Latest Embassy News
Senator Edward Kennedy Dies at 77
By Bridget Hunter
Staff Writer
Washington — Edward M. Kennedy, a respected elder statesman known as the “lion of the Senate,” died in Massachusetts on August 25 at the age of 77 after a yearlong battle with brain cancer.
“An important chapter in our history has come to an end. 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,” President Obama said in a statement released by the White House August 26. (See statement ( http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2009/August/20090826104302eaifas0.3673517.html&distid=ucs
Although never elected to the U.S. presidency, Kennedy profoundly affected U.S. policy, domestic and international, and is widely regarded as one of the most effective legislators of the past three or four decades, with important roles in landmark laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
Kennedy’s endorsement of Barack Obama early in 2008 was seen by many as a key factor in Obama’s successful pursuit of the Democratic nomination for the presidency. In a passionate speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Kennedy called on Americans to support Obama’s bid for the highest U.S. office.
“For me this is a season of hope — new hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many, and not just for the few — new hope,” the senator told the crowd. “There is a new wave of change all around us, and if we set our compass true, we will reach our destination — not merely victory for our party, but renewal for our nation.” (See “‘Lion of the Senate’ Calls Democratic Party to Action http://www.america.gov/st/usg english/2008/August/20080826104004abretnuh0.5205957.html
The youngest child in one of the nation’s most powerful political families, Kennedy was raised to a life of public service. The deaths of his brothers — one shot down on a military mission in World War II and two others assassinated while serving in political office — seemed to reinforce Edward Kennedy’s commitment to serve his nation.
Kennedy first was elected in 1962 to complete the final two years of the Senate term of his brother, Senator John F. Kennedy, who was elected president in 1960. The young Kennedy, only 30 when he joined the Senate, was re-elected to eight full terms and was the second-longest-serving senator in Congress at the time of his death.
Throughout his career, Kennedy fought for health care, education, civil rights, immigration reform and protection of natural resources. During his Senate career, he authored more than 2,500 bills, several hundred of which became law.
Kennedy remained active and politically engaged until his final days, pressing forward on health care reform and lobbying the Massachusetts Legislature to amend a state law providing for filling a vacant Senate seat because he did not want the post to remain empty for months in the event of his death.
“We have lost Ted, but his life’s work will shape our nation for years to come,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in an August 26 statement. “His legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of millions of Americans who are freer, healthier, and more prosperous because of his efforts.”
INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT
Despite devoting much of his time and energy to the pursuit of domestic reforms, Kennedy was a leading voice for human rights, social justice and democracy throughout the world for nearly half a century and helped substantively shape U.S. foreign policy.
From 1970 onward, he lent his powerful voice to the cause of civil rights in Northern Ireland, working with leaders of the United Kingdom and Ireland to bring about a lasting peace. In 1998, the senator met with Northern Irish leaders on both sides of the conflict in peace talks chaired by former Senator George Mitchell that led to the Good Friday Accords, which laid the groundwork for political power-sharing. (See “United States Welcomes Progress in Northern Ireland http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/December/20061201145443abretnuh0.8039667.html
Kennedy also was active in U.S. relations with the Soviet Union, especially as a relentless advocate of free emigration. During his many visits to Russia in the 1970s and 1980s, he helped obtain exit visas for many high-profile artists and dissidents, including famed cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, and helped secure the 1986 release of Anatoly Sharansky, imprisoned since 1977 for Jewish activism, and that of 25 other so-called “refuseniks.”
In the 1980s, Kennedy worked to end apartheid in South Africa, meeting with Bishop Desmond Tutu, Winnie Mandela (then the wife of the jailed Nelson Mandela) and the South African Cabinet. The senator’s proposed legislation to invoke sanctions against South Africa prompted President Ronald Reagan to impose sanctions by executive order instead. Nonetheless, Kennedy maintained political pressure and ensured continuing awareness of the plight of South Africans through a succession of bills, hearings and debates until apartheid was ended.
In Latin America, Senator Kennedy had been a tireless advocate for democracy and human rights since the early 1970s, when he opposed military dictatorships in Chile and Argentina. Reacting to President Richard Nixon’s isolation of the democratically elected Salvador Allende, Kennedy urged that the 1970 decision of Chileans in electing Allende, a Marxist socialist, be accepted. After the Chilean military overthrew Allende, Kennedy championed the Chilean people, fighting to condition U.S. aid on the restoration of democracy and protection of human rights. When Patricio Aylwin was elected Chile’s president in 1990, Kennedy introduced legislation to authorize $50 million in assistance to Chile, urged restoration of trade and investment benefits and called for technical assistance to help Chile combat its environmental problems.
Kennedy’s engagement in international affairs continued throughout his service in the Senate. In 2007, he held the first congressional hearing on Iraqi refugees and led U.S. efforts to address what he described as a grave humanitarian crisis. He sponsored legislation that increased the number of special immigrant visas for Iraqi and Afghan translators and interpreters and mandated increased efforts to resettle Iraqi refugees.
“Senator Kennedy was a figure who inspired admiration, respect and devotion, not just in America but around the world,” former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said August 26. “He was a true public servant committed to the values of fairness, justice and opportunity,” Blair said.
For more on Senator Kennedy ( http://blogs.america.gov/obama/2009/08/26/obama-nation-mourn-death-of-ted-kennedy/ ), see America.gov’s blog Obama Today.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)
NNNN
Click here for the Speech of President Obama on Death of Senator Kennedy