WASHINGTON - The passing of U.S. Sen. Edward Moore Kennedy marks the end of a storied era in American political history.
He was one of history's most towering senators, a skilled lawmaker who crafted scores of statutes that helped how children learn, how doctors treat the sick and how workers are paid and protected.
"He was the Henry Clay of the 20th century. He got the job done," said Thomas Whelan, associate professor of social science at Boston University, citing the "Great Compromiser" of the mid-19th century.
Kennedy died shortly before midnight Tuesday at his home in Hyannisport, Mass., after battling brain cancer for more than a year. He was 77 years old.
Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar reacted to Kennedy's passing with sadness on Wednesday.
"Senator Ted Kennedy and I had a long and productive friendship in the United States Senate," he said in a news release. "During the Reagan Administration, we worked on a number of important foreign policy issues together, including legislation to hasten the end of apartheid in South Africa."
He went on to say he would miss Kennedy very much.
"He lived a great life of service, family strength and enduring friendships," Lugar said.
Kennedy's life was in many ways the story of American politics over two generations.
He was the youngest child of Joseph and Rose Kennedy, last in line behind brothers groomed for the presidency. He lacked the polished charm of his brother John, who won the presidency in 1960, or the grit and fire of brother Bobby, who pursued the White House in 1968.
He virtually inherited John's Senate seat upon turning 30 in 1962, and he rose fast. His first Senate speech announced his passionate support of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and he was instrumental in pushing an overhaul of immigration law through the chamber a year later.
When Robert was assassinated in 1968, Ted became the heir to the family legacy. In January 1969, he upset veteran Sen. Russell Long of Louisiana to become majority whip, the Senate's second-ranking position.
The close vote was a statement by the party's liberal wing that Kennedy, who'd opposed the Vietnam War since 1967, was its undisputed leader and the frontrunner to challenge Richard Nixon for the presidency in 1972.
In response to the senator's death, Governor Mitch Daniels has directed flags throughout the state be flown at half-staff in Kennedy's honor, in accordance with President Barack Obama's earlier proclamation.
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