I construe my election as a mandate to me as a businessman to institute the best methods of efficiency and economy in State affairs, so that the people may obtain in the public service a dollar's value for every dollar spent. Useless offices must be abolished, duplicated services must be consolidated, and the manifold activities of the State systematized and directed with the efficiency of a great business corporation." - Meaning and context.">
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Statement on 1 February 1926 as he took office as the 50th Governor of Virginia, as quoted by Richard F. Weingroff, "Senator Harry Flood Byrd of Virginia- The Pay-As-You-Go Man", published online through the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration's "Highway History", updated 27 June 2017
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I construe my election as a mandate to me as a businessman to institute the best methods of efficiency and economy in State affairs, so that the people may obtain in the public service a dollar's value for every dollar spent. Useless offices must be abolished, duplicated services must be consolidated, and the manifold activities of the State systematized and directed with the efficiency of a great business corporation.

— Harry F. Byrd

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I construe my election as a mandate to me as a businessman to institute the best methods of efficiency and economy in State affairs, so that the people may obtain in the public service a dollar's value for every dollar spent. Useless offices must be abolished, duplicated services must be consolidated, and the manifold activities of the State systematized and directed with the efficiency of a great business corporation." in the context of "Statement on 1 February 1926 as he took office as the 50th Governor of Virginia, as quoted by Richard F. Weingroff, "Senator Harry Flood Byrd of Virginia- The Pay-As-You-Go Man", published online through the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration's "Highway History", updated 27 June 2017" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Harry F. Byrd" (Quotes, 1920s) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

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#Harry F. Byrd#efficiency#state#consolidated#systematized#businessman#corporation#duplicated#activities#institute#abolished#construe
Harry F. Byrd

About Harry F. Byrd

Harry Flood Byrd Sr. (June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) was an American newspaper publisher, politician, and leader of the Democratic Party in Virginia for four decades as head of a political faction that became known as the Byrd Organization. Byrd served as Virginia's governor from 1926 until 1930, then represented it as a United States Senator from 1933 until 1965. He came to lead the "conservative coalition" in the United States Senate, and opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt, largely blocking most liberal legislation after 1937. His son Harry Jr. succeeded him as U.S. Senator, but ran as an Independent following the decline of the Byrd Organization.