Joseph P. Kennedy II
American businessman and politician (born 1952)
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Key Takeaways
- Joseph Patrick Kennedy II (born September 24, 1952) is an American businessman, Democratic politician, and a member of the Kennedy family.
- Senator Robert F.
- President John F.
- Senator Ted Kennedy.
- Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F.
Joseph Patrick Kennedy II (born September 24, 1952) is an American businessman, Democratic politician, and a member of the Kennedy family. He is the eldest son of former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, and he is a nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and former U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy. He is also the older brother of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Kennedy served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from the 8th congressional district of Massachusetts from 1987 to 1999. In 1979 he founded and, until he was elected to the U.S. House, led Citizens Energy Corporation, a non-profit energy company which provides heating oil to low-income and elderly families in Massachusetts.
Early life, family and education
Kennedy was born in the Brighton section of Boston, Massachusetts on September 24, 1952. He was the second of 11 children to Ethel (née Skakel) and Robert F. Kennedy. He was named after his grandfather Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., the patriarch of the Kennedy family and his uncle Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. who was killed in an airplane crash in 1944 during World War II. He is also the eldest grandson of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. Kennedy spent his childhood between the family's homes in McLean, Virginia and Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
Kennedy had a troubled youth and was expelled from several private schools as a result of his quick temper. He regularly got into fights with his younger brothers and male cousins. He was 15 when his father was assassinated. The night he was shot at the Ambassador Hotel, Kennedy along with two siblings, Kathleen and Robert Jr., were being flown to Los Angeles aboard one of the planes in the Secret Service's presidential fleet.
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