Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy
Name	Ted Kennedy
Caption	Kennedy in 2008
Office	United States Senator from Massachusetts
Term start	November 7, 1962
Term end	August 25, 2009
Predecessor	Benjamin A. Smith II
Successor	Paul G. Kirk
Office2	Senate Majority Whip
Term start2	January 3, 1969
Term end2	January 3, 1971
Predecessor2	Russell B. Long
Successor2	Robert Byrd
Party	Democratic
Children	3, including Patrick J. Kennedy
Alma mater	Harvard College, University of Virginia School of Law
Birth name	Edward Moore Kennedy
Birth date	22 February 1932
Birth place	Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Death date	25 August 2009
Death place	Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery

Ted Kennedy was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts for nearly 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A prominent member of the Democratic Party and the Kennedy family, he became one of the most influential legislators in American history. His career was marked by significant legislative achievements, personal tragedy, and a failed bid for the presidency.

Early life and education

Edward Moore Kennedy was born in Boston as the youngest of nine children to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. He spent his early years in Bronxville, New York, and Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. He attended the Milton Academy before following his brothers to Harvard College, where his studies were interrupted by a cheating scandal. After serving two years in the United States Army, he returned to graduate from Harvard University and then earned a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Early political career

After graduating, he managed his brother John F. Kennedy's 1958 re-election campaign in Massachusetts. In 1960, he played a key role in the Democratic National Convention and the subsequent presidential campaign. In 1962, at the age of 30, he successfully ran for the United States Senate seat previously held by his brother, defeating George Cabot Lodge II, a member of the prominent Lodge family.

U.S. Senator from Massachusetts

He quickly established himself as a formidable legislator, focusing on issues like civil rights, immigration, and health care. He was a key supporter of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Following the assassinations of his brothers, President John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, he became a national symbol of the Kennedy family legacy. He was elected Senate Majority Whip in 1969, becoming the youngest ever to hold that post.

Presidential ambitions and Chappaquiddick incident

He was considered a frontrunner for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination. However, his prospects were severely damaged by the Chappaquiddick incident in July 1969, where a car he was driving plunged off a bridge, resulting in the death of passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. He pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident. He later challenged incumbent President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 Democratic primaries, winning several key states but ultimately failing to secure the nomination at the 1980 Democratic National Convention.

Later Senate career and legislative achievements

Following his presidential bid, he dedicated himself fully to the Senate, earning the nickname "Lion of the Senate." His major legislative accomplishments include the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Ryan White CARE Act, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the No Child Left Behind Act (which he co-sponsored with President George W. Bush), and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. He was a staunch opponent of the Iraq War and a pivotal figure in the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a lifelong goal.

Personal life and death

He married Virginia Joan Bennett in 1958; they had three children, including former U.S. Representative Patrick J. Kennedy, and divorced in 1982. In 1992, he married Washington lawyer Victoria Reggie Kennedy. He was diagnosed with a malignant glioma, a type of brain tumor, in May 2009. He died at his home in Hyannis Port in August 2009 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery near his brothers. His memoir, True Compass, was published posthumously.

Category:1932 births Category:2009 deaths Category:United States senators from Massachusetts