Senator Edward M. Kennedy died today · 2009-08-26 17:51
Edward M. Kennedy, the iconic “liberal lion” of the U.S. Senate and patriarch of a legendary family political dynasty, whose advocacy of social issues left an indelible stamp on a half-century of American politics, died of brain cancer Tuesday night at his Cape Cod, Mass., home. He was 77.
The youngest son in a family of wealth and privilege, Kennedy was a staunch liberal voice in his four decades in the Senate who often rallied his fellow Democrats, but he also built unlikely alliances with Republicans to pass milestone legislation on education, health care, voting rights and the minimum wage, Newsday reports.
“An important chapter in our history has come to an end,” President Barack Obama said in a written statement. _“Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States senator of our time,” said Obama.
• William and Kate to marry but not until 2011
• Edward Kennedy to be buried close to his brothers
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