Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, known as Ted or Teddy, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in May 2008 and underwent a successful brain surgery soon after that. There were also three former Vice presidents, 58 senators, 21 former senators, and several members of the House of Representatives. His grave marker is identical to that of his brother Robert’s; which is a white oak cross and a white marble foot marker bearing his full name. At the time of his death, he was the second most senior member of the Senate and the third-longest-continuously-serving senator in U.S. history. Kennedy was conscious during the surgery to minimize the risk of any neurological effects. Congress was emotionally impacted by the death of the "Lion of the Senate" and some members had to have voted for the bill as a tribute to this respected man. No. Sen. Ted Kennedy was not done confronting personal tragedy. His father, a third-generation Irish-American who became a multimillionaire businessman and served for a time as a U.S. ambassador to Britain, had risen high and was determined that his sons would rise higher still. Powered by. ", Political analyst Mark Shields said Kennedy's "concerns were national concerns, but his forum for achieving his ends and changing policy, became the Senate. Compared to his brothers in office, he lacked John's sophistication and Robert's intense, sometimes grating drive, but was more affable than either of them. Ted Kennedy, the Lion of the Senate was the lying of the Senate. He spend his final days at home with his wife Vicki. Kennedy later said he dived into the water repeatedly in a vain attempt to save Mary Jo Kopechne, one of the "boiler room girls" who had worked on Bobby Kennedy's campaign. Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy confirmed the death of … Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Kennedy won reelection to a third full term as senator in 1976. Image from HSCA Analysis (1979) John F. Kennedy was killed by the second of two rifle shots from the rear, the bullet entering the skull and explosively exiting the right side of the skull. The event is now the subject of Chappaquiddick, a feature film starring Jason Clarke, Kate Mara, and Ed Helms that debuts April 6. A hardworking, well-liked politician who became the standard-bearer of his brothers' liberal causes, his career was clouded by allegations of personal immorality and accusations that his family's clout helped him avoid the consequences of an accident that left a young woman dead. Health Care: Sen. … According to CNN, the operation lasted over three hours, and was conducted by Dr. Allan Friedman. July 20, 2019. Within days, doctors had diagnosed that Kennedy had a malignant glioma, which is a kind of cancerous brain tumor. In August, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the nation's highest civilian honor -- by President Obama. But for the younger members of the Kennedy clan, from his own three children to those of his brothers JFK and RFK, Ted Kennedy -- once seen as the youngest and least talented in a family of glamorous overachievers -- was both a surrogate father and the center of the family. 1964 – Edward Kennedy's plane crash & Presidential Election DayJune 19, 1964 – Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy is involved in a plane crash in which one of his aides and the pilot were killed. Senator Ted Kennedy and others unlucky enough to learn they have the type of brain tumor known as glioblastoma receive a grim prognosis: about a year or a little more is the average life expectancy. Some blamed her drinking, others cited his alleged womanizing. At the Democratic National Convention in August 2008, the Massachusetts Democrat promised, "I pledge to you that I will be there next January on the floor of the United States Senate when we begin the great test.". Three days later, doctors broke the news that Kennedy was suffering from a malignant glioma, a type of brain tumor. And the very next year there occurred a tragedy that would forever block Ted Kennedy's presidential ambitions. And he was seen as a stalwart of the Democratic Party, delivering several rousing speeches at conventions. Questions arose about how Kennedy had known Kopechne -- he denied any "private relationship," and Kopechne's parents also insisted there was no relationship -- and why he failed to report the accident for about nine hours. She appears to have lost her battle with alcoholism but at age 82 is alive. He was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, near the graves of his assassinated brothers John and Robert. He won a fourth term in 1982 and was again reelected … In 1969, Kennedy was driving a car and Mary Jo Kopechne, a staffer for Robert F. Kennedy, was riding as his passenger. He Considered Health Care Reform to Be the ‘Cause of His Life’ As a U.S. Kennedy's life, both professional and personal, took a turn for the better in 1992. Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Ted Kennedy, brother to JFK and RFK, died 10 years ago. He was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and was the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history, having served there for almost 47 years. But another family incident exposed Kennedy's vulnerabilities and held him up to public censure. 2. “I, like so many others in the city where he worked for nearly half a century, knew him as a colleague, a mentor, and above all, a friend.”. It was a bad diagnosis, but it allowed for the gift of reflection and some good times.” Kennedy died at his home on August 25, 2009. In contrast, Kennedy's career in the Senate continued to flourish. The man known as the "liberal lion of the Senate" had fought a more than year-long battle with brain cancer, and according to his son had lived longer with the disease than his doctors expected him to. He was horrified when in July 1999, five years after Jackie's death, John Jr. and his bride of two years, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, along with her sister Lauren Bessette, were killed when the small plane John was piloting crashed off the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard. Mary Jo Kopechne’s Death: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Ted Kennedy’s Death: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright © 2021 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. The operation was successful, and he resumed his work in the office. I think more serene, kind of emotional stability.". “My friend and colleague in the Senate, Birch Bayh, risked his life to pull me from the wreckage,” he told Newsweek. Kennedy escaped, but his passenger did not. The timing is not a coincidence. He was reelected to the Senate in 1970 but announced that he would not seek the presidency in 1972. and spent weeks in a hospital recovering from a broken back, a punctured lung, broken ribs,…2009-04-22T15:25:20.000Z. Ted Kennedy was only 28 at the time -- two years short of the required age -- so a family friend was found to hold the temporary appointment. He dealt with several health issues during the last few years of his life, including the diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor and cancer. She suffered a heart attack and died late Friday evening. "I mean, if, if Sen. Robert Kennedy wasn't in his office, and nobody knew where he was, chances are he was seeing Ted about something.". “I have enjoyed the best medical care money can buy. Kennedy was found guilty of leaving the scene of an accident. Overshadowed by his elder siblings, Teddy, as he was known to family and friends, grew up mostly in the New York City suburb of Bronxville, N.Y., and attended private boarding schools. He was expelled from Harvard during his freshman year after he asked a friend to take an exam for him. The youngest of nine children, Ted grew up in a privileged, Irish Catholic family steeped in tradition. "He thought, you know, it might just be too much. "He seriously contemplated getting out of politics after Robert's death," said Kennedy biographer Adam Clymer. Democratic senator led Kennedys after the assassinations of his two brothers. Even then, the pathology report showed that some of the cancer cells were very aggressive.”, “That experience with Teddy made it clear to me, as never before, that health care must be affordable and available for every mother or father who hears a sick child cry in the night and worries about the deductibles and co-pays if they go to the doctor,” he continued. "When I was working for Robert Kennedy, there was hardly a day in which the two of them didn't physically get together, I would say at least three or four times," said Frank Mankiewicz, who served as an aide to Robert Kennedy. Kennedy told the New York Times that he was thankful for the “wonderful life” that he led and was determined to make a “good ending” for himself. During the last few months of his life, Kennedy was confined to a wheelchair and had difficulty speaking. Ted Kennedy Dies of Cancer at Age 77Democratic senator led Kennedys after the assassinations of his two brothers. Kara Kennedy, daughter of the the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, died late Friday evening after suffering a … Kennedy was seen by many as his brothers' heir, and perhaps he could have won the White House had he stepped into the presidential race then. On May 17, 2008, Kennedy was admitted to Cape Cod Hospital due to a seizure. That left Ted as the only surviving Kennedy son. Read on to learn more about his death. On May 20, 2008 doctors announced that a tumor had been identified as the cause of the seizure. Visit ABC News' special section on Sen. Ted Kennedy. “To prevent paralysis, I was strapped into a special bed that immobilizes a patient between two canvas slings,” he explained. Read