Following his service in the aviation corps during World War I, where he was commissioned a first lieutenant he entered the family leather manufacturing business in 1919.

In 1940 Byron was challenged by baseball legend, Hall of Famer, and Montgomery County Commissioner Walter Johnson.

Byron would narrowly prevail, by a total of 60,037 (53%) to 52,258 (47%),[1] thanks in large part to the power of incumbency and FDR's coat tails.

The plane was en route from New York City to Brownsville, Texas, with stops at Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia.

On its approach to Atlanta's Chandler Field, the Douglas DC-3 crashed, killing 9 of the 16 persons on board, including Byron.