| Kennedy family | |
|---|---|
| Americanpolitical family | |
| Parent family | O'Kennedy |
| Country | Dunganstown,New Ross,County Wexford, Ireland[1] |
| Current region | United States |
| Titles | List
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| Estates | List
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TheKennedy family is an Americanpolitical family that has long been prominent inAmerican politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival fromCounty Wexford, Ireland,Patrick Joseph "P. J." Kennedy became the first Kennedy elected to public office, serving in theMassachusetts state legislature until 1895. At least one Kennedy family member was serving in federal elective office in every year from 1947, when P. J. Kennedy's grandsonJohn F. Kennedy became a member of Congress fromMassachusetts, until 2011, whenPatrick J. Kennedy II (John's nephew) retired as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromRhode Island.[2]
P. J.'s sonJoseph P. Kennedy Sr. and his wife,Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, had nine children, including John F. Kennedy, who served in both houses of theUnited States Congress and asU.S. president;Robert F. Kennedy, who served asU.S. Attorney General and as aU.S. senator;Ted Kennedy, who served more than 46 years in the U.S. Senate; andJean Kennedy Smith, who served as U.S. ambassador to Ireland.
Other Kennedy descendants include members of theU.S. House of Representatives, twoU.S. ambassadors, oneU.S. envoy, alieutenant governor, threestate legislators (one of whom also served in the U.S. House of Representatives), and onemayor. Joseph and Rose's daughterEunice played a vital role in establishing theNational Institute of Child Health and Human Development (part of theNational Institutes of Health) and theSpecial Olympics.Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the currentUnited States secretary of health and human services. Other descendants of Joseph and Rose Kennedy have been lawyers, authors, and activists on behalf of those with physical and intellectual disabilities.
According to genealogist Brian Kennedy in his workJFK's Irish O'Kennedy Ancestors, the Kennedys who would go on to play a significant role in the United States of America originated from an Irish clan called Ó Cinnéide Fionn (the Grey Kennedys), which, along with the Ó Cinnéide Donn (Brown Kennedys) and Ó Cinnéide Ruadh (Red Kennedys), were the three Irish GaelicO'Kennedy clans who ruled theKingdom of Ormond. In 1546, their progenitor Diarmaid Ó Cinnéide Fionn became the owner of Knigh Castle, located close to what is todayPuckane,County Tipperary. In 1740, having lost out to thenew Angli-Irish order in theKingdom of Ireland, they moved to Dunganstown,New Ross,County Wexford. Patrick Kennedy was born there.
Patrick Kennedy (1823–1858) and Bridget Murphy (1824–1888) sailed from New Ross toBoston, Massachusetts, in 1849, fleeing thegreat famine. Patrick settled inEast Boston and worked there as a barrel maker, or cooper,[3][4] and had five children with Bridget. Their youngest,Patrick Joseph "P. J." Kennedy, went into business and served in theMassachusetts state legislature from 1884 to 1895.
P.J. and his wife, Mary Augusta Hickey, had four children. Their oldest wasJoseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy Sr.,[5] a businessman who amassed a private fortune in banking and securities trading, which he further expanded by investing in filmmaking and real estate. He also founded Somerset Importers and owned Chicago'sMerchandise Mart.
In 1914, Joseph Sr. marriedRose Elizabeth Fitzgerald, a daughter of P.J.'s political rival,John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald.[6] The couple had nine children:Joseph Patrick Jr. (called Joe Jr.) (1915–1944),John Fitzgerald (called Jack) (1917–1963),Rose Marie (called Rosemary) (1918–2005),Kathleen Agnes (called Kick) (1920–1948),Eunice Mary (1921–2009),Patricia Helen (1924–2006),Robert Francis (called Bobby) (1925–1968),Jean Ann (1928–2020) andEdward Moore (called Ted) (1932–2009).
Joseph Sr. was appointed by PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt as the first chairman of theSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC), chairman of theMaritime Commission, andU.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1938 to 1940. He served from 1947 to 1949 on The Hoover Commission (the "Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government"), which was appointed byPresidentHarry Truman to recommend administrative changes in the federal government. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy was namedcountess byPope Pius XII in 1951 in recognition of her "exemplary motherhood and many charitable works."[7]
Every Kennedy elected to public office has served as aDemocrat, and other members of the family have worked for the party or heldCabinet posts in Democratic administrations.Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is an exception, having taken a cabinet post in a Republican administration. Many have attendedHarvard University, and the family has contributed greatly to the university'sJohn F. Kennedy School of Government.
