The Kennedy family has its roots go back a couple centuries, but it was when Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald married in the early 1900s and began a family that the Kennedy legacy took sprout. Over the better part of 20 years, Joseph and Rose would have nine children; many of which would continue the family legacy above and beyond for much of the last fifty years.
It would the presidential campaign of FDR that would launch Kennedy into the national scene. FDR rewarded Kennedy with all his efforts and work getting him elected with an appointment as the first Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). While in that post, he did a lot of good reform work in an area that for a while was not on the straight and narrow path. One of his major reforms was the requirement for companies to regularly file financial statements with the SEC. This broke an information monopoly maintained by the Morgan banking family. His service to the country continued in 1938, after he stepped aside from the SEC, when he was appointed Ambassador to Britain. However, while in that role, he put a halt to his political future by questioning the U.S.'s role in World War II by lobbying in favor of not helping England, a main ally of ours. After this whole incident, I would say this is when Joseph Sr. began to think about grooming Joseph Jr. and eventually John and Robert, for political office; specifically the presidency. Kennedy's drive for success, which he examined from his father years earlier, was his biggest fault through his years in public service. His journey ended, after years of suffering, on November 18, 1969 having witnessed the deaths of half his children, including the assassinations of John and Robert.
As stated, Joseph and Rose had nine children. Unfortunately, two died fairly young and were not able to reach their potential. The biggest one, at least for Joseph Kennedy Sr., was the death of Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. He was the one who the elder Kennedy was grooming to have the biggest political career and impact on the public through his service. During Operation Aphrodite in England on August 12, 1944, Joseph Jr. was shot down and died in the crash. Tragedy in the form of a plane crash also claimed the life of one of his daughters, Kathleen Kennedy Cavendish on May 13, 1948. Two of his other daughters lived longer lives but were mostly out of the spotlight. Rosemary (or Rose Marie) Kennedy was a member of the family who was stricken with the "Kennedy curse." She had a lobotomy in 1941 at age 23 and this left her with severe brain damage. It was so bad that from 1949 to her death on January 7, 2005, she was institutionalized. Another daughter, Patricia Kennedy Lawford died on September 17, 2006 from pneumonia. It would be Joseph's other children that would continue to serve in the path of their father. All of which doing much that has left a bigger legacy than him.
The first to step into the public eye and serve was the second son, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Like his older brother, John was a veteran of World War II. During the war, he had an incident on his PT boat...the same boat that led to a book and much proclaim. He showed the early signs of his willingness to give for his country and it resulted in him receiving the Navy and Marine Corps Medal as well as a Purple Heart. Since his father had ordained his older brother as the chosen one to carry on the dreams he had, John was disinterested in politics before the war. However, with his brother's death, he became the oldest and thus the torch carrier for the next generation of Kennedys. He began what would become close to 20 years of public service through a political forum in 1946 when he took a Democratic vacancy in the House of Representatives and went on to get elected and serve there 6 years before being elected to the Senate in 1952. In what would be a tough issue for him during the 1950s and 1960s, he favored with progress in civil rights and voted for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which in a way contradicted a previous vote on a similar piece of legislation. In early 1960, JFK declared his intention to seek a run for the White House and give himself the ultimate platform to serve and give back to the country he loved. In a very close election, JFK beat Richard Nixon to become the 35th President.
In his January 1961 inaugural address, JFK set a precedent and displayed what was the heart of his service. Who hasn't heard: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." In addition, a lesser quote involved asking the nations of the world to join together to fight what he called the "common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself." In a different time then today, JFK was calling on the nation and the world to change…long before the change of 2008. He had to deal with difficult foreign issues revolving around American-Soviet relation and the Cold War. The Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, dealing with communism in Latin America, and the beginnings of the Vietnam War were all major issues that JFK had to deal with. One of his lasting marks came with the establishment of the Peace Corps in 1961. The Peace Corps allowed Americans to volunteer to help in underdeveloped nations. Another lasting mark from JFK's presidency is his West Berlin speech. In the early years of the Cold War and dealing with communism, Kennedy began the workings of ending the divide in Germany and imploring that the Berlin Wall come down. He was one of the most vocal presidents on this issue.
On the homefront, Kennedy looked to establish multiple initiatives under his "New Frontier." It looked to bring federal funding for education, medical care for the elderly, economic aid to rural regions, and government intervention to halt the recession that was occurring. The majority of JFK's agenda did not become a reality under after his death via his successor, Lyndon Johnson. There is sometimes not enough credit for much of what transpired under LBJ that JFK had been planning. Kennedy had a struggle addressing civil rights in a very contentious climate and lost some support over it. However, he did back-up and defend those individuals who sought equality within the school system and put the gears in motion for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Kennedy also was instrumental in what would become the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which was sponsored by his younger brother, Senator Ted Kennedy. Under this act, he shifted much of the attention given to European nations to Latin American and Asian nations and wanted to dismantle the selection of immigrants based on country of origin. JFK was a major supporter of the pushing space initiatives and set a goal for man to go to the moon by the end of the 1960s. He didn't get to see it, but another one of his visions came true. Unfortunately, everything that JFK could have achieved was snuffed out too short. On a trip to Texas, he was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. JFK's time in public service was cut short, but there is no doubt that he contributed so much...to the point that we are still feeling the impact of his efforts.
