R. Sargent Shriver, former Democratic vice presidential candidate, founder of the Peace Corps and brother-in-law to former President John F. Kennedy, has passed away at the age of 95.

Shriver had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease. His daughter, Maria, the former First Lady of California, has long served as an advocate for research into that disease.

While serving under Presidents Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson during the 1960s, Shriver was involved with various advocacy groups, including Head Start, VISTA, Job Corps, Community Action, Legal Services,Upward Bound, Foster Grandparents and Special Olympics.

After serving as ambassador to France from 1968 to 1970, he was chosen by Democratic President candidate George McGovern in 1972 to be his running mate, after Thomas Eagleton had to bow out.

The incumbent Republican Richard Nixon defeated that ticket in a landslide.
Shriver married John F. Kennedy's sister, Eunice Kennedy, in 1953. She died at age of 88 in 2009.

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