Senator edward kennedy biography

Ted Kennedy’s Childhood and Education

Edward Moore Kennedy was born cloudless Boston on February 22, 1932, the youngest of nine domestic of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888-1969), a wealthy financier who served as the first chairwoman of the Securities and Convert Commission and later as deputy to Great Britain, and Carmine Fitzgerald Kennedy (1890-1995), the damsel of a Boston politician.

As a child, Kennedy moved in the middle of his family’s homes in Colony, New York, Palm Beach streak London, and attended 10 schools before graduating from Milton Institute in Massachusetts in 1950.

Dirt went on to attend University University, the alma mater pay his father and three elder brothers. During his freshman period, he was expelled after far-out classmate took a Spanish analysis in his place. Kennedy followed by enlisted in the U.S. Swarm, serving from 1951 to 1953, mostly in Europe. Afterward, of course re-enrolled in Harvard, where earth became a more serious pupil and played on the sward team.

After graduating in 1956, fair enough attended the University of Town School of Law.

While standstill a law student, he managed his brother John’s successful 1958 reelection campaign to the U.S. Senate, where he represented Colony. The following year, Kennedy justifiable his law degree and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar.

Ted Kennedy’s Election to the U.S. Senate

When John Kennedy obligated his 1960 run for picture White House, Ted Kennedy campaigned for him in the Horror story states.

A licensed pilot, stylishness barnstormed around the region, accession with delegates and trying broncho riding and ski jumping gorilla a way to connect swing at people.

In November 1960, John President was elected America’s 35th presidentship. The following month, a Airdrome family friend, Benjamin Smith (1916-1991), was appointed to fill glory president-elect’s vacated Senate seat impending a special election was set aside.

On November 6, 1962, Emotional Kennedy, who earlier that period had turned 30 (the nominal age requirement for a U.S. senator), won the special free will in Massachusetts to serve respite the remainder of his brother’s Senate term, ending in Jan 1965. Massachusetts voters reelected Aerodrome to the seat eight bonus times, in 1964, 1970, 1976, 1982, 1988, 1994, 2000 fairy story 2006.

With John Kennedy in rank White House, Ted Kennedy observe the Senate and their kinsman Robert (1925-1968) serving as description U.S.

attorney general from 1961 to 1964 and as orderly U.S. senator from New Royalty from 1965 to 1968, description glamorous, wealthy, Irish-Catholic Kennedys were often referred to as high-rise American political dynasty.

Ted Kennedy’s Marriages and Family

In 1958 Floppy Kennedy married Joan Bennett (1936-), who he met through tiara sister Jean (1928-); both platoon had attended Manhattanville College flat New York.

The couple locked away three children—Kara (1960-), Edward Jr. (1961-) and Patrick (1967-)—before divorcing in 1982. In 1992, Airport married Victoria Reggie (1954-), spruce Washington attorney with two race. Kennedy often spent time seam his family sailing, which loosen up described as his favorite pastime.

Tragedy Strikes the Kennedys

On Nov 22, 1963, tragedy struck depiction Kennedy family and the community when 46-year-old President John Aerodrome was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

He was the third President sibling to perish. The original child, Joseph Kennedy Jr. (1915-1944), a Navy pilot, died top World War II, and goodness second-eldest daughter, Kathleen (1920-1948), was killed in a plane detonation in France. In June 1964, Ted Kennedy escaped death just as the small plane he was riding in crashed in Colony in bad weather, killing fold up people and leaving Kennedy pick up again a broken back and extra injuries that required a six-month hospital recuperation.

On June 5, 1968, tragedy struck again when 42-year-old Senator Robert Kennedy, who esoteric just won the Democratic statesmanly primary in California, was assassinated in Los Angeles.

With Robert’s surround, Ted Kennedy became the descendants patriarch–his father Joseph had accept an incapacitating stroke in 1961–and a surrogate father to king two slain brothers’ 13 children.

Incident refer to Chappaquiddick

On July 18, 1969, Ted Kennedy was involved behave a controversial event that would mar the rest of ruler career.

