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  3. Jean Kennedy Smith Dies at 92: A Look Into John F. Kennedy's Famous Siblings

Jean Kennedy Smith Dies at 92: A Look Into John F. Kennedy's Famous Siblings

The former president's immediate family consisted of nine brothers and sisters, most of whom were involved in politics 

By Andrea Wurzburger June 18, 2020 04:38 PM
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Joseph Kennedy Jr.

Joe Kennedy Jr.
Credit: Bettmann/Getty

The eldest Kennedy sibling, Joseph Kennedy Jr., was born on July 25, 1915, and was a Lieutenant in the United States Navy. Joseph Jr. had aspirations to become a politician and even planned to mount a congressional campaign in 1946, but was killed on August 12, 1944,  while serving in the Navy on a World War II mission. 

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John F. Kennedy

President John F. Kennedy today broadcasts a message of American ideals overseas in a brief message highlighting the opening of a new voice of America transmitter complex at Greenville, N.C. speaking over VOA circuits from his office, Kennedy said "today the voice is strong where it once was weak." He said the transmitter complex will mean VOA broadcasts "can better reach those whose masters seek to drown it out with jamming."
Credit: Bettmann/Getty

The 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy was born May 29, 1917. He served in World War II, enlisting in the Navy, just like his older brother, Joseph Jr.

Before becoming president, J.F.K. served in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. He also won the Pulitzer Prize in 1957 for his biography, Profiles in Courage.

He married Jacqueline Bouvier (widely known as Jackie) in September 1953, and the pair shared two children, Caroline and John F. Kennedy, Jr. 

He was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas. 

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Rosemary Kennedy

Rosemary Kennedy
Credit: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty

Rosemary Kennedy was born on Sept. 13, 1918. Rosemary's story is a tragic one: the third child of Joseph and Rose Kennedy was deprived of oxygen at birth, resulting in developmental and behavioral issues. 

In 1941, Rosemary's father scheduled a lobotomy for his 23-year-old daughter, and the botched procedure resulted in Rosemary becoming permanently disabled. 

Following the procedure, Rosemary was sent to a psychiatric facility in upstate New York and then sent to Saint Coletta School for Exceptional Children in Wisconsin, where her siblings did not see her for two decades. She died at the age of 86 on Jan. 7, 2005, of natural causes.

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Kathleen Cavendish

Kathleen Kennedy
Credit: Horace Abrahams/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty

Kathleen Agnes Kennedy, also known as "Kick," was born on Feb. 20, 1920. Kathleen worked for the Red Cross both in the United States and in England and was an aspiring journalist, writing reviews in the Washington Times-Herald. She married William Cavendish in May 1944, though he was killed in World War II just four months later.

On May 13, 1948, Kathleen tragically died with her married lover in a plane crash over France.

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Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Women's Conference 2007
Credit: Steve Jennings/WireImage

Eunice Mary Kennedy Shriver was born on July 10, 1921. She married her husband, Robert Sargent Shriver, in 1953 and the pair shared five children, including journalist Maria Shriver. 

Eunice was passionate about children with special needs and disabilities. In 1962, she founded Camp Shriver, and is responsible for the creation of the Special Olympics in 1968. 

On Aug. 11, 2005, Eunice died of a stroke. She was 88. 

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Patricia Kennedy Lawford

Patricia Kennedy Lawford and Christopher Lawford
Credit: The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty

Born on May 6, 1924, Patricia had aspirations of becoming a film producer and director. Her father, Joseph Kennedy Sr., not only had a knack for running his sons' political careers, but also Hollywood studios. 

She married English actor Peter Lawford in April 1954 and they had four children together: Christopher (pictured with his mother), Sydney, Victoria and Robin. The pair divorced in 1966. 

She died of pneumonia on Sept. 17, 2006. She was 82. 

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Robert F. Kennedy

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Robert Francis Kennedy was born on Nov. 20, 1925. Following in the footsteps of his older brothers, Robert joined the Navy and also had political aspirations. 

He married Ethel Skakel in June 1950 and the couple had 11 children together. 

He was appointed the U.S. Attorney General by his brother, J.F.K., and served as New York State Senator from January 1965 until he was assassinated while campaigning for the presidency on June 6, 1968. 

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Jean Kennedy Smith

Jean Kennedy Smith
Credit: Sonia Moskowitz/WireImage

Jean Kennedy Smith was born on Feb. 20, 1928. 

In 1993, at the age of 65, Jean was appointed the ambassador to Ireland under Bill Clinton and played a role in the peace talks in Northern Ireland. 

She wrote a memoir in 2016 titled The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy, reflecting on her eight siblings and her family's political prowess.

"It is hard for me to fully comprehend that I was growing up with brothers who eventually occupy the highest offices of our nation, including president of the United States," Jean wrote, according to the Associated Press. "At the time, they were simply my playmates. They were the source of my amusement and the objects of my admiration."

She was the last surviving Kennedy sibling when she died on June 17, 2020. She was 92. 

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Ted Kennedy

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Edward "Ted" Kennedy was born on Feb. 22, 1932. The youngest of the Kennedys, Ted served as a United States Senator, representing Massachusetts for nearly five decades. He won his senate seat in 1962, filling a vacancy in a special election after his brother, John F. Kennedy, became president. Ted ran for president in 1980, but lost to Jimmy Carter in the Democratic primary. 

In 1969, Ted was involved in the Chappaquiddick incident — a car wreck that resulted in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne. Ted was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and was given a two-month suspended sentence. 

He was diagnosed with brain cancer in May 2008, and died 15 months later in August 2009 at 77 years old. 

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    1 of 9 Joseph Kennedy Jr.
    2 of 9 John F. Kennedy
    3 of 9 Rosemary Kennedy
    4 of 9 Kathleen Cavendish
    5 of 9 Eunice Kennedy Shriver
    6 of 9 Patricia Kennedy Lawford
    7 of 9 Robert F. Kennedy
    8 of 9 Jean Kennedy Smith
    9 of 9 Ted Kennedy

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    Jean Kennedy Smith Dies at 92: A Look Into John F. Kennedy's Famous Siblings
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