Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy will be a tough act to follow, even for the Kennedys. His death, coupled with the decision by family members not to seek the seat he held for nearly five decades, has prompted predictions that the family's long-running political dynasty is over. There's talk the Kennedy political bloodlines are running thin. Some say the younger brood lacks the grit and zest for political combat that drove the liberal Democrat to become one of the leading politicians of the last 40 years. Yet it's probably too early to write off one of America's most powerful and popular families. A new generation ... Read Full Story

380959 04: FILE PHOTO: Eunice Shriver seen with mentally handicapped children in Paris 1969. Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics was on a trip to Europe preparing children for the 1970 Special Olympics. (Getty Images) more pics » Eunice Kennedy Shriver (ap.com) BOSTON (Reuters) - Eunice Kennedy Shriver , who emerged from a powerful male-dominated political family to found the Special Olympics and become a leading advocate of the mentally disabled, died Tuesday at the age of 88. Shriver died after being hospitalized recently in Hyannis, the Massachusetts town on Cape Cod synonymous with the Kennedy dynasty. "Her work transformed the lives of hundreds ... Read Full Story

While a Scandal Stemming From a 1969 Car Accident at Chappaquiddick Forever Barred Him From the Presidency, Ted Kennedy Ended Up Garnering a Far Greater Degree of Accomplishment in His Nearly Half-Century in the Senate Than He Could Possibly Have Amassed During Four or Eight Years in the White House -- Although His Lifelong Goal of Universal Health Insurance Remains Unfulfilled Family portrait: Senator Edward M. Kennedy is pictured to the right of his older brothers, President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy in this photo taken at the Kennedy family compound in Hyannisport, Massachusetts in the summer of 1963, just ... Read Full Story

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was a Democrat's Democrat, so much so that he became a rallying point for those in his party and an object of derision for Republican opponents. Yet his affability and capability to span the partisan divide on an array of legislative matters prompted an outpouring of condolences from those in the GOP as well as the Democratic Party following his death from brain cancer on Tuesday. "Given our political differences, people are sometimes surprised by how close Ronnie and I have been to the Kennedy family," Nancy Reagan, widow of Republican President Ronald Reagan, said in a statement from Los ... Read Full Story

With Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's death, only one of the nine children of Joseph and Rose Kennedy — Jean Kennedy Smith — survives. Members of the family's next generation have fallen short of the iconic stature of their uncles, but continue to make their mark in public and private life. They include: _Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, John and Jacqueline Kennedy's surviving child, author of "Profiles in Courage for Our Time," benefactor to New York City public schools. Cut short bid earlier this year to replace Hillary Clinton in U.S. Senate. _Robert Sargent Shriver III, eldest son of Sargent and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, attorney and city ... Read Full Story