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Senator Edward Kennedy, 77, died early  this morning at his home in Hyannisport, Mass., after a 16-month  battle with brain cancer.

Known as the “Lion of the Senate,”he served 47 years, more than any other Senator except the late Strom Thurmond and Robert Byrd of West Virginia.  But, more significantly,  he wrote more  important legislation than any other senator in history. He represented the people of Massachusetts, and all the people everywhere who had been left behind by society. He fought for civil rights, voting rights, health care, minimum wage increases, and so much more. He was Congress’s leading advocate for the poor, the disenfranchised, minorities, children, older people, and immigrants.

In the 1980s, when President Reagan made “liberal” a dirty word, virtually all of the leading Democrats ducked for cover, while Teddy Kennedy made a point, gleefully, of describing himself as a liberal.

Senator Kennedy’s death comes hard on the heels of the death of his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. In a very real sense, they were engaged in the same work: changing and making the world a better place.

He came to Santa Monica many times —- most recently to  campaign for his nephew, City Councilman Bobby Shriver.