Robert Byrd: Male Model
Apparently, some people thought the Senator from West Virginia should have pursued an alternative career path:
Robert C. Byrd was known for many things — his mastery of Senate rules, his oratorical skills, his ability to quote long passages of poetry from memory. At one time, he was apparently also considered quite the looker. “If you ever decide you’ve had enough of the Senate (which would be the country’s loss) you can always model men’s wear for Brooks Brothers,” one female admirer wrote Byrd in April 1978. “What a super model you’d make.”
Byrd’s correspondent was none other than Abigail “Dear Abby” Van Buren, who wrote to Byrd, then 61, to compliment his “perfectly stunning” photograph in Time magazine.
Okay then.