Harry F. Byrd Jr.

The Honorable Harry F. Byrd, Jr.
United States Senator from Virginia
In office November 12, 1965 – January 3, 1983
Preceded by	Harry F. Byrd
Succeeded by	Paul Trible
Personal details
Born	(1914-12-20)December 20, 1914 Winchester, Virginia, U.S.
Died	July 30, 2013(2013-07-30) (aged 98) Winchester, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic Party (Before 1970) Independent Democrat (1970–2013)
Spouse(s)	Gretchen Bigelow Thomson ​ ​ (m. 1941⁠–⁠1989)​
Children	Harry F. Byrd III, Thomas Byrd, Beverly Byrd
Residence	Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S.
Alma mater	Virginia Military Institute University of Virginia

Harry Flood Byrd, Jr. (December 20, 1914 – July 30, 2013)^[1] was an American politician. He represented Virginia in the United States Senate from 1965 to 1983.

Byrd was born in Winchester, Virginia. He served in the United States Army during World War II from 1941 to 1945.

Byrd is best known for leaving the Democratic Party in 1971 and becoming an Independent, although he continued to support the Democratic Party and would call himself an Independent Democrat.^[2] He is the son of Harry F. Byrd, Sr., whom he replaced as senator. He retired in 1982.

Byrd died from heart disease at the age of 98 on July 30, 2013.

1. ↑ "Former Sen. Harry Byrd Jr. of Virginia dies". MSN.com. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.^{[permanent dead link][permanent dead link]}
2. ↑ "U.S. Senate: Senators Who Changed Parties During Senate Service (Since 1890)". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-23.