Erma Ora James Byrd, 89, wife of Sen. Robert Byrd for 69 years
Posted: Saturday, March 25th, 2006 8:33 pmIt is with great sadness that the Office of U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd announces that Senator Byrd’s wife of nearly 69 years, Erma Ora James Byrd, passed away after battling a long illness.
Born in Floyd County, Virginia, Erma Ora James moved to the West Virginia coalfields with her family. She met her future husband while both were students at Mark Twain Grade School in Raleigh County. Erma and Robert Byrd were married when they both were just 19 years old. The small ceremony, attended only by their parents, was at the home of the Reverend U. G. Nichols on May 29, 1937. …
Mrs. Byrd never sought the limelight. She did not give her first media interview until 1982 — 30 years after her husband was first elected to the Congress. In that interview with the Charleston Daily Mail, she said, “I leave the politics to Robert. The people elected him, not me.” …
Mrs. Byrd was a member of the Senate Wives’ Club and has been involved in Senate Wives’ Red Cross projects since 1958. In 1990, Mrs. Byrd was selected Daughter of the Year by the West Virginia Society of Washington, D.C. … Read full obituary
