Kennedy family
 |
The Irish-American political dynasty, John, Robert, and Edward Kennedy |
The
Kennedy family is a prominent
Irish-American family in
American politics and
government descending from the marriage of
Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. The predominantly
Democratic family is known for its
political liberalism. The best known Kennedy is the late
President of the United States John F. Kennedy.
The Kennedys are often compared to the
Adams,
Bush, and
Taft families as among the most influential
American political families. The Kennedy, Bush, and Adams families all have strong roots in the
New England region of the
United States of America. The
Kennedy Compound is located in
Hyannis, Massachusetts.
Some commentators in the early
1960s made predictions that President John F. Kennedy would be first of a dynasty in the
White House. But these predictions were not borne out, and the idea largely dropped off the public's radar after
Senator Robert F. Kennedy was
assassinated in
1968 and Senator
Edward Kennedy was involved in a possible
drunk-driving incident (in which a passenger in his car was killed) in
1969. However, a number of Kennedy family members have held high office since then.
The Kennedy family has had a long history of tragic, untimely deaths. Most famously, President
John F. Kennedy was
assassinated in
1963. Previously, his older brother
Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. was killed (in a plane explosion) on a special mission toward occupied
Europe in
World War II. Furthermore, his brother
Robert F. Kennedy was also later assassinated.
Prior to that, the late president's sister Kathleen was killed in a plane crash. Much later, in the
80s and
90s, Robert Kennedy's children
Michael Kennedy and
David Kennedy, as well as JFK's surviving son,
John F. Kennedy Jr., would each pass away.
*
List of descendants of Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald KennedyFirst generation
The family patriarch was
Patrick J. Kennedy (
1858–
1929) who married
Mary Augusta Hickey. Patrick Kennedy was a politician involved in the local
Democratic Party.
Second generation
In
1914, their son,
Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (
1888–
1969), married
Rose Fitzgerald (
1890–
1995), the daughter of
Boston Mayor John F. Fitzgerald. Joe Sr. served as
United States Ambassador to the
Court of St. James's (
United Kingdom) in the years leading up to
World War II.
Third generation
Together Rose and Joe Sr. had nine children:
*
Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr. (
1915–
1944)
** He was
killed in action in
WWII while flying a bombing mission over
Europe. He was single at the time of his death and had no children, though he had been romantically linked to
Edith Bouvier Beale, a cousin of his future sister-in-law
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, as well as
Katharine Mortimer. (The latter reportedly rebuffed any more-serious involvement with Joe Jr., claiming that his family was too loud for her to contemplate marrying into.)
*
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (
1917–
1963)
** He was a U.S. representative, a U.S. senator and later president. He was
assassinated. He married New York socialite
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier and had four children, of which one was stillborn, one died soon after birth, and two survived to adulthood.
*
Rosemary Kennedy (
1918–
2005)
** Likely dyslexic and considered to be slightly brain-damaged from birth, Rose Marie Kennedy (her christening name) was rendered incapable of intelligible speech or caring for herself by a
lobotomy, requested by her father, Joe Sr., that was intended to cure her increasing mood swings and make her more manageable. The operation instead reduced her to an infantile state. She lived in a residential care facility in
Wisconsin until her death on the 7th of January 2005.
*
Kathleen Agnes Kennedy (
1920–
1948)
** Known as Kick, she married a Protestant, the son and heir to the
Duke of Devonshire, over her mother's strenuous religious objections. After being widowed when her husband, the
Marquess of Hartington, was killed in action in World War II, she was killed in a plane crash in France with her lover, a British earl.
*
Eunice Mary Kennedy (born
1921)
** She is best known as the founder of the
Special Olympics, an organization she began in honor of her sister Rosemary. She married
Robert Sargent Shriver Jr., later a 1972 vice-presidential candidate, and they had five children.
*
Patricia Kennedy (born
1924)
** She married
Rat Pack actor
Peter Lawford and had four children.
