Senators disclosed their personal finances to public view Friday - sort of - reporting such minutiae as $2,000 speech fees, a $60 refund for football tickets and the gift of a "Lenox Octagonal Server."
There were the usual disclosures of millionaire status for many members of what has been called the world's most exclusive club, but Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia was not among them. His assets were reported to be between $22,000 and $70,000.Every member of Congress is required to file an annual disclosure form listing honoraria, gifts, assets, income and liabilities. In most cases, members need only report the finances in broad dollar ranges, such as $15,001 to $50,000. They are not required to list their homes or furnishings.
The wealthiest men in the Senate include, as usual, two with the best-known names: John D. Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va., an heir to a vast oil furtune; and John Heinz, R-Pa., of the ketchup family. Another is John C. Danforth, R-Mo., a member of the family that formed the giant Ralston-Purina company.
Among the others in the well-populated millionaire's club in 1987 were William Armstrong, R-Colo.; and Alan J. Dixon, D-Ill.
One of the senators who usually is in the millionaire's group, former astronaut John Glenn, D-Ohio, asked for an extension of time for his filing for the second straight year.
Sen. Alan Cranston, D-Calif., appeared eligible for membership based on the reports, which are only guideposts to actual wealth. Cranston listed assets of $901,507 to $1,229,496, but his liaiblities - also listed in ranges - were $65,002 to $150,000.
Sen. Terry Sanford, D-N.C., filing his first report, had assets in the range of $1.9 million to $3.3 million and liabilities of $1 million to $1.8 million. He listed income of $681,488 to $694,488.
Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., put down assets in the range of $1.2 million to $2 million and liabilities of $590,000 to $1.1 million. Assets held by dependent children totaled $1 million to $1.3 million and more.
Sen. Quentin N. Burdick, D-N.C. listed assets of $457,000 to $1.2 million with no liabilities; Ernest F. Hollings, D-S.C., listed assets in the $900,000 to $1.9 million range with liabilities of $375,000 to $565,000. Richard Shelby, D-Ala., had assets of $1.2 million to $1.6 million and higher and liabilities of $165,000 to $400,000.
Senate Republican leader Robert Dole of Kansas did better than his Democratic counterpart, Byrd. Dole reported assets of between $275,290 and $579,277, mostly invested in mutual funds, Keogh plans and rental property in his hometown of Russell, jointly owned with his daughter.
Dole, who had been a contender for the Republican presidential nomination until he quit the race in April, reported income between $310,310 and $329,995, including his $99,500 Senate salary.
He was popular on the speaking circuit, even while running for the presidential nomination, taking in $106,050 for nearly four dozen speeches, three articles and a videotape. He kept $26,050 and gave $80,000 to charity.
Dole also received $50,000 royalties from a joint autobiography with his wife, Elizabeth, and $30,000 for a daily radio talk show with Sen. Edward Kennedy. Mrs. Dole, a former Secretary of Transportation, had income between $221,538 and $301,025, received more than $100,000 from a blind trust and $50,000 from the book.
Byrd's outside income consisted mostly of honoraria for speeches, most of them at the $2,000 limit but also one to a Baptist church for $200 and one to a high school for $100. He also wrote an article for the Los Angeles Times that brought him $250.
Byrd receives a salary of $99,500 a year. His income for speeches and the article totaled $41,050. He gave $2,043 to charity.
Former presidential candidate Paul Simon of Illinois, a Democrat, listed assets of $361,978 and liabilities of $219,243. His income for the year was $121,850, of which $22,826 was in honoraria.
His filing included a $3,000 expense reimbursement from his campaign, a $1,250 reimbursement from Northwest Airlines for lost luggage, a $60 ticket refund from the Chicago Bears of the National Football League and royalties of $478 from 11 books he has written.
Rockefeller, the senator with the oil-plated name, listed at least $390,000 as income, assets of at least $882,008. But as an heir to the Standard Oil fortune and one of the richest men in Congress, Rockefeller is far wealthier than these numbers suggest. Most of his wealth is held in three trusts. Two were established by his grandfather, John D. Rockefeller Jr. The other is a blind trust Rockefeller established when he became governor of West Virginia.
Rockefeller's wife - Sharon Percy Rockefeller, the daughter of former Sen. Charles Percy, R-Ill. - also is wealthy. Her income is listed as at least $258,115, with assets of at least $617,010. Their four children are beneficiaries of trusts worth at least $1,045,010.
(The information below was a side box to the article above:) ORRIN G. HATCH
Income: $89,682-$225,564.
Honoraria: $79,926, of which $48,449 donated to charity.
Gifts: None.
Assets: $472,912-$760,000.
Liabilities: None.
Hatch accepted reimbursement from outside organizations for 24 trips to places including Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, Florida and Canada.
JAKE GARN
Income: $155,486-$172,283.
Honoraria: $34,900, of which $2,000 was donated to charity.
Gifts: $1,580 in ski passes for himself and his wife; Encyclopaedia Britannica worth $350.
Assets: $51,007-$165,000.
Liabilities: $50,001-$100,000, loan taken out to buy a building lot in Park City, Utah.
Garn and his wife went on a Grand Canyon-Colorado River trip Aug. 25-30 paid for by Western River Expeditions. They had complimentary lodging at The Inn at Mazatlan, Mexico, Nov. 23-29. The Global Monetary Project paid for Garn and his wife to fly to Tokyo, Hong Kong and back to Salt Lake City, plus food and lodging on an April 11-18 trip.