Washington  - Former president George HW Bush, a conservative Republican, early Wednesday paid tribute to senator Edward Kennedy, the so-called liberal lion of the Senate who died of cancer late Tuesday.

Bush's remarks were the first reaction from the presidential level to Kennedy's death ahead of US President Barack Obama, who received an early endorsement for the presidency from Kennedy.

"While we didn't see eye-to-eye on many political issues through the years, I always respected his steadfast public service," Bush said in a statement on WCVB broadcaster in Boston.

Bush noted that he had saluted Kennedy's commitment to public service in 2003 with the Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service.

The senator "was a seminal figure in the United States Senate - a leader who answered the call to duty for some 47 years, and whose death closes a remarkable chapter in that body's history." (dpa)