Claim: Ted Kennedy was a Senate liberal.

Edward Moore Kennedy -LRB- February 22 , 1932 -- August 25 , 2009 -RRB- was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts . A member of the Democratic Party , he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and was the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history , having served there for almost 47 years . Ted Kennedy was the most prominent living member of the Kennedy family for many years , and he was the last surviving son of Joseph P. Kennedy , Sr. and Rose Kennedy . He was the youngest brother of U.S President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy , both victims of assassination , and the father of Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy .   Ted Kennedy entered the Senate in a November 1962 special election to fill the seat previously held by his brother , John , who was now the President . He was elected to a full six-year term in 1964 and was re-elected seven more times . The Chappaquiddick incident in 1969 resulted in the death of his automobile passenger , Mary Jo Kopechne . Kennedy pleaded guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident and later received a two-month suspended sentence . The incident and its aftermath hindered his chances of ever becoming President . His only attempt , in the 1980 election , resulted in a Democratic primary campaign loss to incumbent President Jimmy Carter .   Kennedy was known for his oratorical skills . His 1968 eulogy for his brother Robert and his 1980 rallying cry for modern American liberalism were among his best-known speeches . He became recognized as `` The Lion of the Senate '' through his long tenure and influence . More than 300 bills that Kennedy and his staff wrote were enacted into law . Unabashedly liberal , Kennedy championed an interventionist government that emphasized economic and social justice , but he was also known for working with Republicans to find compromises among senators with disparate views . Kennedy played a major role in passing many laws , including laws that addressed immigration , cancer research , health insurance , apartheid , disability discrimination , AIDS care , civil rights , mental health benefits , children 's health insurance , education and volunteering . During the 2000s , he led several unsuccessful immigration reform efforts . Over the course of his Senate career and continuing into the Obama administration , Kennedy continued his efforts to enact universal health care , which he called the `` cause of my life . ''   In May 2008 , Kennedy was hospitalized after suffering a seizure and was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor , which limited his appearances in the Senate . He died on August 25 , 2009 , at his Hyannis Port , Massachusetts home . By the later years of his life , he had come to be viewed as a major figure and spokesman for American progressivism .