Lott leaves Hill; colleagues pay tribute

WASHINGTON — Sen. Trent Lott retired from Congress late Tuesday with characteristic flair, making public with 16 minutes' notice that he would relinquish his seat when the Senate closed for business.

A news release issued by his office at 11:49 p.m. said Lott would not return to work Wednesday. The Senate turned out the lights at 12:05 a.m.

Lott spokesman Lee Youngblood said the formal announcement came so late because Lott had to resign at least a day before the Senate recesses, but wanted to vote on important bills that were being considered well into the night.

In a 35-year career, Lott, 66, rose from the Republican ranks of the House to the helm of the Senate, was toppled by his own racially insensitive remark in 2002 and reinstated as a GOP leader four years later by one vote.

Lott, who kept at least one bullwhip in his office, seemed to relish a job others have loathed: rounding up votes in a chamber of outsized egos. But with Republicans likely to lose seats in the next election and stay in the minority, Lott said, he was ready to go.

Lott referred to his ups and downs in recent years, quoting his Pascagoula High School motto on the Senate floor. "The glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time you fail," he said. "I have had opportunities to fail, and I have had opportunities to persevere."

For hours Tuesday, his colleagues spoke on the Senate floor, quoting Shakespeare and referencing the controversy generated by Lott's comments five years earlier at Sen. Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party. The remarks were interpreted as support for past Southern segregationist policies.

The Senate then did what it does most often: unanimously passed a resolution on the subject.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has said he will appoint a successor to fill Lott's seat until an election is held next year. Republican Reps. Charles "Chip" Pickering and Roger Wicker are considered possible successors.

Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report.