For more than half a century the Kennedy family were considered the closest thing America had to royalty. Its members who elected to public office — most notably John F. Kennedy, elected as US President in 1961 — all served as Democrats, while others worked for the Democratic Party in an array of roles. Famed for their championing of social justice in America, the Kennedys were also notorious for their infidelities and rebellious behaviour.
irish heritage
The Kennedy heritage has been traced back to Ceineidi, 10th-century king of North Munster, southwest Ireland. The kingdom of Munster was one of the ancient kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland until it was broken up in 1118. Over the centuries, the O’Kennedy family lost their royal status, but remained powerful Irish Catholic landowners. That was until the 17th century, when their land was confiscated by the English invaders. With the Irish ‘O’ ordered to be dropped from their surname, the Kennedys became traders in County Wexford. In the 19th century, widespread poverty in Ireland drove Patrick Joseph Kennedy to emigrate to the US. In 1849, he found work in Boston as a barrel maker, but then died of cholera. His son Patrick “P. J.” Kennedy went into business and served in the Massachusetts state legislature. P. J.’s son Joseph (“Joe”) made a fortune in banking. He worked in various positions in government, and was appointed US ambassador to the UK in the lead-up to World War Two.
TRAGIC DECADE
Joe and his wife Rose, a prominent socialite, had nine kids, many better known by their nicknames: Joseph Jr., John (“Jack”), Rose Marie (“Rosemary”), Kathleen (“Kick”), Eunice, Patricia, Robert (“Bobby”), Jean, and Edward (“Ted”). The 1940s were difficult years for the family: the eldest, Joseph Jr., died when his warplane exploded; Rosemary had violent mood swings and was given a pre-frontal lobotomy which left her permanently incapacitated; Kick scandalised the family by eloping to England with a Protestant aristocrat, and soon afterwards was killed in a plane crash.
THE KENNEDY CURSE
In the 1950s family members began to climb the political ladder. However, the 1960s were a traumatic decade for them: after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, and that of his brother, Senator Robert Kennedy, in 1968, rumours spread of a “Kennedy curse”. Nevertheless, the Kennedys were certainly privileged: when Ted drove his car into a lake in 1969, killing the young woman who he was travelling with, he still managed to become a universally-respected US senator, and remained so for forty-seven years afterwards.
YOUNGER GENERATIONS
In later generations, the power of the Kennedys has declined and there have been many well-publicised tragedies. Bobby’s son David died of a drug overdose in 1984, and Michael died in a skiing accident in 1997. Jack’s son John Jr. died in yet another plane crash. Ted’s daughter Kara and Patricia’s son Christopher both died of heart attacks when they were middle aged. More recently, Bobby’s granddaughter Saoirse died of a drug overdose, while his granddaughter Maeve drowned. There are, however, younger Kennedys who have followed in the family footsteps and been successful in US politics: Bobby’s grandson Joe III served in Congress, and the late-President’s daughter Caroline Kennedy is the current US ambassador to Australia.