Ted Sorenson Passes

Former speech writer and advisor to JFK, Ted Sorenson has died today at 82.

He died at noon at Manhattan's New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center from complications of a stroke, his widow, Gillian Sorensen, said.

President Obama with Ted Sorenson

Sorenson had been hospitalized Oct. 22 after a second stroke that his widow called "devastating." Sorenson suffered his first stroke in 2002. That episode affected much of his eyesight leaving him unable to do what he loved most, writing. His memoir titled, "Counselor," was dictated to an assistant.

Sorensen will also be remembered for his role in researching and drafting Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize–winning book Profiles in Courage.

"From his early days desegregating a Nebraska pool to his central role electing and advising President Kennedy to his later years as an international lawyer and advocate, Ted lived an extraordinary life that made our country – and our world – more equal, more just, and more secure. Generations of Americans entered public service aspiring to follow in his footsteps", President Obama said today in a statement.

"Even as I mourn his loss, I know his legacy will live on in the words he wrote, the causes he advanced, and the hearts of anyone who is inspired by the promise of a new frontier."

Sorenson is survived by his wife Gillian, his daughter Juliet, his three sons, Eric, Stephen, and Philip.

Ted Sorenson
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