Senator Edward Kennedy, considered ‘The Lion of the Senate’ has died from brain cancer. He had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last year. He was 77 years old. Read Senator Ted Kennedy’s biography, see photos and a video below.





The news came late last night that Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) has died of brain cancer at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. He had been undergoing treatment for a malignant brain tumor. It’s very clear that Ted Kennedy was a historic figure in the Senate — vigorously working the congress, effectively passing many bills with the help of both sides of the aisle. He had also come to represent ‘liberalism’ for many conservatives like me in the country, often leaving a bitter taste in our mouths when saying his name. Reaction to the fact that Ted Kennedy, Lion of the Senate is dead is coming in fast and furious however, there has been no comment from Mary Jo Kopechne.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy Biography

Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy was born on February 22, 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts so his age is 76. He is the youngest of nine children of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald — a prominent Irish-Catholic family from Boston. He, of course, is the youngest brother of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert R. Kennedy – both victims of assassination.

He attended top-tier privates schools including Harvard University and earned his law degree from the University of Virginia. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1959. While he was in law school, he managed his brother John’s 1958 Senate re-election campaign.

His first marriage was to Virginia “Joan” Bennett. They married on November 29, 1958, in Bronxville, New York. The marriage was widely rumored to be troubled by Kennedy’s womanizing and Joan’s alcoholism. They divorced in 1982. Their children are Kara, Edward Jr., and Patrick. After his brothers John and Robert were assassinated in 1963 and 1968, Ted Kennedy also took on the role of surrogate father for his brothers’ 13 children.

Ted Kennedy has been a U.S. Senator for 47 years! In 1962, Ted Kennedy was elected to the Senate from Massachusetts in a special election. He then was elected to a full six-year term in 1964 and has represented his state ever since.

For many however, he will be most remembered for his involvement not in the Senate but rather over the Chappaquiddick incident in which his name will forever be linked to the 1969 death of a young campaign worker named Mary Jo Kopechne.

Ted Kennedy was encouraged to run for President in both 1972 and 1976, but declined because of his family’s concerns regarding the assassinations of his brothers. But in 1980 he did run for president, challenging the democrat’s own incumbent president, Jimmy Carter. As we know from history, his bid was unsuccessful.

Ted Kennedy was a powerful Senator, often called Lion of the Senate. He had been a staunch advocate of liberal principles, and was one of the most influential members of his party. He was the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. He also served on the Judiciary Committee, and the Armed Services Committee. He was also a member of the Congressional Joint Economic Committee. He held a trustee positon on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

On May 20, 2008, doctors announced that Ted Kennedy had a malignant brain tumor and on June 2, 2008, Kennedy underwent brain surgery at Duke University Hospital. He made a return to the Senate floor to a standing ovation just weeks later. He even attended Barack Obama’s inauguration on January 20, 2009.

Senator Ted Kennedy made his home in Hyannis, Massachusetts, where he lived with his second wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, a Washington lawyer and her children from a previous marriage, Curran and Caroline. You can read more about Victoria here. Ted Kennedy, Lion of the Senate, is dead of brain cancer at the age of 77.





‘Senator Ted Kennedy at DNC Convention 2008′ Video