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NEED TO KNOW
The Kennedy family has played an important role in American politics for over a century
John F. Kennedy's presidency is regarded as a success until his assassination in 1963
The family has also faced many tragedies and scandals over the years
The Kennedy familyhas been a big part of American politics since the late 1800s.
For well over a century, members of the famous family have pursued both political and philanthropic careers, holding offices that span from city council to Commander-in-Chief along with spearheading some of the biggest nonprofits and charitable initiatives on the globe.
John F. Kennedy's presidency, in particular, is heralded as a golden era in U.S. history, often referred to asCamelot(in reference to the time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table), that the nation still remembers with a heightened sense of nostalgia.
However, the Kennedy family is not without itstragedies and many scandals, which have spanned generations. The assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, and his younger brother, Robert F. Kennedy, in 1968 marked a period of great turmoil in the U.S., and the tragic death of JFK's son, John F. Kennedy Jr., in a plane crash in 1999 was yet another untimely death. In December 2025, Tatiana Schlossberg, Caroline Kennedy's daughter,died at the age of 35of acute myeloid leukemia.
Below is a guide to the Kennedy family tree, starting with patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy and matriarch Rose Fitzgerald and their nine children, and some of the most notable faces of each generation since.
The Kennedy Family Tree
The modern Kennedy family can be traced to Joseph P. Kennedy and his wife, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. The two wed on Oct. 7, 1914, and had nine children together: Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr. (1915), John F. Kennedy (1917), Rosemary Kennedy (1918), Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy (1920), Eunice Kennedy (1921), Patricia Kennedy (1924),Robert F. Kennedy Sr.(1925)Jean Kennedy(1928) andEdward "Ted" Moore Kennedy(1932).
And while the family's political pursuits peaked when JFK was elected president in 1960, the Kennedys' history in politics began long before that. JFK's father, Joseph, is said to have become acquainted with Franklin D. Roosevelt while working at a steel shipyard, who would later appoint him as the first chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Joseph also served as the United States Ambassador to the U.K. from 1938 to 1940.
Joseph's father, P.J. Kennedy also held political offices. P.J. Kennedy, a local bar owner, began his political career in his mid-20s, winning a campaign for theMassachusetts House of Representativesat the age of 27. According to the 2022 bookThe First Kennedys, he spent five years in legislation before deciding to step back to focus on his business. However, he ultimately ended up taking a higher political position instead, being elected to the Senate in 1892. With no desire to relocate to Washington, D.C., however, P.J. ultimately left politics for more financially focused endeavors.
John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy's Family Tree
John F. Kennedy met his wife, Jackie Kennedy Onassis,through a mutual friendin 1952. One year later, theymarriedin Newport, R.I., on Sept. 12. with 600 guests in attendance. They went on to have four children during their 10-year marriage: astillborn babynamed Arabella (Aug. 23, 1956); son Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, who died on Aug. 9, 1963; daughterCaroline Kennedy, who was born on Nov. 27, 1957; and sonJohn F. Kennedy Jr., who was born on Nov. 25, 1960, and died in a plane crash on July 16, 1999.
Here's a look at John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy's lives and their most notable descendants.
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was the second-born child of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. Born in Brookline, Mass., in 1917, he became the 35th President of the United States.
Prior to his presidential term, JFK earned a degree from Harvard University, served in the Navy, and was a legislator in theHouse of Representativesfrom 1947 to 1953 before becoming the junior senator of Massachusetts.
He wasassassinated while riding in a motorcadenext to Jackie in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 22, 1963.
Jackie Kennedy Onassis
Jackie Kennedy Onassis (née Jacqueline Lee Bouvier), was the oldest of four children born to Wall Street stockbroker John Vernou Bouvier III and Janet Lee Bouvier. Born in Southampton, N.Y., in 1929, Jackie was anational championin horse riding by age 11. She attended Vassar College, where she studied history, literature, art and French. Her first job was as a photojournalist and writer for theWashington-Times Herald.
She consistently appeared on the campaign trail in support of her husband's 1960 bid for the presidency and became the nation's First Lady on Jan. 20, 1961. During her time in the White House, Jackie undertook a massive $2 million restoration of the property, which she filmed for aCBS special.
Following JFK's death, she married Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis in 1968, marking the start of her affectionate public nickname "Jackie O." Jackiedied of Hodgkin's lymphomaat the age of 64 on May 19, 1994.
Caroline Kennedy
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Caroline Kennedy is the third and only surviving child of John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy.
