The Kennedys And Their “Curse”
The Kennedy family is among the most famous and celebrated American families in the history of the nation. Members of the family have achieved incredible successes in politics and public life. But living in public has a darker side, and the tragedies that have befallen them have given rise to the legend of the “Kennedy Curse”. But in many ways, this curse is darker than most people know—and goes way beyond John F Kennedy.
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1. The Dynasty Began In Boston
The Kennedys, or the Camelot clan, began with Joseph Kennedy Sr. Born in Boston and Harvard-educated, his first job was with the Columbia Trust Company, the only Irish-owned bank in Boston, started by his father. By the tender age of 25, Joe Sr had become president of the bank, and that same year would make a personal decision that would shape the future of his family and of the United States.
Underwood & Underwood Studios, Wikimedia Commons
2. His Marriage Set The Stage
In 1914, Joseph married Rose Fitzgerald, the daughter of another lace-curtain Irish Catholic clan in Boston. Their 1914 wedding is where the famous Kennedy family that fascinated the 20th Century really begins. Even so, there was still no real evidence of any curse following the family. In fact, things seemed to be going quite well for them.
3. Joe Sr Was A Success In Business
It wasn’t until a few years later that tragedy and the Kennedys became close. In the meantime, Joe Sr became assistant general manager of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding plant at Fore River, and a few years later joined the brokerage firm of Hayden, Stone and Company. His successful career meant that he and Rose were in a good place to start their family.
Larry Gordon, Wikimedia Commons
4. They Had A Big Family
The Kennedys’ first son, Joe Jr, was born in 1915. Two years later, son John, also known as Jack, who would later become perhaps the most famous and tragic member of the family, was born. In all, the Kennedys had nine children—and misfortune really did seem to follow them.
5. Their First Daughter Was Ill-Fated
In 1918, Joe and Rose welcomed their first daughter, Rosemary, to the family. It was a difficult birth, and little Rosemary ended up being deprived of oxygen while her mother and a nurse waited for a doctor to arrive. Rosemary’s difficulties would lead to a terrible decision from her father years later, but for now, he had a brief moment of good luck.
6. Joe Sr Continued To Be Very Successful
As his family grew, Joe Kennedy Sr continued his successes in business. He opposed American entry into WWI and avoided service by entering the shipbuilding industry. Near the end of the conflict, Joe Sr began trading stocks, which would influence his success for the rest of his life. His family, too, was on the up and up.
FBO Pictures Corp., Wikimedia Commons
7. Three Daughters Arrived In Three Years
Joe Sr and Rose seemed to waste no time building their family. Between 1920 and 1924, three daughters joined the clan: Kathleen, or “Kick”, in 1920, Eunice in 1921, and Patricia in 1924. Of the three, Kathleen Kennedy would be one of the earliest victims of “the curse”—but in the meantime, shadows were hanging around one of her brothers.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
8. There Were Early Intimations Of Ill Fortune
Though no one was calling it a curse quite yet, second son John suffered numerous health problems as a child. The same year that his sister Kathleen was born, John contracted and nearly succumbed to scarlet fever. He made a recovery, but he would have health difficulties for much of his childhood.
Richard Sears, Wikimedia Commons
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9. The Kennedys Just Kept Having Children
In 1925, another of the ill-fated Kennedy children entered the scene: Robert. He was the third son born to Joe Sr and Rose. Robert would have almost as big an impact on American politics as his older brother John, and the curse would follow him as well.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
10. Their Final Children Came Along
In February 1928, Jean Anne Kennedy was born, the fifth and final daughter of Joe Sr and Rose. Four years later, almost to the day, the Kennedys’ fourth and final son was born: Edward. Known throughout his life as Ted, this youngest son would be the one to eventually suggest that a curse followed his family. Yet still, their luck held on for now.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
11. The Family Seemed To Avoid Disaster
When the stock market crashed in October 1929, Joe Sr had already sold off most of his investments. He appeared to have anticipated trouble and got out before losing everything. Even as the stock market fell, he made money selling his stocks. It didn’t stop there, either.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
12. Joe Sr Was Tight With FDR
Throughout the 1930s while America suffered from the Great Depression, Joe Sr hitched his wagon to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and benefited greatly when FDR became President. Joe Sr became chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission that regulated stock trading. Nonetheless, Joe Sr’s golden touch didn’t seem to extend to his children.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
13. Jack Kennedy’s Health Problems Continued
John F Kennedy was still plagued with health issues. He initially studied at the London School of Economics but had to withdraw due to an attack of jaundice. He then enrolled at Princeton but left after only one semester as his health was still bad. Eventually, he ended up at Harvard.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
14. The Elder Sons Both Enlisted In The Navy
As the attack on Pearl Harbor drew America into WWII, both Joe Jr and John F Kennedy enlisted in the US Navy. This decision would lead to one of the great tragedies of the Kennedys and begin a long line of airplane-associated disasters for the family. But one of the daughters was the first to feel the curse—and for an entirely different reason.
