In 1989, for the first time, Senator Byrd had the opportunity to serve as Chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, on which he has held membership since the beginning of 1959.  Also in 1989, Senator Byrd was unanimously elected President pro tempore of the Senate, a post that placed him third in line of succession to the Presidency and gave him the distinction of having held more leadership positions in the U.S. Senate than any other Senator of any party in Senate history.   In June 2001, in an unprecedented shift of leadership, Senator Byrd regained the chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations Committee and was re-elected President pro tempore of the Senate.   In 2000, West Virginia voters elected Senator Byrd to an eighth consecutive six-year term in the Senate, making him the only person in the history of the Republic to achieve that milestone.  Senator Byrd has carried all 55 West Virginia counties three times (1970, 1994, and 2000), making him the first person to do so in contested statewide general elections.  In May 2001, Senator Byrd cast his 16,000th roll call vote, giving him the distinction of casting more votes than any other Senator in history.