Peace Corps founder and vice-presidential candidate was 95
Sargent Shriver, a member of the Kennedy political family and the first director of the Peace Corps, has died at the age of 95. Shriver, who married Joseph Kennedy’s daughter Eunice, worked for John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign and took the lead in creating the Peace Corps. Under the Johnson administration, he was one of the key players in the “War on Poverty,” spearheading many anti-poverty programs. After two years serving as U.S. ambassador to France, he unexpectedly became a vice-presidential candidate when Democratic nominee George McGovern had to replace his original pick. After McGovern’s loss in 1972, and an unsuccessful attempt to get the Presidential nomination in 1976, Shriver retired from politics, but in 1984 he returned to the spotlight as President of the Special Olympics.