Strom Thurmond

Strom Thurmond (R., S.C.) is the oldest serving U.S. Senator. His career in the Senate extends from the days of Jim Crow, when he was a strong supporter of racial segregation as a southern Democrat. He later ran for President on an independent ticket (of a party he created), and then switched to the Republican party.

He supported racial segregation with the longest filibuster ever on the Senate floor.

His faculties have suffered a sharp decline in recent years; he has difficulty walking, and is generally recognized to be almost completely unaware of what is going on.