Born the youngest of four sons in America’s “royal family,” Edward M. Kennedy was considered the least likely to succeed. His early years seemed to bear out this prognosis. But after being elected to the United States Senate, facing almost unspeakable tragedy, and owning up to his mistakes, Kennedy grew into one of the greatest senators in American history. He was a leader who understood how to forge alliances, build consensus, and get results. The lessons of his life are essential for any leader. The life of Edward “Ted” Kennedy reads like a gripping novel about a man who transforms himself in the crucible of tragedy and emerges triumphant. Ultimately it is a story of redemption, of a man who grew into himself–and became one of the most effective, powerful, and revered leaders in American history. Born February 22, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts, Edward Moore Kennedy was the youngest of nine children in what is often referred to as America’s “royal family.” He had politics in his blood–both his father, Joseph P. Kennedy, and his mother, the former Rose Fitzgerald, came from prominent Irish-Catholic families long involved in the rough-edged world of Democratic politics in Boston and Massachusetts. New Word City, publishers of digital originals, contributes 10 percent of its profits to literacy causes.