Ex-Senator's 2 Great Loves: His Wife, and His Husband-to-Be

Here's one American love life with a heck of a second act: Harris Wofford, a former US senator from Pennsylvania, is about to get married at the age of 90 to a man he met after the death of his wife of 48 years. In a poignant New York Times op-ed, Wofford writes of how he thought he was too old to find love again after his beloved Clare, whom he met during World War II and had three children with, died in 1996. But five years later, he met Matthew Charlton, then 25 years old, on a beach in Florida. They felt an immediate connection and became "great friends," he writes. "As time went on, we realized that our bond had grown into love. Other than with Clare, I had never felt love blossom this way before."

After 15 years together, Charlton, who is now 40, and Wofford plan to marry on April 30. "To some, our bond is entirely natural, to others it comes as a strange surprise, but most soon see the strength of our feelings and our devotion to each other," writes Wofford, a Democrat who served as John F. Kennedy's chief civil rights adviser and helped create the Peace Corps. He says that over time, his children and Wofford's parents have welcomed the relationship. "Too often, our society seeks to label people by pinning them on the wall—straight, gay, or in between," he writes. "I don't categorize myself based on the gender of those I love. I had a half-century of marriage with a wonderful woman, and now am lucky for a second time to have found happiness." Click for the full column. (More love stories.)