Capitol Hill Honors Strom Thurmond's 100th Birthday [C-SPAN Live 2PM CST]

C-SPAN ^ | Brian Lamb

[ewing]

Sen. Thurmond Honored at 100

United States Senator Strom Thurmond (Republican-South Carolina) attends a Capitol Hill event marking his 100th birthday.

Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (Republican-Mississippi) and Former Senator Robert Dole (Republican-Kansas) will speak.

LIVE on C-SPAN at 3PM EST

[ewing]

Happy 100th!

[ewing]

All of the Supreme Court Justices will be in attendance except for the Chief Justice who is still laid up with a knee injury.

[OldFriend]

Renquist, had a knee operation.

[dogbyte12]

I am still just baffled and amazed that he ran for President in 1948. 1948! He was already 46 at the time. I have heard that he has younger twin sisters, both in their 90's and still kicking.

[Guillermo]

Yeah but are they still having children?

[ewing]

And he was elected as a U.S. Senator on a write in ballot!

I still don't know if that has ever been done.

[princess leah]

I remember how after the senate was 50-50 (before Jumpin'Jim screwed us)the dems were talking about how they weren't sure 'ol Strom was going to make it thru his term! HA! There was even that one night where they wouldn't cut short the session so he could leave and went 'til midnight! But Strom held on and he'll go down in history for his tenure and commitment! Now the Byrd man from WV is another sorry tale unlike Strom's!

[ewing]

Sen. Lott's staffers giving Ol' Strom a thrill at his retirement party...

[Post Toasties]

Congratulations, Strom!

[ewing]

[ewing]

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

WOW! I hope when I turn 100 I can have a couple of hotties next to me too!

[ewing]

Not a bad way to turn 100!

[ewing]

The open mouth and the eyes are just priceless..he may be old but he is aware!

[ewing]

Doesnt look like he has any problem celebrating!!

[Saundra Duffy]

Happy Birthday, Strom. You da man. For victory & freedom!!!

[E Rocc]

"I am still just baffled and amazed that he ran for President in 1948. 1948! He was already 46 at the time. I have heard that he has younger twin sisters, both in their 90's and still kicking."

Interesting info from an anti-Strom site:

Strom Facts

Þ James Strom Thurmond was born on December 5, 1902 in Edgefield, South Carolina

Þ He has been alive for almost half of the entire history of the United States

Þ Theodore Roosevelt was president when Strom was born

Þ He has been alive during the terms of 18 (out of 43) U.S. Presidents

Þ He was 14 when Lenin took power in Russia and John F. Kennedy was born

Þ He was 17 when women were granted the right to vote

Þ He's old enough to be George W. Bush's or Bill Clinton's grandfather

Þ He is one of few living politicians to have received votes from Civil War veterans

Þ He was 24 when the first movie featuring spoken dialogue (The Jazz Singer) was released

Þ He won an election 18 years before Bill Clinton or G. W. Bush were born

Þ He was elected state senator in 1933, the same year that Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany.

Þ He was 42 when the U.S. dropped the first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima

Þ He was elected governor of SC in 1946 (The same year W and Clinton were born). He was governor from 1947 to 1951

Þ In 1954 he was a successful write-in candidate as U.S. Senator, after an extensive government and press sponsored campaign to teach the semi-literate (parts of the) South Carolina populace how to write his name.

Þ He is the oldest sitting and longest serving senator in U.S. history.

Þ He has been a senator for one fifth of the entire history of the United States

Þ He has been a senator through the terms of 10 U.S. Presidents. He was older than 9 of them.

Þ When he was first elected to the U.S. Senate, there were only 48 states in the union

Þ He holds the record for the longest filibuster in U.S. Senate history at 24 hours and 18 minutes, in opposition to the 1957 Civil Rights Act. He began his filibuster by reading the texts of the election laws of all 48 states.

Þ In 1897, Strom's father Will shot and killed a political foe who called him a "low, dirty, scoundrel". He was acquitted after pleading self-defense

Þ He was rumored to have been sexually involved with the only woman to ever receive the death penalty in South Carolina

Þ He's old enough to be Bob Dole's father

Þ Mark Twain was still writing when Strom was born

Þ A dozen senators have died in office since Strom Thurmond turned 70

Þ He was 52 when Bill Gates was born

Þ He was 78 when the IBM PC was introduced in 1981

Þ He served as a senator alongside George W. Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush

Þ He was 32 (and already a state senator) when Elvis Presley was born

What they don't mention is that he landed at Normandy on D-Day at the age of 41 and that he had four children after the age of 65. They also don't mention that he was the first southern senator to hire a black senior aide.

-Eric

[ewing]

I hope the gal wasn't on death row at the time! Did they have conjugical visits in the 40's and 50's??

Another midblowing fun fact..Strom cast his fist politcal vote at the 1932 National Politcal Conventions (when FDR was running)

[E Rocc]

There was even that one night where they wouldn't cut short the session so he could leave and went 'til midnight!

Actually Joe Biden offered to leave so Strom could and they'd cancel each other out. Hildebeast talked him out of it.

There was also an incident where the Wicked Witch of New York knocked into him trying to get closer to a TV camera. Ted Kennedy of all people caught him so he didn't get injured.

-Eric

[tom h]

Capitol Hill Honors Strom Thurmond's 100th Birthday

Ha! Let none of us middle-aged guys forget that Strom, in his late 60s, married a former Miss South Carolina who was 22 at the time. Over the next few years they had four children, and the marriage has lasted, for 34 years!

The below photo is from a Clemson web page and is dated 15 years ago. A beautiful family and Strom looks 50 instead of 85. I think the eldest daughter passed away in her early 20s (do any SC Freepers have the story on that?).

Strom has some tough fiber in his body in addition to a virility that most of us could only wish to have. Must be that good southern stock.