Members of the Kennedy family have held some of the most prominent positions in American politics. They have also been struck by tragedy on several occasions.
They spent little time in the White House. But many consider JFK – John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) – and his wife Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (1929-1994) the most iconic presidential couple in U.S. history.
In 2017, a study by the nonpartisan organization InsideGov named the Kennedys the sixth most powerful marriage to reach the American government.
As a political phenomenon, JFK’s government represented a renewal, injecting new energy and a certain optimism into the country. It also meant the culmination of an entire dynasty.
JFK’s father, Joseph P. Kennedy (1888-1969), was a millionaire businessman of Irish origin. Born into a powerful family in New England, in the American Northeast, he became ambassador to the United Kingdom during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).
In 1914 he married Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald (1890-1995), daughter of a former mayor of Boston, in the American state of Massachusetts. She belonged to the privileged class of the city with Catholic roots. And, in 1951, she was named countess by Pope Pius XII (1876-1958).
The couple had nine children, but many of their descendants met an untimely end.
The family’s most recent tragedy occurred on August 1, 2019, when Saoirse Kennedy Hill – a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968), JFK’s brother – died of a drug overdose, aged just 22.
But the young woman’s death was only one of many traumatic events suffered by the family, which constituted what the American public opinion calls “the Kennedy curse”.
Below, discover other tragic events that have affected the family.
1. Rosemary’s Lobotomy
Rosemary Kennedy (1918-2005) was the third of nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald. She was the eldest of five girls.
Apparently due to medical errors during childbirth, Rosemary suffered from a lack of oxygen to the brain. Therefore, she grew up with intellectual disabilities, as revealed by one of her sisters, many years later.
From an early age it was clear that she had learning difficulties. But the family tried to hide the disability, to avoid the stigma of being associated with “bad genes”.
In 1941, when she was only 23, her father decided to subject her to a lobotomy, a new “psychosurgery” operation, which consisted of separating or eliminating the pathways between the lobes of the brain. It was believed that this procedure could cure many diseases.
But the outcome was disastrous. Rosemary could not walk or talk. She lived for another 64 years, hidden in institutions, requiring full-time care.
2. The death of the firstborn
Three years after Rosemary’s operation, her older brother, Joe Kennedy Jr. (1915-1944), died in combat as a pilot while participating in a covert operation during World War II.
Joe Jr. had volunteered to transport a huge load of explosives that would be dropped on a site near the port of Calais, France. There the Nazis kept powerful missiles, used in their air campaigns during the war.
But his plane exploded during the flight. The Kennedys’ eldest son was then 29 years old and his remains were never found.
His early death made him the only one of the four brothers never to enter politics, despite his aspirations. He (not his brother JFK) was being groomed by his father to become President of the United States.
3. Double tragedy
John F. Kennedy Jr. (1960-1999), eldest son of JFK and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, died on July 16, 1999.
The small plane he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 7.5 miles (12 km) from Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
John-John, as he was known, was a charismatic man and was 38 years old. His wife, Carolyn Bessette, 33, and his sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette, 34, died with him.
The death had a huge impact, not only because of the terrible accident, but because John-John had received attention from the American press practically since his birth.
And John-John and his uncle Joe Jr. weren’t the only ones in the family to lose their lives in plane crashes.
Kathleen Kennedy (1920-1948), JFK’s second eldest sister, died while flying to the south of France with her fiancé, British soldier and aristocrat William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (1910-1948).
“Kick”, as she was affectionately known, bore the title of Marchioness of Hartington. She had married, four years earlier, William John Robert Cavendish (1917-1944), heir to the Dukedom of Devonshire, in the United Kingdom.
But the young woman was widowed very early. Just four months after their marriage, her husband was killed in action when his company attempted to take over the Belgian town of Heppen from the Nazis during World War II.
4. The Assassination of JFK
Joseph P. Kennedy’s dream of having a son in the White House came true with JFK.
During his short term, the president set a goal of having the United States reach the moon by the end of the 1960s. He also managed the Soviet Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of World War III in 1962.
On November 22, 1963, two months before completing his three-year term in office, JFK was assassinated in the city of Dallas, Texas. He rode with his wife in a convertible.
Authorities arrested and charged former U.S. Marine Lee Harvey Oswald (1939-1963). After serving in the U.S. Army, Oswald had lived for two years in the Soviet Union.
Two days after JFK’s death, Oswald was assassinated while being transferred to the underground parking garages of Dallas Police Headquarters.
The incident has given rise to much speculation about a possible conspiracy behind the president’s assassination.
5. The Murder of Robert
In June 1968, Robert Kennedy – one of JFK’s younger brothers and a pre-candidate for the American presidency for the Democratic Party – was assassinated in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel, in Los Angeles (California, USA), during a visit as part of the campaign.
Robert Kennedy had served as attorney general during his brother’s administration and was later elected senator. He was considered a leader of the civil rights movement.
He was assassinated by Palestinian immigrant Sirhan Sirhan, who claimed he had attacked the candidate because of Kennedy’s support for the State of Israel.
“Let me explain. I can explain. I did it for my country. I love my country,” Sirhan shouted after being arrested.
He later stated that his confession during the trial was the result of pressure from his defense attorney and that he did not remember the moment of the shooting.
Despite the numerous conspiracy theories that emerged at the time, there is no doubt about his participation in the incident.
6. Ted’s Accident
In 1969, Edward “Ted” Kennedy (1932-2009), JFK’s younger brother, was involved in an automobile accident on Chappaquiddick Island in New England that resulted in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne (1940-1969).
They were returning from a party when the car Ted was driving went off the road on a narrow bridge and fell into a river.
Although the woman died in the accident, Kennedy managed to save himself, but did not inform the authorities until the following morning, about eight hours after the accident.
At the time, Kennedy was a senator from Massachusetts. He later gave a speech on television, taking responsibility for the accident. He denied having had any inappropriate relationship with Kopechne and stated that he was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.
In court, Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of the accident and was given a two-month suspended prison sentence.
Ted Kennedy managed to avoid prison, but this event will remain a shadow throughout his political career.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
