Kennedy Color Picture

Color photograph of a man and a woman side by side

Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy (1932-2009) was a lawyer, United States Senator, and member of the highly-positioned Kennedy family. In 1962 he was elected as Senator for Massachusetts and joined his two older brothers John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy on the political stage. A lifelong Democrat, Ted Kennedy prioritized issues such as universal healthcare, immigration reform, disability rights, social justice, and education. Additionally, he aimed to be a champion of bipartisanship and sought to work "across the aisle" whenever possible. By the time of his death in 2009 he was considered to be one of the most important members of the Senate and third-highest in seniority.

In 1969, Kennedy was involved in a car crash where his passenger, a younger woman, died. Though he did not resign as Senator afterwards, this incident so influenced his public image that he tried only once to secure the Democratic Presidential nomination for president, in 1980; one of his campaign stops, on May 29, 1980, was the Cleveland City Club. He and his wife had separated in 1977, but she joined him on the campaign to enhance his image.