It’s been a long-running joke that Robert C. Byrd was the living senator who’d named the most monuments after himself. In addition to placing an illegal, taxpayer-funded statue of himself in the West Virginia State Capitol, Byrd’s extraordinary narcissism led to the creation of a vast array of public works, monuments and roads, all bearing the late senator’s oft-sullied name. Monday morning, at the age of 92, Byrd passed away. This week we’re going to hear a lot of news stories lauding a man who held the dubious distinction of being the longest serving senator in U.S. history. It’s worth noting that this champion among Democrats will leave behind a legacy of bigotry, racism and hypocrisy that flies directly in the face of the values his party claims to hold so dear.

In 1942, if you were driving down the road that Byrd would eventually rename the Robert C. Byrd Expressway, it would’ve been best if you weren’t African-American. West Virginia was a state notorious for its mistreatment of minorities. Racism was a sad fact of life, and Byrd wouldn’t have had it any other way. We know this because he’d recently been elected to the position of “Exalted Cyclops” in the Ku Klux Klan. He held the title for a year, leaving the organization in 1943. Later in his political life, he would portray his Klan tenure as a youthful mistake. Mistake or not, he remained sympathetic to the cause. Three years after resigning, he famously claimed, “The Klan is needed today as never before, and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia.”

In the 1960’s, Byrd again emerged as a lofty symbol of tolerance when he came out against the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act. Congressional Democrats stood firm against the measure in a filibuster that lasted a whopping 83 days. Byrd himself led the charge by personally holding the floor for 14 hours. To his chagrin, Senate Republicans forced the bill through. Not to be deterred, however, Byrd returned the following year and tried to put an end to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which outlawed discriminatory practices that had kept African-Americans out of the voting booth. Again, he failed.

Twenty years later, he joined the Baptist Church and allegedly saw the error of his ways. He would often cite his religious awakening as a catalyst that opened his eyes to the evils of intolerance. With his racism in check, he turned his attention to pork barrel spending and, in 1999, became the first person in the history of the United States government to secure over one billion federal taxpayer dollars for his state. Much of that money has gone to fund pet projects such as a pair of “Robert C. Byrd Federal Buildings,” the “Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing” and the “Robert C. Byrd Federal Correctional Institution.” His constant spending earned him the title “King of Pork.”

In 2001, Byrd again inserted his enlightened viewpoint into the national racial debate. Apparently, his 1984 epiphany wasn’t quite enough to dull his hostility. He caused a controversy when he told Tony Snow, “I think we talk about race too much.” He should have quit there. Unfortunately, seconds later, he added:

There are white niggers. I’ve seen a lot of white niggers in my time, if you want to use that word. We just need to work together to make our country a better country, and I’d just as soon quit talking about it so much.

A quick note to future Senators: if you’re in the public eye, and that’s your best quote about racism, you really are better off not talking about it.

To quote President Obama, “America has lost a voice of principle and reason.” May he rest in peace. After offering the Senate 50 years of hypocrisy, greed and racism, it’s been announced that the senator will receive a funeral with full military honors. One wonders if African-American soldiers will be allowed to attend. After all, in 1948, Byrd fought vigorously against allowing the integration of the armed forces. Perhaps, to honor the senator’s own desires, minority servicemen should be allowed to view his funeral from a separate, but equal, location.

With a little luck, Senator Byrd will serve as the last vestige of an era in which such despicable viewpoints were able to openly thrive.

Robert Laurie is a Michigan-based conservative columnist and freelance writer. He also runs a daily political commentary blog at RobertLaurie.net.