Associated Press, Wikimedia Commons
15. Rosemary Kennedy Suffered A Terrible Fate
Already dealing with learning disabilities and seizures, Rosemary Kennedy was a difficult child for Joe Sr and Rose. Worried that his increasingly rebellious daughter would tarnish the Kennedy name, Joe Sr made a terrible decision for his 22-year-old child that would effectively ruin the rest of her life.
16. The Eldest Daughter Spent Most Of Her Life In An Institution
Without consulting his wife, Joe Sr arranged for Rosemary to undergo a radical new procedure for treating mental health issues: a frontal lobotomy. The operation removed a part of Rosemary’s brain and, unfortunately, made her situation worse. The eldest Kennedy daughter spent the rest of her life in an institution, passing away in 2005.
Yet if Joe Kennedy worried about children bringing shame on the family, perhaps he should have been looking to his son John.
17. The FBI Entered John’s Life During WWII
In 1941, John F Kennedy found himself in deep trouble—and for good reason. He became the focus of an FBI investigation when he began an affair with a Danish national named Inga Arvad, a suspected German spy. Even so, for now, John was the Kennedy golden boy.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
18. John Kennedy’s Legend Began With A Military Transfer
Although he had initially enlisted in Naval Intelligence during WWII, John transferred to Officer Training in 1942. He graduated from Northwestern University and Torpedo Boat School and became skipper of a patrol torpedo, or PT, boat. It would be less than a year later that he proved his courage under fire.
U.S. Navy photo, Wikimedia Commons
19. JFK Won Medals For His Heroism
In 1943, a Japanese destroyer rammed John Kennedy’s boat, PT-109, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Skipper Jack was able to save most of his crew and return them to safety. He received Naval and Marine Corps medals. The story would help him in his political career for the next 20 years. But his siblings didn’t fare so well during the conflict.
United States Navy, Wikimedia Commons
20. The Kennedy Children Served Their Country In Wartime
John wasn’t the only Kennedy to serve the US in WWII. Joe Jr earned his pilot wings in 1942. Kathleen began working for the Red Cross in 1943. And Robert Kennedy, just before his 18th birthday, enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1943. Only, it was during this period that the Kennedy Curse would begin its real work.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
21. Kathleen Made An Auspicious Match
After joining the Red Cross, Kathleen met and married a British lord, William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington. The pair tied the knot in 1944, turning Kathleen into the Marchioness of Hartington, a position that bolstered the family’s status. But these happy times were not to last.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
22. Joe Jr Was A Daring Pilot
Working as a pilot during WWII was a dangerous job, and just because Joe Jr was from a prominent and successful family didn’t mean he was immune to such dangers. During his service, Joe Kennedy Jr volunteered to fly a dangerous mission across the English Channel—one from which he would never return.
Earl P. Olsen, Wikimedia Commons
23. Joe Jr Succumbed To Mysterious Explosions On His Plane
On his way to complete a dangerous, top-secret attack in occupied France, Joe Jr’s plane suffered two in-flight explosions that have never been explained. Both pilot and co-pilot died. And although such things were not uncommon at the time, Joe Jr’s fate set the stage for a grim century for the family.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
24. The Large Clan Began To Grow Smaller
The family of nine children was now a family of eight. And a heroic death is a death nonetheless. The first of the Kennedy children, at just 29, began the string of bad fortune that would follow the family through the next 80 years. His sister was next.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
25. Kick’s Marriage Was Short-Lived
Not long after losing her brother, Kathleen Cavendish (nee Kennedy) suffered a tragic loss to her own small family. Her husband William, the Marquess, was leading a company on a mission in Belgium when he was fatally shot. The tragedy occurred only four months after the marriage. The Kennedys, however, scraped themselves together and marched on.