more about Sen. Edward Kennedy at ABCNews.com: abcnews.go.com/Politics/TedKennedy/story?id=6692022. He might be too obviously the next target and all of that. Kara Kennedy, the oldest child of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, died suddenly Friday evening at a Washington-area health club. Kennedy was pulled from the wreckage, but he sustained major injuries in the process. What did Ted Kennedy die from? 50 years ago, Ted Kennedy veered off a Chappaquiddick bridge and caused a woman's death Associated Press BOSTON — The crash ended a young woman's life, … and spent weeks in a hospital recovering from a broken back, a punctured lung, broken ribs,…. Kennedy swam to safety, leaving Kopechne to die. Aug. 26, 2009— -- Sen. Ted Kennedy died shortly before midnight Tuesday at his home in Hyannis Port, Mass., at age 77. He did not attend the funeral for his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who died Aug. 11, or a White House ceremony during which he was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He married Victoria Reggie, a divorced attorney with two children from a previous marriage, Curran and Caroline. After a two-year stint in the Army, Kennedy returned to earn degrees at Harvard and then the University of Virginia law school. Kennedy was sworn into the Senate on November 7, 1962. Smith was acquitted following a highly sensational trial, but the incident definitely left a dent in Kennedy's armor. Other families have not, simply because they could not afford it.”, Teddy ? He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in July 2009, but could not attend the ceremony to receive this medal. That’s not the only plane crash linked to the … Kennedy was first elected to the Senate in 1962, at the age of 30, and his tenure there would span four decades. And in 1994, Kennedy had the satisfaction of seeing his son Patrick elected to the House of Representatives from Rhode Island. In 1962, Ted Kennedy -- backed by his family money and the enthusiasm his name generated among Massachusetts' Catholics, was elected to the Senate. When the bodies were retrieved from the ocean, Kennedy and his two sons went to identify the remains. He works like a dog. Dr. Donald … Kennedy, the 'liberal lion' of the Senate, is the youngest brother of the late President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. The senator battled for health care reform for more than five decades. On the fiftieth anniversary of Ted Kennedy's car crash on Chappaquiddick Island, a mysterious letter claims to reveal the true story of what occurred on July 18, 1969. On the fiftieth anniversary, shortly before the moon landing, Ted Kennedy drove off the Chappaquiddick bridge, on July 18, 1969. Kennedy pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident. On June 2, 2008, Kennedy underwent brain surgery at Duke University Medical Center. Read more about Sen. Edward Kennedy at ABCNews.com: abcnews.go.com/Politics/TedKennedy/story?id=66920222009-08-26T09:01:06.000Z. On May 17, 2008, Kennedy suffered a seizure, and was rushed from the Kennedy Compound to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Earlier in August, the day before she died, the family of Kennedy's sister Eunice, who advocated on behalf of the poor, the mentally handicapped and the unborn, received a letter directly from the nuncio saying the Pope was praying for her, her children and her husband. It also led to him developing a lifelong interest in health care, as he felt every American should get the treatment that he did. The surgery was deemed a success, and the Senator left the hospital a week later. He also broke his back, which led to him suffering chronic pain for the rest of his life. There's a new movie coming out this week -- "Chappaquiddick" -- … He maintained a deferential attitude towards the older, seniority-laden Southern members when he first entered the Senate, avoiding publicity and focusing on committee work and local issues. Hers has been a difficult life and evidence that the axiom “Money can’t buy happiness” is true. Edward Moore Kennedy was born in Brookline, Mass., on Feb. 22, 1932, the ninth and youngest child of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. He was pulled from the wreckage by fellow senator Birch E. Bayh II (D-Ind.) Here's the trailer: He explained his stance during a 2009 interview with Newsweek. Sen. Kennedy made good on that pledge, but ultimately lost his battle with cancer. Give yourself the gift of knowledge — subscribe to Big Think Edge: bit.ly/bigthinkedge If you're interested in licensing this or any other Big Think clip for commercial or private use, contact our licensing partner Executive Interviews: executiveinterviews.biz/rightsholders/bigthink/ Two driving forces are behind Kennedy: family and religion. The car plunged into the water. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Kennedy was re-elected to the Senate in 1970, but the accident at Chappaquiddick effectively squashed his presidential hopes. He was initially told that the glioma was inoperable, but he pursued different opinions and surgical experts. “He was a product of an age when the joy and nobility of politics prevented differences of party and philosophy from becoming barriers to cooperation and mutual respect, a time when adversaries still saw each other as patriots,” Obama said. Dr. Lawrence C. Horowitz, Kennedy’s former Senate Chief of Staff, said that there was lots of happiness. And certainly it was Ted Kennedy who bore many of the tragedies of the family -- the violent deaths of four of his siblings, his son's battle with cancer, and the death of his nephew John F. Kennedy Jr. in a plane crash. After the Chappaquiddick tragedy in 1969, when Ted Kennedy admitted responsibility for the drowning death of 27-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne in … 1964 – Edward Kennedy's plane crash & Presidential Election Day, June 19, 1964 – Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy is involved in a plane crash in which one of his aides and the pilot were killed. Edward Moore Kennedy, better known as Ted, graduated from the University of Virginia Law School in 1959, and followed in his older brother John F. Kennedy's footsteps when he was elected to the Senate from Massachusetts in November 1962. Sen. Edward Moore Kennedy, the youngest Kennedy brother who was left to head the family's political dynasty after his brothers President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated. Ted Kennedy was an American politician who served as the U.S. See photos of the Kennedy family's history of privilege and loss. "He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it.". For Kennedy, the ascension of Obama was an important step toward realizing his goal of health care reform. Senator Ted Kennedy suffered a seizure on Saturday, May 17, 2008 which led to a quick visit to Cape Cod Hospital and a medical helicopter flight to Massachusetts General Hospital, home base for Harvard Medical School. Elected in 1992, President Bill Clinton appointed Kennedy's sister, Jean Kennedy Smith, ambassador to Ireland. “In 1973, when I was first fighting in the Senate for universal coverage, we learned that my 12-year-old son Teddy had bone cancer,” he shared. Kennedy had remained close to his sister-in-law, who once quit her job at a publisher's after it came out with an unflattering biography of Ted. "And since we have been together, it's made my life a lot more fulfilling. He received a two-month suspended sentence and lost his driver's license for a year, but the political price was higher. A nephew, William Kennedy Smith, was accused of raping a woman at the family's estate in Palm Beach, Fla. Kennedy nearly lost his life on June 19, 1964, when the plane he was flying on crashed into an apple orchard in Southampton, Massachusetts. His brother's ascension created a political opportunity, and Joe Kennedy decided he should take over JFK's Senate seat. Getty Kennedy suffered a debilitating stroke in 1961. And he mastered it like nobody else I've ever seen.". Sen. Kennedy led the family during the harrowing wait for information as Coast Guard crews searched for the missing plane. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Ted Kennedy died in 2009 after a series of debilitating health issues. There were several entertainers and celebrities who attended Kennedy’s funeral, including singer Tony Bennett, actors Jack Nicholson and Lauren Bacall, and former Boston Celtics basketball player Bill Russell. suffered a seizure while attending the luncheon following President Barack Obama's inauguration, At the Democratic National Convention in August 2008. He held the position from 1962 until his death on August 25, 2009. He was also in process of watching every James Bond film on DVD. The senator's eulogy for his nephew who "had every gift but length of years" and "the wife who became his perfect soul mate" touched grief-stricken Americans. “There was a lot of frankness, a lot of hugging, a lot of emotion.”. Sen. Ted Kennedy has died of cancer at age 77. Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy dies after cancer battle Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, known as the "Lion of the Senate," died Tuesday at 77. By 1969, Ted Kennedy was married with three children and was lining himself up to become a presidential candidate, just like his … Ted Kennedy died on August 25, 2009. Kennedy Background . Kennedy’s tumor continued to spread, and by spring 2009, he was told that treatments for it were no longer effective. Following the tragedy in Dallas, Robert and Ted Kennedy became closer than they had ever been as children. Her Death Was Ruled An ‘Accidental Drowning’ By Medical Examiner Dr. Donald R. Mills. Kennedy had served as a surrogate father for many of his nephews and