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Sargent Shriver dies after long battle with Alzheimer's
Sen. Edward Kennedy's brother-in-law Sargent Shriver is escorted to his seat in the church by his son Anthony Kennedy Shriver as President Barack Obama, former President George W. Bush, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton look on during funeral services for Sen. Kennedy at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help August 29, 2009 in Boston.
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Sargent Shriver dies after long battle with Alzheimer's
Sargent Shriver dies after long battle with Alzheimer's
Sargent Shriver, the man who founded the Peace Corps, died Tuesday after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. The former politician and social activist was 95.
Born to a Maryland family that traced its roots to the Revolution, Robert Sargent Shriver is better known for his link to another family – the Kennedys. He married Eunice Kennedy in 1953, the sister of John, Robert and Ted Kennedy.
President Kennedy chose him to be the first director of the Peace Corps. He was Democrat George McGovern’s running mate in the 1972 presidential election.
Shriver was also an ardent supporter of the Special Olympics, and established the National Center on Poverty Law at his own Shriver Center.
In his late 80s, Sargent Shriver was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. That prompted his daughter Maria, the former NBC reporter, to produce Emmy-winning documentary films for HBO’s Alzheimer’s Project. Shriver’s condition also helped motivate then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria’s husband, to launch stem cell research projects in California.
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