With John's death, the torch then fell to Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General at the time. As Attorney General, he looked to be as influential as any previous Attorney General. While Attorney General, RFK led a crusade against organized crime and the mafia. He pursued the Teamsters union President Jimmy Hoffa and his corruption in financial and electoral actions. He was also a more vocal supporter of civil rights than his brother, John, was. It would become the biggest cornerstone of his political and public career. And as much as I feel that JFK doesn't get enough credit for much of the progress in the 1960s, RFK as well doesn't get enough recognition for his part in the success of the civil rights movement. His passion for civil rights would become a major part of his campaign in 1968 when he himself ran for president. In 1966, he set out on a tour of South Africa, where he championed the the anti-Apartheid movement. He went where few had dared to go in terms of that part of the world. Similarly, to when Joseph Jr died and when JFK stepped in and made it his mission to do as much as possible through service; RFK took the same mindset after JFK's assassination.
Following in his older brother's path, Robert ran and was elected U.S. Senator in 1964; however from New York and not Massachusetts. While Senator, RFK helped start a successful redevelopment project in poverty-stricken Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn in New York City and looked to see the effectiveness of the "War on Poverty." Robert supported the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the desegregation of busing, the integration of all public facilities, and anti-poverty social programs to increase education and offer opportunities for employment and provide health care for African-Americans. In 1968, after hearing from those who held his older brother dear to their hearts, he made a run for the presidency. He essentially targeted much of what his older brother used to get elected. He stood for racial and economic justice, non-aggression in foreign policy, decentralization of power and social improvement as well as channeling the youth as being the future of the new American society. On June 4, 1968 with a victory in the California primary; it looked as if Robert Kennedy was well on his way to the nomination of the Democratic Party. However, early in the hours of the next day he was shot and died. Like his older brother four and half years earlier, RFK was taken too soon by an assassin’s bullet. He like his older brother left a legacy of service and initiatives that can still be seen today.
With the deaths of both of his older brothers, Edward Kennedy (Ted) became the torch barrier for the Kennedy clan. He was the youngest Kennedy, but has paved half a century of service while in the U.S. Senate. With John's election to the White House in 1960, his seat became vacant and it would be essentially be held for two years until Ted Kennedy was old enough to be eligible. He still had to run and ran a tough campaign that led to his election as one of the U.S. Senators of Massachusetts in 1962. During his first decade in his office he had a few setbacks as well as having to deal with the pressure of being a Kennedy. It would be in the early part of the 1970s that Ted Kennedy would begin his hard work for one of his major issues, health care. He became the chair of the Senate subcommittee on health care and was influential in the passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971. It would a failed 1980 presidential campaign that led Ted Kennedy to realize where his calling was: the U.S. Senate. He eluded in his speech at the 1980 convention to continue to work for the causes of those who he cared about helping and whom supported him. Returning to his focus on being a Senator, he committed himself to women's issues and gay rights as well as preserving and improving the Voting Rights Act and funding for AIDS treatment and for women's sports under Title IX. In the late part of the 1980s, Ted showed what was behind his career in public office. In a speech after declining to run for president in 1988, he stated that "I know this decision means I may never be president. But the pursuit of the presidency is not my life. Public service is." Quite a statement. It sums up what has been his impact for the past 50 years. During the 1990s, he continued to lobby for legislation and saw the passage of health care acts. In addition to health care and related initiatives, he worked hard for education measures throughout much of the past decade. Just recently, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor.
The men in the family were not the only ones who stepped up and served in various facets. Eunice Kennedy Shriver would serve in a different capacity than her brothers, but nonetheless affected several lives. It would in the 1950s while serving as executive vice president of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation that she would find her calling...one that last half a century. She shifted the organization's focus from Catholic charities to research on the causes of mental retardation and humane ways to treat it. This would culminate with the Special Olympics movement. In 1968, she helped nationalize the Special Olympics movement and holds the distinction of being the only woman to have her image appear on a coin during her lifetime. She was a lifelong advocate for children's health and disability issues and was a key founder of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in 1962. NICHD showed their appreciation for her work by renaming the institute in her name. Her dedication to others was rewarded with the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984. Earlier this week she passed away, but like the Kennedy men; has left a lasting legacy of giving back. Another daughter, Jean Kennedy Smith; one of the two remaining children of Joe and Rose; has maybe not had as heralded public career as his siblings, but was appointed Ambassador to Ireland in 1993. Through this endeavor, she was following in her father's legacy of diplomacy. As Ambassador, she played a vital role in the peace process in that area for almost five years before she stepped down.
The next generation has continued the family legacy of service and work for others. John Kennedy's children, Caroline and John Jr., both looked to continue their father's message and public service. Unfortunately, John Jr.'s life also ended way too soon. Eunice Shiver Kennedy's children have taken up their mother's passion for the Special Olympics and her daughter, Maria, is the current first lady of California. Multiple children of Robert Kennedy have been involved with politics and public service. And Ted Kennedy's son, Patrick, has served in the House of Representatives for over a decade in the state of Rhode Island. The public service that Joseph P. Kennedy started about 80 years ago has continued with his children and grandchildren. There aren't too families that have serviced America for as long and as dedicated than the Kennedy family. They have had their ups and downs and their share of turmoil, trouble, and heartbreak, but they continue to serve for all of us and those who deserve to be fought for.
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