Born on Nov. 27, 1957, Caroline grew up in the White House andattended the Brearley Schoolin New York, but summers of her youth in Greece with her mother and stepfather, Aristotle. She attended Radcliffe College (now part of Harvard) and Columbia University School of Law. She spent two years working for the New York City Department of Education and also penned several books, including two on civil liberties, and edited several others, including 2001's The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. In 2013, she was appointed byPresident Barack Obamaas theUnited States Ambassador to Japan, a role she served for four years. In 2022, she wasappointed the United States Ambassador to Australiaby President Joe Biden.
Caroline has been married to Edwin Schlossberg since 1986. They share three adult children: daughters Rose Kennedy Schlossberg (born in 1988) and Tatiana Kennedy Schlossberg (born in 1990) and son John "Jack" Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg (born in 1993).
In December 2025, Tatiana died at 35 just one month after revealing she had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in an essay published byThe New Yorker.
John F. Kennedy Jr.
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John F. Kennedy Jr. was the first-born son of John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy. He was born on Nov. 25, 1960 — just two weeks after his father was elected president of the United States. He spent the first three years of his life in the White House until his father was killed in a motorcade in Dallas. JFK Jr. studied first at Brown University, then the New York University School of Law. In 1995, he co-founded the political magazineGeorge.
He met his wife,Carolyn Bessette Kennedyin 1992. The pair began dating a few years later and wed in a super private ceremony on Sept. 21, 1996, on Cumberland Island with roughly 40 guests in attendance.
JFK Jr. and his wife, Carolyn, tragically died on July 16, 1999, when the plane he was piloting to cousin Rory Kennedy's weddingcrashed into the Atlantic Ocean. JFK Jr.'s sister-in-law Lauren Bessette was also killed in the accident.
An anthology series about their relationship,Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette,premiered on Feb. 12, 2026.
Jack Schlossberg
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Jack is the only son and youngest child of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg.
According to Jack, born on Jan. 19, 1993, he is a "student of his grandfather's life, legacy and administration." He attended Yale University and graduated in 2015 with a degree in history before entering Harvard Law School in 2017 and Harvard Business School in 2018, from which hegraduated in 2022. Jack has also dipped his toe into politics,speaking at the DNC conventionsin 2020 and 2024 and previouslyworking as a senate pageand intern for John Kerry.
Jack is now continuing his political career on a larger scale. In November 2025, he announced that he isrunning for Congressin the hopes of representing New York and working toward a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.
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Robert F. Kennedy Sr. and Ethel Kennedy's Family Tree
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The seventh child born to Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Sr. had 11 children with his wife Ethel Kennedy, whom he married in 1950: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (1951), Joseph Patrick Kennedy II (1952),Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (1954), David Anthony Kennedy (1955), Mary Courtney Kennedy Hill (1956), Michael LeMoyne Kennedy (1958), Mary Kerry Kennedy (1959), Christopher George Kennedy (1963), Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy (1965), Douglas Harriman Kennedy (1967) and Rory Elizabeth Kennedy (1968).
Many of RFK Sr. and Ethel Kennedy's children — nine of whom are still alive — have pursued political or philanthropic careers, most notably their third child and second son Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is President Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Here's a look at Robert F. Kennedy Sr. and Ethel Kennedy's lives and their most notable descendants.
Robert F. Kennedy Sr.
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Robert "Bobby" F. Kennedy Sr. was the seventh child born to Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. During his life, he was a 1968 presidential candidate, a New York Senator and the 64th Attorney General of the United States. He was assassinated on June 5, 1968, shortly after winning the presidential California Primary and pronounced dead one day later.
Six of his childrenspoke out in a joint statement after his killer, Sirhan Bushara Sirhan, was granted parole in August 2021, and called for an immediate reversal, writing, "Our father's death impacted our family in ways that can never adequately be articulated and today's decision by a two-member parole board has inflicted enormous additional pain."
Ethel Kennedy
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Born in 1928, Ethel Kennedy (née Skakel) was the sixth child of George and Ann Skakel's seven children. Her father was the Great Lakes Carbon Corporation and she grew up in Greenwich, Conn.
She and RFK Sr. raised their 11 children (two of whom she outlived) in their 13-bedroom home in McLean, Va., known as Hickory Hill. After her husband's death, she founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, which is now run by her daughter Kerry Kennedy. She was also the grandmother to over 30 grandchildren.
Ethel died at age 96on Oct. 10, 2024, "from complications related toa stroke suffered last week," according to a statement from her daughter, Kerry, posted on X.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the third child of Robert F. Kennedy Sr. and Ethel Kennedy. Born on Jan. 17, 1954, he was 14 when his father was killed.
