US Senator Edward Kennedy, who took the helm of one of America’s most fabled political families after two of his brothers were assassinated, has died aged 77
Ted Kennedy
One of the most influential and longest-serving Democratic Party senators in US history, Mr Kennedy had been battling brain cancer, which was diagnosed in May 2008.
Known as ‘Teddy’, he was the brother of President John Kennedy, assassinated in 1963.
Another sibling, Senator Robert Kennedy, was fatally shot while campaigning for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination.
Edward Kennedy, a liberal standard-bearer, was also known as a consummate congressional dealmaker.
He became a member of the Senate in 1962 to replace his brother when he resigned to become president, and was re-elected seven times.
He has been an active supporter of current President Barack Obama.
Correspondents say Senator Kennedy has been a dominant force in liberal American politics for almost half a century, especially on issues like healthcare and education.
The Kennedy family announced his death in a brief statement in the early hours of Wednesday.
Edward Kennedy was the only one of four brothers to die a natural death.
His brother Joseph was killed in an air crash in World War II, and both President John F Kennedy and presidential hopeful Robert F Kennedy were assassinated.
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September 16th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in U.S. history. For many years the most prominent living member of the Kennedy family, he was the last surviving son of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.; the youngest brother of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, both victims of assassination, and Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., killed in action in World War II; and the father of Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy.
Kennedy entered the Senate in a November 1962 special election to fill the seat once held by his brother John. He was elected to a full six-year term in 1964 and was reelected seven more times. The 1969 Chappaquiddick incident resulted in the death of automobile passenger Mary Jo Kopechne; Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident, and the incident significantly damaged his chances of ever becoming President of the United States. His one attempt, in the 1980 U.S. presidential election, resulted in a primary campaign loss to incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter.
Kennedy was known for his oratorical skills. His 1968 eulogy for his brother Robert and his 1980 rallying cry for modern American liberalism were among his best-known speeches. He became recognized as “The Lion of the Senate” through his long tenure and influence. More than 300 bills that Kennedy and his staff wrote were enacted into law. Unabashedly liberal, Kennedy championed an interventionist government emphasizing economic and social justice, but was also known for working with Republicans to find compromises between senators with disparate views. Kennedy played a major role in passing many laws, including laws addressing immigration, cancer research, health insurance, apartheid, disability discrimination, AIDS care, civil rights, mental health benefits, children’s health insurance, education and volunteering. In the 2000s, he led several unsuccessful immigration reform efforts. Over the course of his career and continuing into the Obama administration, Kennedy continued his efforts to enact universal health care, which he called the “cause of my life.”
In May 2008, Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor which limited his appearances in the Senate. He died on August 25, 2009, at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. By the time of his death, he had come to be viewed as a major figure and spokesman for American progressivism.
September 29th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
FORMER US President Jimmy Carter was rushed to hospital yesterday after being suddenly taken ill on an aircraft.
An ambulance met the 85-year-old’s flight into Cleveland, Ohio and transferred him to Metro Health Medical Center suffering from stomach pains.
Last night the Carter Centre said the Nobel Peace Prize winning former President was comfortable and resting in hospital.
The spokesman added he was “expected to resume his book tour this week”.
Mr Carter who served as the 39th President of the US between 1977 and 1981 was on a promotional book tour for his recently published memoir White House Diary when he was taken ill.
He had been due at a book signing at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cleveland yesterday.
The former peanut farmer and naval officer undertook a successful mission to North Korea last month to secure the release of an American who had been convicted of illegally entering the country.
Carter left Pyongyang with Aijalon Mahli Gomes, who was arrested in January and sentenced to eight years’ hard labour.
He founded the Carter Centre, a human rights and international aid institution after failing to win a second term as President and losing to Republican Ronald Reagan.