nieces, but he may have been closest to Jackie's children, Caroline and John F. Kennedy Jr. (CNN) -- … The 37-year-old Kennedy survived the crash, but the young woman riding with him in the car didnt. Senator from Massachusetts. “With crushed vertebrae, broken ribs, and a collapsed lung, I spent months in New England Baptist Hospital in Boston,” he recalled, adding that he would have been paralyzed were it not for the efforts of the hospital staff. Edward “Ted” Kennedy, meanwhile, was the last surviving son of Joseph Kennedy at the time of the party. Ted Kennedy - Biography. By the time he reached adulthood, tragedy had already claimed some of his siblings: eldest brother Joe Jr. was killed in World War II, sister Kathleen died in a plane crash, and another sister, Rosemary, who was mildly retarded, had to be institutionalized following a botched lobotomy. "Well, sometime during our courtship, I realized that I didn't want to live the rest of my life without Vicki," Kennedy said about his wife of nearly 30 years. On the anniversary of the senator's death, it's time to reassess his legacy. Health Care: Sen. Ted Kennedy's Battle Cry. It was attended by President Barack Obama, as well as former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Learn more about Kennedy's death. To treat the tumor, Kennedy underwent surgery on June 2. But he decided to stick it out and as he said on more than one occasion, pick up a fallen standard.". Kennedy spent months in a hospital recovering from a punctured lung and internal bleeding. John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Kennedy, a few months before they died in a plane crash. The pilot was instantly killed, as was one of Kennedy’s aids Edward Moss. But Kopechne, 28, drowned, still trapped in the car. "The Dream Shall Never Die" was a speech delivered by U.S. “There were a lot of joyous moments at the end,” he confirmed. But his health continued to deteriorate, and Kennedy suffered a seizure while attending the luncheon following President Barack Obama's inauguration. But quality care shouldn’t depend on your financial resources, or the type of job you have, or the medical condition you face,” he said. Kennedy was at the estate at the time of the alleged attack and had been at the bar where Smith met his accuser. He was pulled from the wreckage by fellow senator Birch E. Bayh II (D-Ind.) Kennedy was also the longest-living of his siblings, as older brothers John and Robert were assassinated in the 1960s. Late on the night of July 18, 1969, a black Oldsmobile driven by U.S. But then the family hit its pinnacle in 1960, when John F. Kennedy became president. #edwardkennedy #tedkennedy #teddykennedy #kennedy #kennedys #thekennedys #thekennedyfamily #jfk #johnfkennedy #icon #hero #legend #legacy #beautiful #handsome #usa #america #history, A post shared by The Kennedys (@_thekennedyfamily_) on Mar 24, 2019 at 6:05am PDT. “Nurses would regularly turn me over so my lungs didn’t fill with fluid.”. Senator Edward Kennedy plunged off the Dike Bridge on the tiny island of Chappaquiddick, off Marthas Vineyard, landing upside down in the tidal Poucha Pond. Marilyn Monroe allegedly attacked her lover Bobby Kennedy with a knife just hours before she died. Ted Kennedy was a shameless cad, an exploiter of women, an utter drunk, and he left a woman at the bottom of a river to die, a crime for which he paid no price. Senator Edward 'Ted' Kennedy speaks to an audience. Senator. Kennedy's marriage to Joan deteriorated. Obama gave the eulogy, calling Kennedy the greatest legislator of our times. He suffered a mild seizure on September 26, 2008, and was immediately rushed to the nearby hospital. Senate's 'Liberal Lion' led political family in wake of JFK, RFK assassinations. Health Care: Sen. Ted Kennedy's Battle CryThe senator battled for health care reform for more than five decades.2009-08-26T15:51:09.000Z, During his time in the U.S. Senate, Kennedy lobbied for universal health care and health care reform. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in 1979 against incumbent President Jimmy Carter. Ted Kennedy on his ChildhoodGive yourself the gift of knowledge — subscribe to Big Think Edge: bit.ly/bigthinkedge If you're interested in licensing this or any other Big Think clip for commercial or private use, contact our licensing partner Executive Interviews: executiveinterviews.biz/rightsholders/bigthink/ Two driving forces are behind Kennedy: family and religion.2011-06-02T16:10:14.000Z. “There was no gunman in the shadows, just an M.R.I. He died at the Kennedy compound, on Cape Cod along Nantucket Sound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, on November 18, 1969, at … His daughter, Kara Kennedy, accepted the award on his behalf. Kennedy’s funeral procession was held on August 29, 2009. Despite the surgery and several chemotherapy treatments, Kennedy suffered many more seizures. Senator Ted Kennedy during