fight against using bonded indebtedness as a method to pay for new roads. He feared

9790-629: Was a pioneering American aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics. Aircraft flights in which he served as a navigator and expedition leader crossed the Atlantic Ocean, a segment of the Arctic Ocean, and a segment of the Antarctic Plateau . He is also known for discovering Mount Sidley , the largest dormant volcano in Antarctica. Byrd claimed to be the first to reach both the North and South Poles by air. However, there

9900-665: Was assigned to the battleship USS Wyoming . During service in the Caribbean Sea, Byrd received his first letter of commendation, and later a Silver Lifesaving Medal , for twice plunging fully clothed to the rescue of a sailor who had fallen overboard. In April 1914, he transferred to the armored cruiser USS Washington and served in Mexican waters in June following the American intervention in April. His next assignment

10010-526: Was born in Winchester, Virginia , the son of Esther Bolling (Flood) and Richard Evelyn Byrd Sr. He was a descendant of one of the First Families of Virginia . His ancestors include planter John Rolfe and his wife Pocahontas , William Byrd II of Westover Plantation , who established Richmond , as well as William Byrd I and Robert "King" Carter , a colonial governor. He was also descended from George Yeardley , Francis Wyatt and Samuel Argall . He

10120-491: Was built on the site. NRAS Squantum was commissioned on August 15, 1923, and is considered to have been the first air base in the Naval Reserve program. Byrd commanded the aviation unit of the arctic expedition to North Greenland led by Donald B. MacMillan from June to October 1925. Although the expedition was largely unsuccessful (they did not in fact reach the pole) Byrd's efforts and the successful contributions of

10230-574: Was crossed by an aircraft. It was decided that only men who had not served overseas would be allowed on the mission. Unfortunately for Byrd, his tour of duty in Newfoundland was considered overseas service. Byrd was, however, able to make a valuable contribution, as his expertise in aerial navigation resulted in his appointment to plan the flight path of the mission. Of the three flying boats (NC-1, NC-3, and NC-4) that started from Newfoundland, only Lieutenant Commander Albert Read 's NC-4 completed

10340-605: Was friends with Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford , whose admiration of his polar exploits helped to gain Byrd sponsorship and financing for his various polar expeditions from the Ford Motor Company. He had a pet dog, Igloo, who accompanied Byrd to the North and South poles and who is buried at the Pine Ridge Pet Cemetery with a tombstone that reads "He was more than a friend." Byrd attended

10450-584: Was governor, Byrd built up contacts with the "courthouse cliques" in most of Virginia's counties. He curried support from the five constitutional officers in those counties (sheriff, Commonwealth's attorney, clerk of the court, county treasurer, and commissioner of revenue). This formed the basis of the Byrd Organization , which dominated Virginia politics well into the 1960s. They carefully vetted candidates for statewide office, and Byrd only made an endorsement, or "nod," after consulting with them. Without his "nod," no one could win statewide office in Virginia. While he

10560-503: Was governor, he shortened the ballot so that only three officials ran statewide: the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. This limited opportunities to challenge the candidates that he wanted to run. His secondary roads bill in 1932, which became known as the Byrd Road Act , did not apply to the state's independent cities . Education was not on his agenda, and state spending for public schools remained very low until

10670-791: Was held in New York City on July 19. Byrd and Noville were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by Secretary of the Navy Curtis D. Wilbur at the dinner. Acosta and Balchen did not receive the Distinguished Flying Cross because, at that time, it could only be awarded to members of the armed services and not to civilians. Byrd wrote an article for the August 1927 edition of Popular Science Monthly in which he accurately predicted that while specially modified aircraft with one to three crewmen would fly

10780-715: Was in operation with Senator Byrd as chairman; it built his national reputation as an economizer. By the 1950s Byrd was one of the most influential senators, serving on the Armed Services Committee , and later as chairman of the Finance Committee . He often broke with the Democratic Party line, going so far as to refuse to endorse the re-election of liberal President Harry S. Truman in 1948. He also refused to endorse Adlai Stevenson in 1952. He voted against public works bills, including

10890-570: Was launched. Byrd, along with pilot Bernt Balchen , co-pilot/radioman Harold June , and photographer Ashley McKinley , flew the Floyd Bennett to the South Pole and back in 18 hours, 41 minutes. They had difficulty gaining enough altitude, and they had to dump empty gas tanks, as well as their emergency supplies, to achieve the altitude of the Polar Plateau, but they were ultimately successful. In November 1929, Byrd participated in

