Robert Francis ‘Bobby’ Kennedy
(Nov. 20, 1925 - June 6, 1968)
Bobby Kennedy was the seventh child of Rose and Joseph Kennedy. He grew up amongst his sisters, who were closer in age than his brothers, which caused his parents to worry that Bobby would become a sissy. Robert Francis Kennedy proved that he was most definitely not a sissy.
He enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve when he was 17, serving on the destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., which was named for his eldest brother who was killed in the war. After his honourable discharge from the Navy, he entered Harvard. He played on the varsity football team, and scored a touchdown during his first game of senior year. He later broke his leg during practice, but still played in the last minutes of the Harvard-Yale game despite wearing a cast.
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Bobby met his future bride, Ethel Skakel, during a ski trip to Quebec, Canada.
They married on June 17, 1950, and had 11 children:
Kathleen Hartington, named for Bobby’s sister (b. July 4, 1951)
Joseph Patrick II, named for Bobby’s brother (b. Sept. 24, 1952)
Robert Francis, Jr. (b. Jan. 17, 1954)
David Anthony (June 15, 1955 - April 25, 1984)
Mary Courtney (b. Sept. 2, 1956)
Michael LeMoyne (Feb. 27, 1958 - Dec. 31, 1997)
Mary Kerry (b. Sept. 8, 1959)
Christopher George (b. July 4, 1963)
Matthew Maxwell Taylor (b. Jan. 11, 1965)
Douglas Harriman (b. March 24, 1967)
Rory Elizabeth Katherine, who Ethel was pregnant with at the time of Bobby’s death (b. Dec. 12, 1968)
Bobby with his 10 children which he lived to see. Back row, left to right: Kathleen, Douglas, Ethel, Bobby, David and Joe. Front row, left to right: Courtney, Kerry, Chris, Max, Michael and Bobby Jr.
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When Bobby’s brother, John F. ‘Jack’ Kennedy, became President in 1961, Bobby served as both Attorney General, but perhaps Jack’s closest adviser. President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, and he remained Attorney General under President Lyndon B. Johnson until he successfully ran for Senator from New York in 1964. His brother’s death was a great shock to Bobby, one which he never fully recovered from. He conducted a personal investigation of Jack’s death, but he quickly closed the case.
Bobby with his sister-in-law, Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Kennedy at the funeral of President John F. Kennedy. They shared a close bond after Jack’s death, and Bobby served as a surrogate father to Jackie and Jack’s young children, John JR and Caroline.
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Robert Kennedy remained a Senator during his run for President of the United States in 1968. He announced his candidacy on March 16 of that year saying, “I do not run for the Presidency merely to oppose any man, but to propose new policies. I run because I am convinced that this country is on a perilous course and because I have such strong feelings about what must be done, and I feel that I’m obligated to do all that I can.”
Bobby fought for lower-class citizens of the United States, pleading for equality “whether it’s between blacks and whites, between the poor and the ore affluent, or between age groups or the war in Vietnam”. He made promised, if he were to be elected President, that he would abolish the death penalty and the Vietnam War. Senator Eugene McCarthy was his close competitor for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Bobby shaking hands with enthusiastic and hopeful supporters.
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On June 4, 1968, he won the California primary, which many people assumed would ensure his Democratic nomination. After a powerful speech at his victory party, located at the famous Ambassador Hotel, Robert Francis Kennedy was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan. He died nearly 26 hours later after an unsuccesful surgery. It is practically proven that the CIA was closely involved in Bobby’s assassination.
Robert Kennedy’s gravesite: a simple cross which he wanted.
