Jean Kennedy Smith | |
|---|---|
 Smith in 1953 | |
| United States Ambassador to Ireland | |
| In office June 24, 1993 – September 17, 1998 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | William H. G. FitzGerald |
| Succeeded by | Mike Sullivan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jean Ann Kennedy February 20, 1928 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | June 17, 2020(2020-06-17) (aged 92) New York City, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, includingWilliam |
| Parent(s) | Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. Rose Fitzgerald |
| Relatives | Kennedy family |
| Education | Manhattanville College (BA) |
Jean Ann Kennedy Smith (néeKennedy; February 20, 1928 – June 17, 2020) was an American diplomat, activist, humanitarian, and author who served asUnited States Ambassador to Ireland from 1993 to 1998. A member of theKennedy family, Kennedy was the eighth of nine children (and youngest daughter) born toJoseph P. Kennedy Sr. andRose Kennedy. Her siblings includedPresident of the United StatesJohn F. Kennedy, United States SenatorRobert F. Kennedy of New York, United States SenatorTed Kennedy ofMassachusetts,Rosemary Kennedy, andSpecial Olympics founderEunice Kennedy Shriver.
As Ambassador to Ireland, Smith was instrumental in theNorthern Ireland peace process as PresidentBill Clinton's representative inDublin. She successfully urged President Clinton to grant a controversial visa toSinn Féin PresidentGerry Adams; Adams's ensuing trip to the United States helped lead to an Irish Republican Army ceasefire. Smith was later reprimanded by Secretary of State Warren Christopher for retaliating against two employees who disagreed with her stance on the Adams visa. Smith stepped down from her ambassador position shortly after the signing of the historicGood Friday Agreement in 1998.President of IrelandMary McAleese conferred honorary Irish citizenship on Smith in 1998 in recognition of her service to the country.
Smith was the founder ofVSA Kennedy Center (previously Very Special Arts), an internationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to creating a society where people with disabilities can engage with the arts. In 2011, she was awarded thePresidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, by PresidentBarack Obama for her work with VSA and with people with disabilities.
Jean Ann Kennedy was born on February 20, 1928, at St. Margaret's Center for Women and Children in theDorchester section ofBoston,Massachusetts, on her elder sisterKathleen Kennedy Cavendish's eighth birthday.[1][2][3] Kennedy was the eighth of nine children born toJoseph P. Kennedy Sr. andRose Kennedy.[4] Her other siblings wereJoseph P. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President and SenatorJohn F. Kennedy,Rose Marie Kennedy, Special Olympics founderEunice Kennedy Shriver,Patricia Kennedy Lawford, and U.S. Attorney General and U.S. SenatorRobert F. Kennedy. Her younger brother was U.S. SenatorTed Kennedy.[5]
Kennedy has been described as the shyest and most guarded of the Kennedy children. She attendedManhattanville College (at the time aSociety of the Sacred Heart school, and still located inPurchase, New York), where she befriended future sisters-in-lawEthel Kennedy (who married Kennedy's older brother Robert in 1950) andJoan Bennett Kennedy (who married Kennedy's younger brother Ted in 1958).[6] Kennedy graduated from Manhattanville in 1949.[7]
Kennedy (known as Jean Kennedy Smith following her 1956 marriage toStephen Edward Smith) was intricately involved with the political career of her older brother John. She worked on his1946 congressional campaign inBoston, his1952 U.S. Senate campaign in Massachusetts, and, ultimately, hispresidential campaign in 1960. She and her siblings helped John knock on doors in primary states such asWest Virginia andWisconsin, and on the campaign trail played the role of sister more than volunteer, citing her parents' family lesson of "working together for something".[8]
In 1974, Smith foundedVery Special Arts,[9] now known as the Department of VSA and Accessibility at theJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. VSA provides arts and education programming for youth and adults with disabilities. As of 2011, VSA's programs reportedly served "some 276,000 students in 43 states and 52 countries".[10] Smith traveled extensively throughout the world on behalf of VSA to advocate for greater inclusion in the arts for people with disabilities. Her book,Chronicles of Courage: Very Special Artists, co-written withGeorge Plimpton, was published byRandom House in April 1993.[2]
In 1993, PresidentBill Clinton appointed Smith the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland.[11] The appointment continued a legacy of diplomacy begun by Smith's father, Joseph Kennedy, who was theUnited States Ambassador to the United Kingdom during theadministration of U.S. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt.[12] As ambassador, Smith played a significant role in theNorthern Ireland peace process.[13][14]
