R. Sargent Shriver Dies at 95

by Jordan Yerman | January 18, 2011 at 04:07 pm

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R. Sargent Shriver, First Peace Corps Director, Dies after Alzheimer's Battle

Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr., the first director of the Peace Corps and co-creator of the Special Olympics, has died at age 95 on January 18. On January 17, Sargent Shriver had been admitted to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, where he was listed as in critical condition.

Sargent Shriver served as Ambassador to France before acting as George McGovern's running mate in an unsuccessful bid against Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew in 1972.

Sargent Shriver served in the US Navy, earning the Purple Heart during World War II.

Shriver had long suffered from Alzheimer's disease, a cause that his daughter, former California first lady Maria Shriver, championed in recent years.

He served as the first Peace Corps director in the administration of his brother-in-law, President John F. Kennedy. He also was Democrat George McGovern's running mate in 1972.

Shriver's wife and Special Olympics Founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver died in 2009 at age 88.