Ted Kennedy

Sen. Edward Kennedy — AP Photo/Kenneth Lambert

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the last surviving brother in an enduring political dynasty and one of the most influential senators in history, died late Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, at his home on Cape Cod after a year-long struggle with brain cancer. He was 77.

Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., arrives for the ceremony where President Barack Obama was sworn-in as the 44th president of the United States at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. At a luncheon after the ceremony, Kennedy suffered a seizure that doctors say was probably brought on by "simple fatigue."

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., speaks during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Monday, Aug. 25, 2008. Kennedy delivered a ringing address to fellow Democrats, urging them to rally behind Barack Obama's quest for the White House. Both Kennedy's niece, Caroline, and his son Patrick said he was responding well to treatment for brain cancer.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., followed by his niece Caroline Kennedy, enters the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 9, 2008, for the first time since his brain surgery on June 2. Kennedy, walked through a wall of applause into the Senate chamber and cast a vote on long-stalled Medicare legislation. "Aye," the 76-year-old Kennedy said in a loud voice, and he made a thumbs-up gesture as he registered his vote.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., left, and his wife Victoria Reggie Kennedy, walk along a private pier with two family dogs as they return from sailing off the coast of Hyannisport, Mass., Wednesday, May 21, 2008. Kennedy checked out of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston Wednesday after he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., waves as he walks out of Massachusetts General Hospital after his release in Boston, Wednesday, May 21, 2008. The 76-year-old senator, the last son in a famed political family, was diagnosed with a malignant glioma in his left parietal lobe -- which helps govern sensation, movement and language. Doctors said the condition was "treatable but not curable."

With Beacon Hill visible through a window behind them,, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and his wife Vicki sit together in a family room at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Tuesday, May 20, 2008.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., center, is surrounded by family members, left to right, son Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., stepson Curran Raclin, son Teddy Kennedy Jr., daughter Kara Kennedy and his wife Vicki in a family room at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Tuesday afternoon, May 20, 2008.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, talks with entrepreneur Steve Case before a hearing on breast cancer in Washington, May 8, 2008. Kennedy's eldest brother, Joseph, was killed in a World War II airplane crash. President John Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and his brother Robert was assassinated in 1968.

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, stands with Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., during a rally for Obama at American University on Monday, Jan. 28, 2008, in Washington. Kennedy endorsed and has campaigned for Obama, including additional appearances for the Illinois senator in February, and most recently in April.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., takes part in a Capitol Hill news conference, Wednesday, June 21, 2006.

Sen. Ted Kennedy reads his children's book, "My Senator and Me: A Dog's Eye View of Washington, D.C.," during an education event in June 2006.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee member, listens intently to chief justice nominee John Roberts during his confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2005.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., delivers a speech about the effect of the war in Iraq on America's security at George Washington University in Washington, on Sept. 27, 2004.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. gestures during a Capitol Hill news conference in Washington, June 11, 2002.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., left, stands with his wife Victoria Reggie Kennedy Sept. 13, 1992, in front of houses inside the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Mass. The fun-loving lawyer has taken an active role since her husband was diagnosed with brain cancer, assessing treatment options, sending news down a family phone tree and trying to maintain her husband's dignity when he is seen in public.

Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy is interviewed by CBS News' Walter Cronkite at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Sen. Edward (Ted) Kennedy, his son, Ted Kennedy Jr., and Joan Kennedy walk to a waiting car in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 26, 1973.

In this 1962 photo, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., center, poses with his brothers, U. S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, left, and President John F. Kennedy, at the White House in Washington.

Following John F. Kennedy's election as President, the Kennedy clan gathered for this group photo at the Hyannisport, Mass. home of Joseph P. Kennedy, their father, on Nov. 9, 1960. Ted Kennedy is seated on the right next to Jacqueline Kennedy.