( CNN ) -- R. Sargent Shriver , a brother-in-law to former President John F. Kennedy who was the first head of the Peace Corps , has been hospitalized in Maryland , a hospital spokeswoman said Monday . Ronna Borenstein-Levy of Suburban Hospital in Bethesda , a suburb of Washington , D.C. , provided no further details on Shriver , who is 95 and has Alzheimer 's disease . Shriver had roles in many top government initiatives of the 1960s , including Head Start and the Peace Corps . He also worked with his wife , the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver , on the Special Olympics . Mrs. Shriver died in 2009 . In addition , Shriver was Democrat George McGovern 's running mate in the 1972 presidential election won by Richard Nixon . Shriver is the father of Maria Shriver , the wife of former California Gov . Arnold Schwarzenegger .
The 95-year-old Shriver was the first head of the Peace Corps . He was married to Eunice Kennedy Shriver , who died in 2009 .