Joseph Sr. expected his eldest son, Joseph Jr., to go into politics and to ultimately be elected president. Joseph Jr. was elected as a Massachusettsdelegate to the1940 Democratic National Convention and enlisted in theU.S. Navy after the United States enteredWorld War II. He was killed in 1944 when the bomber he was piloting exploded in flight. Joseph Sr.'s desire to see the family involved in politics and government then focused on John, who had considered a career as a journalist, having authored a book (Why England Slept) and done some reporting forHearst Newspapers. After returning from Navy service, John served in theU.S. House of Representatives representingMassachusetts's 11th congressional district from 1947 to 1953, and then asU.S. senator from Massachusetts from 1953 to 1960. In the1960 presidential election, John narrowly defeatedRepublican opponentRichard Nixon.
DuringJohn's administration, Robert served asattorney general, their brother-in-lawSargent Shriver served as director of the newPeace Corps, and Tedbecame the U.S. Senator from Massachusetts until his death in 2009. The Kennedy administration's accomplishments include theAlliance for Progress with Latin America, the establishment of the Peace Corps, a peaceful resolution to theCuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, theNuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963, theTwenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution ending thepoll tax, the continuation of theApollo spaceflight program with the goal oflanding a man on the Moon, and the introduction of theCivil Rights Act of 1964 to Congress (signed into law by Kennedy's successorLyndon B. Johnson).[8] The family was the subject of intense media coverage during and after Kennedy's presidency.
Ted served in the Senate with his brother Robert (1965–1968), and was serving in the Senate when his nephew,Joseph P. II, and his son,Patrick J., served in the U.S. House of Representatives representingMassachusetts's 8th congressional district (1987–1999) andRhode Island's 1st congressional district (1995–2011), respectively. In November 2012,Joseph P. Kennedy III, son of former U.S. representative Joseph P. Kennedy II and grandson of former senior Robert F. Kennedy, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 4th congressional district. In 2020, Joseph P. III lost theU.S. Senate primary election in Massachusetts to incumbentEd Markey, the first Kennedy to ever lose an election in the state.[9][10]
In the 2020s, three Kennedy family members served as U.S. ambassadors or envoys.Victoria Reggie Kennedy, second wife of Ted Kennedy, was named in 2021 by PresidentJoe Biden asU.S. ambassador to Austria.[11]Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President Kennedy, was named in 2022 by President Biden asU.S. ambassador to Australia; she previously served asU.S. ambassador to Japan under PresidentBarack Obama. In the same year, Joseph P. Kennedy III was named by President Biden asU.S. special envoy to Northern Ireland.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president in the2024 United States presidential election,[12] originally as a Democrat, but changing his affiliation to Independent in October 2023. Family members spoke out against him, mainly due tohis anti-vaccine views, and instead endorsed PresidentJoe Biden.[13] In August 2024, two months before the election, Robert Jr. withdrew and endorsedRepublican candidateDonald Trump, who won the election. Trump nominated him to beUnited States Secretary of Health and Human Services[14] and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 52-48.[15]Jack Schlossberg, son of Caroline Kennedy, iscurrently running forNew York's 12th congressional district as a Democrat.[16]
In addition, some Kennedy spouses have served in government:
There was a member of the Kennedy family in public office nearly continuously from 1946, when John F. Kennedy was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, until early 2011, when Patrick J. Kennedy left the House. The only exception was the period between John F. Kennedy's resignation from the Senate on December 22, 1960, and his assumption of the office of President on January 20, 1961. In 2013, two years after Patrick Kennedy left the House, Joseph P. Kennedy III was elected U.S. Representative from Massachusetts and served until 2021. Below is a timeline of the Kennedys' tenure in the U.S. Congress.
On March 17, 1961, John F. Kennedy was presented with agrant of arms for all the descendants of Patrick Kennedy (1823–1858) from theChief Herald of Ireland. The design of the arms (three gold closed helmets on a black field) strongly alludes to symbols in the coats of arms of theO'Kennedys of Ormonde and theFitzGeralds ofDesmond, from whom the family is descended. The crest is an armored hand holding four arrows between two olive branches, elements taken from the coat of arms of the United States of America and also symbolic of Kennedy and his brothers.[29]
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The result was the first loss by a Kennedy in a Massachusetts election…
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February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009 | ||
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26thUnited States Secretary of Health and Human Services (2025–present) | ||
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