BREAKING NEWS BULLETIN

Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy Passes At Age 77.

Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a Democratic Party leader and one of the longest serving members of the U.S. Senate has passed away after a battle with brain cancer. The legislator, probably most known as the last living brother of the generation that produced President John F. Kennedy and Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, passed at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts at age 77.

Known as "Ted", he was born on February 22, 1932 in Boston. He was raised Catholic, and attended Catholic schools. For his higher education, he attended Harvard College and the University of Virginia School of Law. He served in the United States Army from 1951-53. In 1958, he managed his brother John's re-election bid to the U.S. Senate. His work on that campaign boosted John to a large victory which brought credibility to his Presidential aspirations in 1960. Afterward, Ted graduated from law school in 1959. In 1960, John made his bid for the White House, and Ted managed the campaign in the Western states. John went on to win his bid, and Ted became interested in seeking the Senate seat John had vacated.

In 1962, a special election was held to serve out the remainder of the Senate seat. Ted ran in the Democratic primary against the state attorney general, Edward J McCormack, Jr. Ted went on to win that race by a 2-1 margin, then won the seat by beating Republican George C. Lodge. Kennedy had 55 percent of the vote. He continued to win re-election every term following.

He was often mentioned as a Presidential contender in numerous elections from 1968 on. In 1980, he finally made a bid for the office, in an effort against incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter. This was viewed as unusual, as it was a rare, strong bid against a President from one's own party. However, several issues regarding Kennedy dominated his run. Issues such as the 1969 Chappaquiddick Incident regarding Kennedy's auto crash which took the life of passenger Mary Jo Kopechne stalled the earlier strength he had prior to his announcement. Also, a rambling interview to CBS News on why he wanted to be President hampered his efforts. Not helping was a disorganized staff. Kennedy struggled in the primaries and limped to the Democratic National Convention, where he withdrew.

Kennedy continued to serve in the Senate, and was a leading leftist voice there. He became known for leading the defeat of Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork, and pressed now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas particularly hard. Two issues he took up strongly throughout much of his career, and especially into the 1990s were the minimum wage and health care reform. He faced the closest margin of election of his career when he went up against Republican Mitt Romney in 1994. Kennedy went on to win that race 58 percent to 41 percent, and continued on as a leftist leader through the 1990s and 2000s. In 2008, he received much attention for his endorsement of Barack Obama for the Presidency, as Kennedy's support was one of the most valuable a Democrat could expect to get. On May 20, 2009, Kennedy was diagnosed with brain cancer, three days after suffering a pair of seizures. He continued to struggle with illness and seizures throughout the following 15 months. He would appear for Senate business at various times, but was not able to attend Senate sessions during his final five months.

At the time of passing, Kennedy was the second-longest serving U.S. Senator after Democrat Robert Byrd of West Virginia. He is also the third-longest in history, after Byrd and Strom Thurmond of South Carolina.

He leaves behind sister Jean Kennedy Smith as the last remaining Kennedy from their generation. He also leaves wife Victoria, daughter Kara, and sons Edward, Jr. and Patrick, the latter of whom is currently a Democratic congressman from Rhode Island.