Vice President Biden Swears in New Massachusetts Senator
SWEARING IN
New Bedford Standard-Times
Ayesha Aleem
Boston University Washington News Service
Sept. 25, 2009
WASHINGTON – Paul Kirk was sworn in as interim Massachusetts senator by Vice President Joe Biden in the Capitol on Friday, one month after the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, whose position Kirk will be filling.
Kirk, who is a lawyer and chairman of the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston, will occupy the Senate seat only until a replacement is elected in a special election in January.
“This is the highest honor in my life,” the new senator said. Kirk said he wanted to participate in the health care reform bill but added, “I’m aware I’m the freshman in the class.”
Rep. Barney Frank in a telephone interview Friday afternoon called Kirk a “thoughtful, intelligent man who understands the way the political process works” and said Kirk will do a “perfect job” as interim senator.
“Obviously it’s only for a few months but it’s going to be a very critical few months,” Frank said. “Some of the most important decisions that could be made by the national government will be made in that time.”
Frank also said Kirk would be a “knowledgeable and effective advocate for the state and for the things that people in the state care about.”
Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., accompanied Kirk to the front of the Senate chamber where Vice President Joe Biden swore in Kirk, who placed his hand on a red Bible.
Approximately 300 people filled the visitors’ gallery. The ceremony was attended by Sen. Kennedy’s widow, Vicki Kennedy, who sat with other guests in a separate gallery box.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., sat with other officials on the Senate floor. A reenactment ceremony for press photographs was conducted in the old Senate chamber following the event.
Kirk graduated from Harvard College in 1960 and Harvard Law School in 1964. He is chairman and chief financial officer of Kirk & Associates, a business consulting firm in Boston.
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