Ted Kennedy
The Lion of the Senate — Kennedy's 46-year career produced more significant legislation than virtually any senator in American history, including immigration reform, healthcare, education, civil rights, and disability rights. Chappaquiddick defined what his presidency might have been.
Pantheon Standing
| List Name | Rank | Combined |
|---|---|---|
| Most Influential U.S. Senators | #1 | 96.0 |
The Age Divide
Voters under 30 and over 35 rank Ted Kennedy significantly differently across lists.
The Cultural Record
Discography
No entries on record.
Awards & Recognition
No Grammy data on record.
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D-MA
46-year Senate career
COBRA
CHIP
ADA
Title IX
FMLA
Immigration and Nationality Act 1965
Kennedy-Kassebaum
education reform
1980 presidential campaign vs. Carter
Chappaquiddick 1969
died brain cancer 2009
'Dream shall never die'
The Case For Ted Kennedy
“The longevity argument alone puts them in a category of one. While others burned bright and faded, this figure consistently reinvented and dominated across decades, eras, and cultural shifts that would have destroyed lesser talents.”
“Technically unmatched. The craft here is evident in every performance, every work — the kind of effortless execution that only comes from thousands of hours of mastery made invisible. They make the impossible look inevitable.”
“Commercial success should never be held against artistic legacy. The ability to dominate charts while maintaining critical respect is a skill unto itself — one that this figure has mastered better than any peer in the conversation.”
Rank History
Ranking history will be available once voting opens for Ted Kennedy.
Often Compared To
John Kerry
#2Senator / Democrat (MA) — Denver, Colorado · 1985–2013
Vietnam War hero turned war protester turned senator turned presidential nominee turned Secretary of State — Kerry's testimony before the Senate in 1971 ('How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?') is one of the great anti-war statements.
Elizabeth Warren
#3Senator / Democrat (MA) — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · 2013–present
The Senate's most effective consumer financial advocate — Warren created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau before she was ever elected to anything, and her 2020 presidential campaign produced some of the most detailed policy platforms in modern election history.