File Photo: April 2008  Adam Hunger/Reuters

One of the most powerful figures in American politics is being remembered today. U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy died last night at the family compound in Hannis Port, Massachusetts at the age of 77 after a valiant battle with brain cancer.

Since the assassination of his brothers, President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy in the 1960s, the Massachusetts senator has been the leader of the most influential political family in the country. Ted Kennedy will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near the graves of his two older brothers.

Kennedy’s endorsement is considered a major factor in candidate Barack Obama winning the Democratic nomination for president last year. Today, President Obama praised Senator Kennedy as one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy: “His ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives — in seniors who know new dignity, in families that know new opportunity, in children who know education’s promise, and in all who can pursue their dream in an America that is more equal and more just — including myself.” More of the president’s remarks about Kennedy on the White House blog.

File Photo: April 28, 2009  Pete Souza/White House  — President Obama and Senator Kennedy share a walk on the White House grounds.

Tags: government, obituaries, Ted Kennedy

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