Kennedy family: Difference between revisions

[[File:BirthdayJPK.jpg|thumb|150px|Members of the Kennedy family at the birthday of [[Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.]] in September 1963.]]

The '''Kennedy family''' is an American family that is prominent in [[Politics of the United States|American politics]], government, public service, and business during the 20th century. The first Kennedys to reside in America were [[Patrick Kennedy (1823–1858)|Patrick Kennedy]] and Bridget Murphy, who sailed from Ireland to America in 1849.<ref name="Maier2003">{{cite book|title=The Kennedys: America's Emerald Kings |first=Thomas |last=Maier|publisher=Basic Books |year=2003 |p={{page needed|date=April 2015}} | isbn=978-0-465-04317-0|ref=harv}}</ref> Their son [[P. J. Kennedy|P. J.]] went into politics and business. P. J. and his wife Mary Hickey were the parents of businessman and politician [[Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.]]<ref>[http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/The-Kennedy-Family.aspx The Kennedy Family] The JFK Library, accessed Feb 10, 2016</ref> The nine children of Joseph Sr. and [[Rose Kennedy|Rose Fitzgerald]] were [[Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.|Joseph Jr.]], [[John F. Kennedy|John]], [[Rosemary Kennedy|Rosemary]], [[Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington|Kathleen]], [[Eunice Kennedy Shriver|Eunice]], [[Patricia Kennedy Lawford|Patricia]], [[Robert F. Kennedy|Robert]], [[Jean Kennedy Smith|Jean]], and [[Ted Kennedy|Ted]]. John served as [[President of the United States|president]], while Robert and Ted both became prominent [[United States Senate|senators]]. The Kennedys' political involvement has revolved around the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]. [[Harvard University]] educations have been common among them, and they have contributed heavily to that university's [[John F. Kennedy School of Government]]. The wealth and glamour of the family members, as well as their extensive and continuing involvement in public service, have elevated them to [[Cultural icon|iconic]] status over the past half-century, with the Kennedys sometimes referred toas"America's Royal Family".

Joseph Sr. originally pinned his hopes on eldest son, Joseph Jr., to enter politics and be elected president. After Joseph Jr. was killed during [[World War II]], however, those hopes later fell on his second son, John, to become president. Soon after John [[United States presidential election, 1960|was elected in 1960]], he, Robert, and Ted all held prominent positions in the federal government. They received intense publicity, often emphasizing their relative youth, allure, education, and future in politics. Between 1947 and 2011, there were 64 years with a Kennedy in elective office in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]. This spans more than a quarter of the nation's existence.<ref name="bg021310">{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2010/02/13/pondering_a_congress_without_kennedys/ |title=Pondering a Congress without Kennedys |first=Michael |last=Levenson |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=February 13, 2010 }}</ref>

The family has been at the center of many tragedies, which contributed to the idea of the "[[Kennedy curse]]". [[Rosemary Kennedy|Rosemary]] was forced to undergo a lobotomy which crippled her entire life. [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|John]] and [[Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy|Robert]] were both assassinated during the 1960s. Ted was involved in the [[Chappaquiddick incident]] in 1969, which caused the death of his young colleague, [[Mary Jo Kopechne]]. Joseph Jr., Kathleen, and [[John F. Kennedy Jr.|John Jr.]] all died in plane crashes.

==Family tree==