so from his perch as chairman of the senate finance committee in washington, d.c., senator harry byrd controlled virginia politics with the kind of animal instinct that prevented anybody else from coming anywhere close to the reins of power. so as time magazine noted in 1958, describing the byrd machine this way, quote, the byrd machine is an oligarchy composed of the few chosen by the few to make decisions for the many. so the origins of the byrd machine are often traced to the day when this guy, harry byrd, became chairman of the democratic party in 1922. so this is a position he used carefully oversee the flow of money and power in virginia. so the byrd machine was a statewide operation, but it operated as a kind of network of courthouse rings. sheriffs, judges, clerks of court. they all conspired to hold power by using the mechanics of elections to control the outcomes. so the new york times explained it this way 1941, 1949, they were explaining the byrd machine, quote, it has become as much a fixture in the comfortable, cloistered life of people of the state as, say, their faith

the -- harry byrd junior was a senator for many years after the death of harry byrd. that is an incredible argument. you could also view it as a very slow, steady decline after the death of harry byrd in 1966. an argument could be made the machine lasted longer than the election of holden. i like that as a end point talking about the machine. question over here. microphone. >> i want to go back to your initial comment, the harry byrd was responsible for underfunding yet. i am trying massive reasons but he was active in politics for many years before that point. what was the concern about public education? >> long history of not refunding it. underfunding it. the conditions, a reflection of that generational approach the public education where it was not funded was interesting when you think of the adjusters fighting more money for public education in the 1880s. something like that is a divide goes back a very long time like progressives with their head in the crowd who want to see a better society and invest in public education, conservative people, can we afford that

harry byrd dies in 1966, this guy is elected in 1969. republican. en grew the nail into the coffin of the byrd machine. republican elected governor. this is a commercial proposition. i like to end with rope election of the republican governor, many would tell you it went on far longer than the gubernatorial years of holden but for the narrative arc of learning about the bird machine to end here because the death of harry byrd in 1966 and the election of the republican governor in 1969. so there is an interesting back story here. one of the things i did in the book was talk about the last two gubernatorial elections, the last election where the byrd candidate won, and he was running against the republican, holden, who was the republican running for governor successfully in 1965. that was a crazy election because the john birch society also had a candidate running in this race so this was sort of anti-communist small government, a little on the wacky crazy side. they had their own candidate, the conservative party they created, william story was a bit

harry byrd junior was a senator for many, many years after the death. byrd, is that the byrd machine, that's aow double argument. you could also view it as a slow steady decline after the death of her burden 1976. i said the argument could bee made that the machine lasted longer then the election of linwood holton but i like that as an endpoint to the narrative talking about the machine. >> microphone. >> i want to go back to your initial comment that harry byrd was responsible for underfunding education in virginia. i guess i'm trying not to massive resistance but he was active in politics for many years before that point, what was the concern about public education? >> a long history of not fully funded it, underfunding it and the conditions at the high school are a reflection of the generational approach to public education why it was not funded. it's interesting if you think about the re-adjusters fighting for more money for public education way back in the 1880s, something like that is a divide that goes back a really long time like progressives wit

associated farming communities on the southside in central virginia harry byrd had marshaled his forcesstatewide operation in the earned a reputation as a political leader that had an iron fist concealed under a velvet glove, with this victory the byrd era publicly began. harry byrd was elected governor in 1925 at the age of 38, pretty young in terms of being governor he refused to wear a silk hat to avoid what one called silk hat here he did not want to be so cat harry the most sigficant accomplishment in this time was the short ballot eliminating the election of all the cabinet officials except for the attorney general. the old way all the elected officials were elected by voters and under the short ballot reform the governor gets those except for the attorney governor. harry was voter suppression from the jim crow constitution, byrd had a recipe from a political machine that could last well into the 20 century. perhaps in some ways beyond, after his term as governor byrd is appointed a vacancy in the united states senate with franklin roosevelt appoints claude swanson as secretary of

wants to revisit this lecture, we'll be sharing it on tonight's lecture will trace the history of harry byrd's conservative political organization, which dominated virginia politics for more than half a century. the byrd machine wielded per