11000-602: Was nominated by Ruth Nooney of Florida, who said she did so without his knowledge or consent. He won 89 delegate votes to Roosevelt's 1,086 ( James Farley of New York got one vote). All the convention delegates from Louisiana, Mississippi and Virginia, and 12 of the 36 delegates from Texas voted for Byrd. In 1952 , both the Constitution Party and the America First Party nominated Byrd for vice president, and Douglas MacArthur for president, without

11110-424: Was not enough to "get Virginia out of the mud," he pushed through a secondary roads bill that gave the state responsibility for maintaining county roads. These measures made Byrd seem like a New South progressive at first. However, many of his measures were more to the benefit of rural areas more interested in low taxes than better services. He instituted a "pay as you go" approach to spending, in which no state money

11220-415: Was probably the only person, other than Byrd himself, to participate in all five of Byrd's Antarctic expeditions. Photographic expeditions and geological surveys were undertaken for the duration of that summer, and constant radio communications were maintained with the outside world. After their first winter, their expeditions were resumed, and on November 28, 1929, the first flight to the South Pole and back

11330-492: Was short-waved to Buenos Aires, then relayed to New York. Sponsored by General Foods , the broadcasts aired on Saturday nights at 10:00 pm and reached #16 on the Hooper rating for the 1933-34 broadcast season, reaching an average audience of 19.1 million. Byrd's Antarctic expedition prompted President Roosevelt and the U.S. Postmaster General to honor the event in 1933 on a U.S. commemorative stamp which greatly helped raise

11440-611: Was sinking) and the Eleanor Bolling (named after Byrd's mother); a Ford Trimotor airplane called the Floyd Bennett (named after the recently deceased pilot of Byrd's previous expeditions) flown by Dean Smith ; a Fairchild FC-2W2 , NX8006, built 1928, named Stars And Stripes (now displayed at the National Air and Space Museum 's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center ); and a Fokker Super Universal monoplane called

11550-492: Was spent until enough taxes and fees came in to pay for it. Highways and tourism were his primary pursuits, says his biographer. "He advocated building roads to state shrines such as Jamestown and Monticello and called for historical markers along roadways, the first of which appeared in Fredericksburg . He held regional meetings to bring about closer cooperation between state and county road officials, prophesying that

11660-484: Was the brother of Virginia Governor and U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd , a dominant figure in the Virginia Democratic Party from the 1920s until the 1960s; their father served as Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates for a time. On January 20, 1915, Richard married Marie Ames Byrd (d. 1974). He would later name a region of Antarctic land he discovered " Marie Byrd Land " after her, and

11770-437: Was the primary pilot on Byrd's flight to the South Pole in 1929. On May 9, 1926, Byrd and Navy Chief Aviation Pilot Floyd Bennett attempted a flight over the North Pole in a Fokker F.VIIa/3m tri-motor monoplane named Josephine Ford after the daughter of Ford Motor Company president Edsel Ford , who helped finance the expedition. In addition to Ford contributions, John D. Rockefeller also notably provided funding for

11880-758: Was to the gunboat USS Dolphin , which also served as the yacht of the Secretary of the Navy. This assignment brought Byrd into contact with high-ranking officials and dignitaries, including then Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Roosevelt . He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (junior grade) on June 8, 1915. During Byrd's assignment to Dolphin , he was commanded by future Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy , who served as chief of staff to President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II . Byrd's last assignment before forced retirement

11990-585: Was to the presidential yacht USS Mayflower . On March 15, 1916, Byrd, much to his frustration, was medically retired on three-quarters pay for an ankle injury he suffered on board Mayflower . Shortly thereafter, on December 14, 1916, he was assigned as the inspector and instructor for the Rhode Island Naval Militia in Providence, Rhode Island . While serving in this position, he was commended by Brigadier General Charles W. Abbot ,

12100-689: Was vehemently opposed to racial desegregation even early in the New Deal , and later opposed Presidents Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy as well as losing presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson , despite their all being fellow Democrats, because unlike Byrd they opposed racial discrimination within the federal workforce. The Byrd Organization also benefited from limiting the political participation of blacks and poor whites in Virginia by means of poll taxes and literacy tests , but managed to defeat opposition ranging from New Deal governor James H. Price to gubernatorial and senatorial candidate Francis Pickens Miller . Although Byrd never announced himself as

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