All About Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy was rushed to the hospital on May 17, 2008 with what was initially thought to be a stroke, and the story immediately dominated national U.S. cable news programs and made international news. Edward Moore Kennedy, known as Ted, has always been a colorful figure, so it is fitting that at 73 and in a health crisis, the world would be highly interested.

Why is Ted Kennedy so fascinating? For starters, his surname is Kennedy. Ted, in fact, is the youngest of the infamous clan of Joe and Rose Kennedy. Not only is Ted the youngest of the nine siblings of that generation, but he is also one of only three surviving ones. With females Eunice and Jean being the other two, Ted is in essence the patriarch of today's Kennedy dynasty. He has served, no doubt, as a surrogate father for many of the younger generations of Kennedys who lost a father at a young age, as is often the case with this risk-taking and cursed, as some allege, family.

Aside from Ted's being a part of the Kennedy family, there are other aspects of his personal and public life that have always stirred interest, including his somewhat public battles with personal demons and recklessness.

The young and the reckless

Oftentimes, the youngest child or 'baby' of the family is the spoiled one who gets away with the most while putting forth the least effort. Perhaps this was the case with Kennedy, whose many siblings ahead of him had already achieved great things by the time he was in private high school making mediocre grades.

Kennedy was admitted to Harvard only due to a legacy system, then to be expelled twice due to various forms of cheating. Kennedy joined the Army, but not without some string pulling from his father, to shorten the duration of his term and to keep him out of the line of fire.

Instead of appreciating these breaks or being contrite for his shortcomings, Kennedy continued to behave with reckless abandon over and over again while at the University of Virginia in law school. In fact, he racked up four reckless driving citations while there, foreshadowing of a tragic car accident yet to come.

After passing his bar exam and briefly serving as an assistant district attorney, Kennedy was elected to Senator in 1962. While his public life may have been on track, Kennedy's private life was quickly approaching yet another scandal. Kennedy married Joan Bennett in 1958, but marriage did not slow down his drinking or carousing.

The world was made very aware of this in July 1969, when Kennedy attended a party on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts and then opted to drive back to his hotel, with a campaign worker named Mary Jo Kopechne on board. Kennedy drove the car into a river, managed to free himself and return to the party, and did not report the accident to the police until the next day. Much controversy surrounds this accident and the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, with many unanswered questions. It is widely believed that this incident deterred Kennedy from running for U.S. President in 1972.

For many years after Chappaquiddick, Kennedy was known for boozing and cheating on his first wife. While he was growing older, he still fit into the category of the young and the restless. In fact, in many ways he seemed to be refusing to grow up, carving a continued path of notoriety.

Life in the public eye

Through the vast connections of his family lineage, and the stepping in of Joe to rescue Ted or pay more legal bills, Kennedy forged a pathway for himself in the early years, even with his reckless nature and choices.

Today, Kennedy is the second longest serving U.S. Senator and a prominent Democrat known for a strong liberal stance. While somewhat reluctant after the assassination of his brothers Robert and John, Kennedy did make a run for the Presidential bid in 1980 but did not success. As a Senator, Kennedy has had great influence, though, over the Democratic party through the years. He has led several committees and has been a strong advocate for pro-choice and for gun control.

A legendary figure

Indeed, Ted Kennedy is a legend in his own times. He has been both famous and infamous. He has been admired and disdained. As is often the case, the most well-known people can have a polarizing effect, often displaying the very best and the very worst of human nature. It is these people who truly do fascinate, as nobody could ever call them just average.