- Senator from Massachusetts 1962-2009;

- youngest of four famous Kennedy brothers and only one to live beyond 1968;

- third-longest-serving senator in history when he died;

- unsuccessful presidential primary campaign against the incumbent Jimmy Carter in 1980;

- In his 2009 memoir, "True Compass: A Memoir," he wrote "My opposition to the administration's policies was not personal, but Nixon took things quite personally indeed. I quickly drew his distaste, as well as his need for control and vengeance. By 1971, although I didn't know it at the time, I was a member of his infamous "enemies list." Since the tally of these "enemies" eventually reached forty-seven thousand, I was never really able to savor a sens of prestige at being included, even after I found out about it." (The tally of 47,000 is a bizarre statistic, found nowhere else.)

- awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom 13 days before his death.