Thepolitician is a father of six: He shares Robert "Bobby" Kennedy Jr. III (1984) and Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy (1988) with first wife Emily Ruth Black and Conor Kennedy (1994), Kyra Kennedy (1995), William Kennedy (1997) and Aidan Kennedy (2001) with late second wifeMary Richardson, who died by suicide in 2012. RFK. Jr. has been married to his third wife, actressCheryl Hines, since 2014.
He received a Bachelor of Arts in American history and literature from Harvard, a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia and a Master of Laws from Pace University. He pled guilty to afelony charge of heroin possession aboard an aircraftin 1984, for which he wassentenced to a two-year probationwith community service. He also sought out treatment. He later wrote of his struggles in a book calledAmerican Values: Lessons I Learned From My Family.He has maintained a long career as an environmental law specialist and isan outspoken anti-vaxxer.
A former Democrat, RFK Jr. abandoned his independent bid for president in 2024 and endorsed Republican candidate Donald Trump. In February 2025,RFK Jr. was confirmedas Secretary of Health and Human Services, though his nomination was met with much skepticism.
The Kennedy-Shriver Family Tree
JFK's younger sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, married her husband, Robert Sargant Shriver Jr. — another political heavyweight — in 1957. They welcomed four sons, Robert "Bobby" Sargant Shriver III (1954), Timothy Perry Shriver (1959), Mark Kennedy Shriver (1964) and Anthony Paul Shriver (1965), and one daughter Maria Owings Shriver (1955).
Here's a look at Eunice Shriver's life and her most notable descendants.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver
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Eunice Kennedy Shriverwas the fifth child born to Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Born in 1921, she is best remembered as the founder of the Special Olympics. She started the organization with her husband, Robert, in 1968 as a way to turn her anger over the treatment of her sisterRosemary, who had developmental disabilities and then underwent a lobotomy, at their father's directive, into positive action. Though Eunice initially found herself in politics, working for the Special War Problems Division of the U.S. State Department and as a secretary for the U.S. Executive Department, she found her calling in charity work.
She was also a strong supporter of her brother JFK, supporting him on the campaign trail of his 1960 presidential campaign. She died on Aug. 11, 2009, after suffering a stroke four years earlier. She posthumously received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2017 ESPY Awards.
Maria Shriver
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Maria Shriveris the second child and only daughter of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Former U.S. Ambassador to France Robert Sargant Shriver Jr.
Though Maria was born at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Ill., on Nov. 6, 1955, she spent several of her formative years in Paris, where herfather was stationedas the U.S. Ambassador to the country. She later moved to New York, where she attended Manhattanville College before transferring to Georgetown University. She became a journalist, co-anchoringThe CBS Morning Newsfor a year in 1985 before moving over toSunday Today. She also worked atNBC Nightly Newsand contributed toDateline NBCfrom 1992 to 1994. Shereturned to media as a special anchorin 2013 and has executive producedat least six film projectsand published multipleself-help and children's booksover the years.
Maria shares four children with her ex-husband and actorArnold Schwarzenegger, whom she wed in 1986:Katherine Schwarzenegger(1989); Christina Schwarzenegger (1991); Patrick Schwarzenegger (1993); and Christopher Schwarzenegger (1997). Maria and Arnold split in 2011 and their divorce was finalized in 2021.
Edward "Ted" Moore Kennedy's Family Tree
Edward "Ted" Moore Kennedy
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Sen. Edward "Ted" Moore Kennedy was the ninth and last child born to Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, who welcomed him in 1932. He had a long career as the Democratic U.S. Senator for Massachusetts for nearly four decades.
After suffering from a malignant brain tumor first diagnosed in 2008, Ted died at 77 years old in August 2009.
Joan Kennedy
Ted met his first wife,Joan Kennedy, in 1957. They were introduced by his older sister, Jean, who met Joan while they were students at Manhattanville College. Ted and Joan were engaged within the year and wed on Nov. 29, 1958, in Bronxville, N.Y.
The pair welcomed three children together —Kara, Ted Jr. and Patrick— before their split in 1978. It wasn't until after his failed 1980 presidential campaign that they officially divorced in 1983. Joan died at 89 years old on Oct. 8, 2025.
Victoria "Vicki" Kennedy
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Following his split from Joan, Ted went on to marryVictoria "Vicki" Kennedy, an attorney and mother of two. According toNPR, their romance began on Vicki's parents' 40th wedding anniversary, when her father suggested they invite Ted, a longtime friend, over for dinner.
They wed on July 3, 1992, per the outlet, and she became one of Ted's most trusted political advisor over the years. They were married for nearly 17 years when he died in 2009.
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