don ritchie. ten years ago when dan bowen the popular author of the bestseller "the da vinci code" wanted information about the capitol for his new novel where did he go? don ritchie. even now when famed his for i don't know and biographer robert carro needs facts for his five-volume work on lyndon johnson, he goes to don ritchie for help. for 39 years any person needing valuable insight into the united states senate and its history has known where to go. the senate historian don ritchie. don has obliged sharing his wealth of knowledge with anyone who asks -- senators, staff authors, historians, visitors. but after nearly 40 decades don will officially retire from the senate historical office at the end of this month as the senior senator from kentucky has just stated. from his first day in the senate, don ritchie made this institution a better place. the first ever senate historian don's predecessor richard baker once said -- and i quote -- "march 8 1976, that's a date like my wedding anniversary

ritchie. don has obliged sharing his wealth of knowledge with anyone who asks -- senators, staff authors, historians, visitors. but after nearly 40 decades don will officially retire from the senate historical office at the end of this month as the senior senator from kentucky has just stated. from his first day in the senate, don ritchie made this institution a better place. the first ever senate historian don's predecessor richard baker once said -- and i quote -- "march 8 1976, that's a date like my wedding anniversary that i remember." indeed, that was the day don ritchie was hired as an associate historian in the newly formed senate historical office. don ritchie a former marine, was fresh out of graduate school at the university of maryland having received his ph.d. in history a year later. he was getting a start in the profession driving all over the d.c. area, teaching george mason, northern virginia community college and the university college. he was also working part time with the ameri