*
Robert Francis Kennedy (
1925–
1968)
** He was
U.S. attorney general in his brother's administration, later served as senator from
New York, and was
assassinated while running for president in June 1968. He married
Ethel S. Skakel and had 11 children.
*
Jean Ann Kennedy (born
1928)
** She married
Stephen Edward Smith and had two sons and adopted two daughters. She later served as the U.S.
ambassador to
Ireland.
*
Edward Moore Kennedy (born
1932)
** Known as "Teddy" or "Ted", he has served as a senator from
Massachusetts since 1962. He has been twice married with three children from his first marriage and two stepchildren from his second marriage.
Fourth generation
*
Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr., had no children
*
John F Kennedy and
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier had four children:
# Daughter Kennedy
1956 -
stillborn#
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (b.
1957) - a lawyer, the co-founder of the
Profiles in Courage Award, the president of the Kennedy Library foundation, and the chairwoman of the
American Ballet Theatre.#
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. (
1960-
1999) - a lawyer and publisher of
George magazine, who was killed in a plane crash on
July 16,
1999. #
Patrick Bouvier Kennedy (b. and d. 1963), who was born prematurely and died from
infant respiratory distress syndrome two days after his birth
*
Rosemary Kennedy had no children
*
Kathleen Kennedy and
William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington had no children
*
Eunice Kennedy and
Sargent Shriver have five children:
#
Robert Sargent Shriver III (b.
1954) - an attorney and President of RSS Inc., a Beverly Hills music, film and philanthrophic company. Currently, he is also a
Santa Monica city councilman. #
Maria Owings Shriver (b.
1955) - Former TV newsanchor and current First Lady of California and wife of Republican Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger#
Timothy Perry Shriver- (b.
1959)
chairman of
Special Olympics#
Mark Kennedy Shriver (b.
1964) - a delegate in the
Maryland state legislature for two consecutive terms. #
Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver (b.
1965) activist for
mental retardation. Founded the "Best Buddies" movement in Miami where he currently lives.
*
Patricia Kennedy and
Peter Lawford had four children:
#
Christopher Kennedy Lawford#
Sydney Maleia Lawford#
Victoria Francis Lawford#
Robin Elizabeth Lawford*
Robert Francis Kennedy and
Ethel Skakel had 11 children:
#
Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend - former
lieutenant governor of
Maryland, unsuccessful candidate for Maryland governor in
2002.#
Joseph Patrick Kennedy II - former U.S. representative from
Massachusetts.#
Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr. - environmentalist and political commentator, attorney and law professor at
Pace University School of Law. He is best known for his many successful litigations to prevent water pollution, primarily in the
New York area.#
David Anthony Kennedy#
Mary Courtney Kennedy#
Michael LeMoyne Kennedy#
Mary Kerry Kennedy - ex-wife of
Andrew Cuomo, who is the son of former New York Governor
Mario Cuomo#
Christopher George Kennedy - president of
Merchandise Mart commercial properties based in
Chicago#
Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy#
Douglas Harriman Kennedy#
Rory Elizabeth Katherine Kennedy*
Jean Ann Kennedy and Stephen Edward Smith had four children:
# Stephen Edward Smith, Jr.#
William Kennedy Smith - 1991 rape acquittal,
physician, activist against
land mines# Amanda Mary Smith# Kym Maria Smith
*
Edward Moore Kennedy and
Virginia Joan Bennett had three children:
#
Kara Anne Kennedy#
Edward Moore Kennedy, Jr.#
Patrick Joseph Kennedy - current
U.S. Representative from
Rhode Island* "
The Kennedy Curse"
*
List of U.S. political families*
America's Kennedys - An American Dynasty
*
"The Kennedys: A Family Tree",
St. Petersburg Times Online
*
Kennedy Family Tree,
The American Experience (PBS)
*
Kennedy Family Tree, Ancestry.com*
The Kennedy family at Political Graveyard* http://www.kennedy-web.com/
