With the passing of Sen. Robert Byrd this morning, Democrat Daniel Inouye from Hawaii is now the Senate's longest-serving member. Sen. Inouye has represented Hawaii since it gained statehood in 1959, beginning in the House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate in 1963. He is a veteran, a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and the first Japanese-American to serve in Congress. Mr. Inouye replaces Mr. Byrd as the president pro tempore of the Senate, making him third in line to succeed the president, after the vice president and the speaker of the House.
(Flickr/kepanok)
