Edward M. Kennedy Jr. | |
|---|---|
%2c_2015_(cropped1)_(cropped).jpg) Kennedy in 2015 | |
| Member of theConnecticut Senate from the12th district | |
| In office January 7, 2015 – January 9, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | J. Edward Meyer |
| Succeeded by | Christine Cohen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Moore Kennedy Jr. (1961-09-26)September 26, 1961 (age 64) Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents | |
| Relatives | Kennedy family |
| Education | Wesleyan University (BA) Yale University (MS) University of Connecticut, Hartford (JD) |
Edward Moore Kennedy Jr. (born September 26, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician. He is a partner at Epstein Becker & Green, a firm headquartered in New York City, and previously representedConnecticut's 12th State Senate district in theConnecticut State Senate from 2015 to 2019.He is a son ofUnited States Senate memberTed Kennedy fromMassachusetts and a nephew of PresidentJohn F. Kennedy and SenatorRobert F. Kennedy.
Kennedy was born in theBrighton section ofBoston,Massachusetts to U.S. SenatorTed Kennedy andJoan Bennett Kennedy during thepresidency of his paternal uncle, John. He is the brother ofKara (1960–2011) andPatrick J. Kennedy (born 1967).
In 1973, when Kennedy was about to turn twelve,osteosarcoma (a form of bone cancer) was diagnosed in his right leg. After rounds ofChemotherapy failed to kill the cancer, the leg wassurgicallyamputated on November 17, 1973.[1] On that same day, his father had escorted his nieceKathleen down the aisle at her wedding and rushed back to the hospital. A made-for-TV movie,The Ted Kennedy Jr. Story (1986), concentrated on this event in young Kennedy's life.[2][3]
In 1982, his mother, Joan, revealed that Kennedy missed being aboardAir Florida Flight 90 by just ten minutes, which crashed into the Potomac River on January 13 of that year, killing 74 people. Kennedy was delayed on the drive to the airport and missed the flight.
Kennedy graduated from the privateSt. Albans School, inWashington, D.C. After completing aBachelor of Arts degree atWesleyan University in 1984, he continued his studies atYale University, earning a master's degree from theSchool of Forestry and Environmental Studies.[4] He then attended theUniversity of Connecticut School of Law at night, earning aJuris Doctor degree.[5] On May 19, 2013, Kennedy received anhonorary Doctor of Laws degree from theUniversity of New Haven.[6]
After graduation he worked at the New Havenlaw firm Wiggin & Dana specializing indisability issues. He later co-founded and served as president of the Marwood Group, a firm that advises corporations about health care and financial services. He left the Marwood Group in 2014 to join the law firm of Epstein Becker & Green where he advises health care providers, commercial insurers, and life science companies on critical issues related to health care reform policies.[4][7][8]
Kennedy is the Chairman of theboard of directors of theAmerican Association of People with Disabilities.[9]
On April 8, 2014, Kennedy announced his candidacy for a seat in theConnecticut State Senate representing the state's12th district.[10] He was elected on November 4. He was re-elected on November 8, 2016.[11] In both election cycles, Kennedy defeated Bruce Wilson Jr.[12][13]
.png)
On June 26, 2017, Kennedy announced that he would not run forGovernor of Connecticut in 2018.[14] On February 28, 2018, Kennedy announced he would not seek re-election to the State Senate.[15] On November 6, 2018, DemocratChristine Cohen won the general election to replace Kennedy after defeating RepublicanAdam Greenberg.[16][17] She was sworn in on January 9, 2019.[17]
Kennedy was first sworn in to serve in the Connecticut State Senate on January 7, 2015.
Committee assignments
Party leadership
On October 10, 1993, Kennedy married Katherine Anne "Kiki" Gershman (born 1959)[20] onBlock Island,Rhode Island. She is an assistantclinical professor ofpsychiatry at theYale School of Medicine and an environmental advocate. She serves as spokeswoman for Stop the Pipeline, which successfully blocked the Islander East natural gas pipeline across theLong Island Sound. They live inBranford, Connecticut.[21][22][23][24]
The couple have a daughter, Kiley Elizabeth Kennedy (born August 7, 1994, in New Haven),[25] a competitive snowboarder who graduated fromWesleyan University in 2016, and a son, Edward Moore Kennedy III (born February 26, 1998, in New Haven), who graduated fromChoate Rosemary Hall in 2016 and fromWesleyan University in 2020.
Kennedy gave a tribute at his father'spublic funeral on August 29, 2009.[26]
February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009 | ||
| Electoral history |  | |
| Books | ||
| Speeches | ||
| Family, family tree |
| |
| Related | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
