Ted Kennedy — The Last Brother

CBS News Shares Intimate Moments Of A Remarkable American Life

(CBS)  The Final Chapter

Forty-seven years after President John F. Kennedy uttered the famous words, "The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans,” it fell to the last of the Kennedy brothers to bestow the legacy of Camelot on a young presidential candidate.

In 2008, Sen. Ted Kennedy endorsed Sen. Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee for president.

His endorsement gave his relatively unknown Senate colleague enormous credibility. In this new candidate's vision, Kennedy saw a hope that goals he had long fought for might finally be achieved. Yet, even as he passed the torch, Kennedy was suddenly facing his own mortality. In 2008, he was diagnosed with brain cancer.

After recovering from surgery, he returned to the Senate and was greeted with a standing ovation by colleagues who'd worked with him - and against him - for almost 50 years.

"He was, in the eyes of his colleagues, truly beloved," says Mudd. "There already is talk, you know, of his portrait going up in the Senate reception room - where the five great - Clay, Webster, La Follette, Taft and Calhoun - are already there. He would be the sixth. And I think he belongs up there."

"I don't know if, what, Ted Kennedy's legacy will be, but in the quarter-century I've been here, there's not been anyone quite like him," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

"I was talking with Vicki this morning, and she said, "He was ready to go, Joe, but we were not ready," said Vice President Joe Biden.

"For his family, he was a guardian. For America, he was a defender of a dream," said President Obama

Even in his last months, Kennedy introduced legislation he hoped would make his career-long ambition a reality - guaranteeing universal health coverage for all Americans. It's a battle that rages on today.

As much as Ted Kennedy's life's work belonged to the Senate, his heart belonged at the family compound in Hyannis Port, Mass., where he grew up by the sea.

"There's a lot to be learned from the sea," Kennedy said. "I think in many respects, it's sort of a metaphor for life - the storms that come out there that aren't predicted, and then the beautiful warm and lovely days. The good times."

One of those times was the day in 1986, when he gave niece Caroline away at her wedding to Edwin Schlossberg.

"She was so extraordinarily happy and joyous," he said. "And Jackie was absolutely radiant."

After the wedding, Jackie wrote Ted a thank you letter - a token of gratitude for what he’d meant to all the Kennedys over the years.

The letter read, "There have been 17 children besides your own - Bobby's, Pat's, Jack's and mine, for whom you have always been there. Every graduation, every big decision, every trouble, every sad and even every happy day. On you, the carefree youngest brother, fell a burden a hero would beg to be spared. Sick parents, lost children, desolate wives. You are a hero. Everyone is going to make it, because you are always there with your love. Jackie."

After hearing the letter read out loud, Kennedy took a long pause. His voice cracked as he said, "It's about as nice as you can get."

Stahl says, "I think he should be remembered as one of the, if not the greatest senator we have ever had."

"I just think… it's fair to say there's not been one like this," said Siegenthaler. "I dare say there won't be again."

Adds Miller, "Edward Kennedy is not perfect… He'd be the first one to tell you that. But, by God, he tries harder than anyone I've ever known… I just know that whenever Kennedy meets his maker, he’s got nothing to fear."

Ted Kennedy - The Last Brother:

Part 1: Origins Of A Legend
Part 2: Tragedy in Camelot
Part 3: Kennedy's Personal Setbacks
Part 4: Teddy's Triumphs
Part 5: The Final Chapter