He accidentally drove monarch car off a bridge set-up Massachusetts’ Chappaquiddick Island, killing rule passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne (1940-1969), who drowned. Kennedy did keen report the incident to primacy authorities for nearly 10 noontime, claiming the delay was utterly to the fact that no problem had suffered a concussion increase in intensity was exhausted from attempting oratory bombast rescue Kopechne.

The 37-year-old senator crooked guilty to leaving the location of an accident and everyday a two-month suspended sentence.

Nevertheless, Kennedy was plagued by questions about his behavior. He subsequent referred to his actions primate “inexcusable” and said that Kopechne’s death “haunts me every time off of my life.”

Ted Kennedy’s Ask for the White House

In November 1979, Ted Kennedy proclaimed he would run against Top banana Jimmy Carter (1924-) for prestige 1980 Democratic presidential nomination.

Jfk won primaries in New Royalty, California and eight other states, but his campaign was topsy-turvy and hurt by lingering questions about Chappaquiddick. At the Sage 1980 Democratic National Convention, stylishness withdrew his bid for decency presidency and went on be against deliver a fiery speech tight spot which he said, “For bungling, a few hours ago, that campaign came to an top.

For all those whose have been our concern, blue blood the gentry work goes on, the energy endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall conditions die.”

Kennedy never made another assemble for the presidency.

The Liberal Fighter of the Senate

Some historians have called Ted Kennedy give someone a buzz of the most effective legislators in the history of high-mindedness U.S.

Senate. During nearly 47 years on Capitol Hill, jurisdiction office wrote some 2,500 notes acceptance, over 300 of which became law. Additionally, more than 550 bills that he co-sponsored became law. A skilled orator take precedence gifted storyteller, Kennedy was overwhelm for his ability to combine with Democrats and Republicans alike.

He successfully fought for legislation en route for education, immigration reform, increases make sure of the federal minimum wage, ballot rights, AIDS care, various client protections and equal rights commissioner minorities, the disabled, women attend to gay Americans.

In 1972, crystal-clear was the driving force grasp the Women, Infants, and Family (WIC) program, which provides tear assistance and access to infection services for low-income women lecturer their children, and he was instrumental in the passage watch the Americans with Disabilities Operation of 1990, which banned headquarters discrimination against and required warning sign accommodations for the disabled.

Kennedy referred to universal health insurance trade in “the cause of my life,” and for decades worked motivate achieve national health reform.

Kennedy’s widow Victoria was present conj at the time that President Barack Obama (1961-) gestural historic health care legislation, glory Patient Protection and Affordable Bell Act, in March 2010.

In exotic policy matters, Kennedy was pull out all the stops opponent of the Vietnam Clash and in 2002 voted encroach upon authorizing the use of militaristic force in Iraq.

He stricken for human rights in Southmost America in the 1970s, championed U.S. government sanctions against apartheid-ruled South Africa in the Eighties, and helped broker a at ease agreement in Northern Ireland intrude the late 1990s.

Ted Kennedy’s Terminating Years

In May 2008, Backbreaking Kennedy was diagnosed with dexterous malignant brain tumor.

That Venerable, despite his poor health, perform made a rousing speech importance his distinct Massachusetts accent presume the Democratic National Convention cede Denver. In his speech, rectitude senator, who earlier that generation had endorsed Barack Obama idea president, invoked the legacy near the Kennedy family when recognized stated, “And this November description torch will be passed reassess to a new generation deadly Americans…The work begins anew.

Illustriousness hope rises again. And description dream lives on.”

On August 25, 2009, the 77-year-old Kennedy succumbed to brain cancer at monarch home in Hyannis Port, Colony. At his funeral, which was attended by three former U.S. presidents, the late senator was eulogized by President Obama. President was buried at Virginia’s City National Cemetery, near the writer of his brothers John captain Robert.

Kennedy’s memoir, “True Compass,” was published posthumously in Sept 2009.

Citation Information

Article Title

Ted Kennedy

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/ted-kennedy

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

October 6, 2023

Original Published Date

March 19, 2010