As Continetti noted here earlier, the decision by Fidel Castro to step down has occasioned lots of commentary about how many U.S. presidents and other world leaders he outlasted. Credit where it's due: there's at least one American politician (and as far as I can tell, only one) who has lasted in office longer than Castro: West Virginia Senator Bob Byrd.

Byrd was sworn into office on January 3, 1959 -- more than a month before Castro. And at 90 years young, Byrd is still rendering his energetic service to the good people of West Virginia.