Robert C. Byrd of W. Va. makes final visit to the Senate he loved; honor guard bears casket

Byrd lies in repose in his beloved Senate

WASHINGTON — The Senate has opened its doors for a final time to Robert C. Byrd.

A military honor guard carried the West Virginia Democrat’s casket up the Capitol steps Thursday and into the Senate chamber. Byrd is to lie in repose for six hours, allowing members of Congress and the public to pay their respects.

Byrd died Monday at age 92. He served for nearly a quarter of the nation’s history — 51 years. That’s longer than any other senator. It was his love of the Senate that drove the decision to honor him on the Senate floor, rather than in the Capitol Rotunda where other prominent figures are memorialized.