the 1980 Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden, New York City.In his address, Kennedy defended post-World War II liberalism, advocated for a national healthcare insurance model, criticized retired Hollywood film actor and Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan, and implicitly … Kennedy’s near-death experience led to him walking with a cane for much of 1965. It was an all-too-familiar sight for those who remember Ted Kennedy mourning the deaths of his brothers John and Robert, and helping the family bear up after the deaths of Robert's sons David and Michael. Ted, the younger brother of former President John F Kennedy, had three children with Joan, and their eldest Kara died from an unexpected heart attack in … He did not report the accident until the following morning. His brother Robert became the focus of the family's -- and much of the country's -- dreams. He was also unable to attend the public funeral of his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver, but he did attend the private service. He sponsored the Family and Medical Leave Act. The case generated lurid headlines around the world. His alleged heavy drinking and womanizing were widely lampooned, and in October 1991 he thought it prudent to be low-key in his opposition to Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, who had been accused of sexually harassing a former subordinate. Once when his daughter Kara, then 19, was passing out campaign leaflets, a man took one and said to her, "You know your father killed a young woman about your age, don't you?". A second person, who was close to Ted and the Kennedy family in '69, confirmed the operative's story. He married Virginia Joan Bennett, known by her middle name, in 1958. I needed the care and I got it,” he said. I think one of the things that sets Kennedy's politics apart is his, what I call his dirty little secret. That year Kennedy also supported Bill Clinton, an open admirer of the Kennedy clan. In July 1969, following a party on Martha's Vineyard, Kennedy drove off a bridge on the tiny Massachusetts island of Chappaquiddick. Kennedy drove off a bridge near Chappaquiddick on Martha’s Vineyard. The couple divorced in 1981. “My family has had the care it needed. “Every American should be able to get the same treatment that U.S. senators are entitled to.”, Kennedy, who considered health care reform to be “the cause of [his] life,” felt that his personal experiences were instrumental in shaping his passions. But he didn't. He supported teachers' unions, women's and abortion rights, and health care reform. His routine consisted of reading the newspaper, drinking coffee, and playing with his dogs Sunny and Splash. Both McCain and Kennedy — two political adversaries who managed to maintain a close personal friendship — died of glioblastoma, a severe and incurable form of … He was 77. He also suffered one on January 20, 2009, during the luncheon for Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration. Ted Kennedy was born Edward Moore Kennedy in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 22, 1932. "We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever," the Kennedy family said in a statement. The couple would have three children, Kara, Teddy Jr. and Patrick. “He had to have his right leg amputated above the knee. President Obama signed ACA into law on March 23, 2010. Though newspaper headlines at the time identified her simply as a blonde, she was 28-year-old … In May 1994, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died of cancer. Former Boston Glober reporter Tom Oliphant, who covered Kennedy's career in Washington, observed, "It's not all back slapping and, and personal relationships. Then on January 20, 2009, Kennedy suffered another seizure, and the doctors said that the incident was a result of fatigue. “I knew the care was expensive, but I didn’t have to worry about that. In 1973, 12-year-old Teddy Jr. was diagnosed with bone cancer, and he had to have a leg amputated. “He was the only one of the Kennedy boys who had a semi-knowledge that his end was near,” added former Boston Globe columnist Mike Barnicle. For decades, it was Ted Kennedy who carried the burden and led the way as the patriarch of a family seen as America's answer to royalty. He was a serious contender for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination but withdrew from the race during the convention. Eyebrows were raised even further when a young woman who had been with Kennedy's son Patrick that night revealed that she had seen the senator roaming around the house at night, wearing an oxford shirt but no trousers. Five years later, while pursuing the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968 against Lyndon Johnson, Sen. Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed. Kennedy championed health care reform, working wages and equal rights in his storied career.