Thursday, 4:30 PM
Kennedy: Schlesinger was a 'trusted friend and loyal advisor'
(Globe file photo)
Historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr., shown above in a photograph taken in November 2000, died Wednesday night in Manhattan at age 89.
By Globe Staff
Senator Edward M. Kennedy called historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. "a wonderful friend" and trusted advisor who helped guide his brother when he served as president, in a statement issued this morning by the senator's office.
Schlesinger, who chronicled the history of American liberalism and served as a special assistant to President John F. Kennedy, died Wednesday in Manhattan at age 89.
"I will miss him terribly, but his contributions to this country will live on," Kennedy said. "Arthur's love for this country was evident in every word he wrote, and because of him, generations to come will have an invaluable understanding of American history."
Kennedy concluded: "His life captured the spirit and wonderment of an age when possibilities seemed endless."
Senator John F. Kerry called Schlesinger an idealist, story teller, and public servant who had the rare opportunity to both participate in history and record it.
"Schlesinger made no apologies for his dedication to the great progressive causes of our time,” Kerry said in a statement. “His chronicles of The New Deal and The New Frontier reminded us what our government and our leaders can and should always aspire to be. From the war in Vietnam to the Cold War to the war in Iraq, this wise man’s voice spoke truth to the most difficult and often divisive of issues.”
