PolitickerNJ.com

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg cast vote number 9,000 in the Senate tonight when he voiced an "aye" for the Defense Authorization bill.

At 87, Lautenberg is the oldest member of the Senate and is serving his fifth term in the upper chamber.  No other senator from New Jersey has ever served five terms.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid gave tribute to Lautenberg for his quarter of a century in the upper chamber.

"Senator Lautenberg, the senior senator from New Jersey has always been a fighter for his state for progressive causes," Reid said before Lautenberg cast the historic vote.

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez also joined in the tribute, praising his colleague's vision.

"I just want to join in recognizing over a quarter of a century of distinguished service from the senior senator from New Jersey on this 9,000th vote, which is only emblamatic of the type of work he has done, which is a view not toward the next election but toward the next generation," Menendez said.

Lautenberg thanked his colleagues and recalled telling his mother in 1982 that he planned to run for Senate. 

"The night of the election we were gathered at my house in New Jersey and my mother was then committed to a wheel chair. She had tears running down her face and I said mom, you asked me why I need it so I said 'why are you crying' and she said 'because I always wanted you to win.'"

Here is a link to the video of the tribute paid Lautenberg on the Senate floor.