In January 1994, President Clinton granted a U.S. visa toSinn Féin leader Gerry Adams.[15][16] Smith played a major part in persuading Clinton to take this action,[5][17] and she was criticized for her stance.[18][17] The visa was opposed by Great Britain, which considered Adams a terrorist due to his links to the Irish Republican Army.[17] In her brotherTed's memoir, he said, "Jean was convinced that Adams no longer believed that continuing the armed struggle was the way to achieve the IRA's objective of a united Ireland", and added that it took "only a couple of hours' conversation with Jean...to discover what was the most important thing on her mind – the opportunity for a breakthrough in theNorthern Ireland stalemate".[19] Adams later stated that his 1994 trip to the United States--made possible by the visa--was a key step in the Northern Ireland peace process that led to the Irish Republican Army ceasefire in August 1994.[13]
In March 1996, Smith was reprimanded by U.S. Secretary of StateWarren Christopher for retaliating against twoForeign Service Officers at theEmbassy of the United States in Dublin who had objected to her recommendation to the U.S. government to grant Adams the visa and had sent in a "Dissent Channel" message.[20] TheForeign Service Journal called theU.S. State Department's report on the matter "scathingly critical".[21]
Smith's management of the embassy came under criticism by theBoston Herald in December 1996, when she reportedly pressured embassy staff to spend taxpayer money to refurbish her residence in Dublin.[22][23] Smith was also alleged to have violated U.S.conflict-of-interest laws. TheUnited States Department of Justice issued a press release on September 22, 2000, announcing that she had paid $5,000 in a civil settlement to resolve the allegations.[24]
As a demonstration of herecumenical views, on at least one occasion, Smith--a Roman Catholic--receivedcommunion in a cathedral of theChurch of Ireland, anautonomous province of theAnglican Communion.[25]
President of IrelandMary McAleese conferredhonorary Irish citizenship on Smith in 1998, in recognition of her service to the country.[3] During a ceremony, McAleese praised Smith's "fixedness of purpose". Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister)Bertie Ahern told Smith, "You have helped bring about a better life for everyone throughout Ireland."[9]
On July 4, 1998, about three months after the historicGood Friday Agreement of April 10, 1998, Smith retired as ambassador to Ireland.[26]
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A humanitarian,[27] Smith won several awards for her work in Ireland and in the disability community. She was awardedhonorary citizenship by theGovernment of Ireland in 1998.[28] In 2007, Smith received the Gold Medal Award from theÉire Society of Boston[29] for her peace efforts inNorthern Ireland and for her humanitarian work with disabled children. In 2009, Smith andTed Kennedy were honored with the Tipperary Peace Prize for their support of the peace process in Northern Ireland.[30]
In February 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Smith thePresidential Medal of Freedom,[31][32] the nation's highest civilian honor, for her work with people with disabilities.
On March 15, 2011, Smith was inducted intoIrish America magazine'sIrish America Hall of Fame.[3]
Smith was listed as Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith in the credits of the 2012 movieLincoln for portraying a "woman shouter".[33]
In October 2016, Smith publishedThe Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy, a memoir of the Kennedy clan.[34][35]
On May 19, 1956, Jean Kennedy married businessmanStephen Edward Smith in the Lady Chapel ofSt. Patrick's Cathedral, New York.[9] The Smiths maintained a lower profile than some other members of the extended Kennedy family. Stephen and Jean had two biological sons, Stephen Jr., andWilliam, and later adopted two daughters, Amanda and Kym.[4] In 1991, William Kennedy Smith was acquitted of rape at a trial that attracted extensive media coverage.[36]
Smith and her husband were present atThe Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968 during theassassination of her older brother Robert F. Kennedy.[37]
Smith's elder sisterEunice Kennedy Shriver died on August 11, 2009. Smith did not attend Eunice's funeral on August 14, choosing to stay with their brother Ted, who was terminally ill; he died on August 25, leaving Smith as the last living child of Joseph and Rose Kennedy.[6] Smith attended Ted's funeral on August 29.[38]
Smith died at her home inManhattan on June 17, 2020, at the age of 92, two months after the death of her great-nieceMaeve Kennedy McKean and her son Gideon. She was the last living, and the longest-lived, of the nine children of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy.[39]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Ireland 1993–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary (1927–50) |
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| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (1950–present) | ||||||
November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968 | ||
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| Electoral | ||
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| Assassination | ||
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February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009 | ||
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| Family, family tree |
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| Related | ||
