» Born Feb. 22, 1932, in Boston the youngest of Rose and Joseph Kennedy’s nine children.
» Moved to London at age 6 when his father was named ambassador to Britain. Also spent parts of his childhood in Boston, Bronxville, N.Y., Hyannis Port, Mass., and Palm Beach, Fla.
» Graduated Milton Academy in Massachussetts in 1950. Graduated Harvard University in 1956, where he played football. His education was interrupted for two years of service in the Army and after being expelled for cheating on a Spanish test. Graduated University of Virginia Law School in 1959.
» Managed western states for his brother John’s successful 1960 campaign for president.
» Elected senator from Massachusetts in 1962 at age 30, the youngest age permitted by the Constitution. Was presiding over the Senate on Nov. 23, 1963, when a colleague rushed in to tell him the president had been shot.
» Crashed into an apple orchard while traveling in a small plane in 1964. The pilot and an aide were killed. Kennedy, who had crushed his back, was dragged from the plane by Sen. Birch Bayh of Indiana.
» Campaigned for his brother Bobby’s presidential campaign in 1968. Was in San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel watching primary results when he learned his brother had been shot.
» Elected Democratic whip, the party’s No. 2 position in the Senate, in 1969.
» Drove a car off the Dike Bridge on Chappaquiddick Island in July 1969. Passenger Mary Jo Kopechne was killed. Kennedy pleaded guilty to fleeing the scene of the accident.
» Ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1980, losing to President Jimmy Carter.
» Became chairman of Senate Judiciary Committee in 1979 and chairman of the Labor and Human Services Committee in 1987.
» Suffered a seizure in May 2008. The caused was determined to be a malignant glioma, or a brain tumor.