26. The Post-War Period Seemed Hopeful
After the end of WWII, the Kennedys embarked on some successful ventures. Robert served on a boat named for his older brother Joe, John became a journalist, and Joe Sr bought the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, the largest privately-owned building in the world. Things seemed to be looking up—and finally, not just for patriarch Joe Sr.
Wide World Photos, Wikimedia Commons
27. John F Kennedy Finally Entered Politics
In 1946, John ran for a seat in Congress, assisted by his grandfather who had held the seat 50 years earlier. True to the Kennedy luck in politics, John won the seat and spent the next six years building his political clout in Boston. His success here was only a taste of what would come—but for every stroke of luck one Kennedy got, another now seemed to suffer.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
28. The Curse Caught Up With Kick
At the tender age of 28, the “Kennedy Curse” took another victim in a plane crash: Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy. On her way from Paris to the French Riviera, Kathleen’s plane crashed. It had only been four years since her older brother Joe’s plane had crashed.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
29. Jack Continues To Be Plagued By Illness
In 1947, John F Kennedy once again fell ill. After witnessing his compromised immune system and serious bouts of fatigue, doctors diagnosed him with Addison’s disease, a hormonal disorder. Despite the illnesses he has suffered and his immense family tragedies, John continued working his way up the political ladder.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
30. The 50s Were A Time Of Political Success For The Family
In 1952, John Kennedy won a seat in the US Senate. Younger brother Robert managed his campaign. Robert himself gained some political clout when he finished law school at the University of Virginia and began working with Joseph McCarthy and his Senate Subcommittee on Investigations. The future looked bright again for the Kennedy brothers.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
31. The Family Expanded At The Same Time
During this period, the Kennedy children took partners. Robert’s marriage to Ethel Skakel produced the first of the next generation of Kennedys, Kathleen. In 1953, John Kennedy met and married Jaqueline Bouvier, while Eunice married Robert Shriver Jr, Patricia married Peter Lawford, and Jean married Stephen Smith. The family’s future seemed assured—then came the next snag.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
32. John Couldn’t Escape Medical Emergencies
In 1954, John underwent a major spinal operation, and complications during the procedure almost cost him his life. And he wasn’t through yet. Months later, during a follow-up operation, more complications arose.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
33. John Makes The Best Of A Bad Situation
John’s health problems might have stopped a less-determined person from pursuing their dreams. However, John Kennedy had learned to take the bad with the good: while recovering from his first surgery, he wrote Profiles In Courage and won the Pulitzer Prize three years later. Meanwhile, younger brother Ted was still struggling.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
34. Ted Kennedy’s Fortunes Were Less Auspicious
While his siblings were having their successes and marriages, Ted Kennedy did not fare quite so well. After entering Harvard in 1950, Ted cheated on an exam and suffered an expulsion from the prestigious university so many in his family had attended. He served in the US Army for 16 months before re-enrolling at Harvard and graduating in 1956.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
35. The End Of The 50s Brought Heartache And Celebration
John and Jackie’s attempts to begin a family started with heartache. In 1956, Jaqueline gave birth to their first child who was, sadly, stillborn. However, just over a year later, the couple celebrated the birth of their daughter Caroline. And John’s political star kept on rising.
Cecil W. Stoughon, Wikimedia Commons
36. John Began His Road To The Presidency
After becoming a member of the Senate Rackets Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee in 1957, and winning re-election to his Senate seat in 1958, John F Kennedy announced his bid for the Presidency in January 1960. Throughout the rest of the year, he worked to secure the nation’s trust.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
37. Jack Kennedy Becomes JFK
After a successful debate against Republican candidate Richard Nixon, the US elected John F Kennedy 35th President of the United States in November 1960, becoming the first Roman Catholic President and the youngest to ever hold the office. Early the next year, his brother Robert became Attorney General. After years of heartache, the Kennedys had arrived. Or so they thought.
38. JFK’s First Few Years Were Tumultuous
Weeks after the Presidential election, JFK and Jackie welcomed Jack Jr into the world. His inaugural address included the famous line “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. He later created the Peace Corps and delivered the promise of landing a human being on the Moon before the end of the decade. But Kennedy's presidency wasn’t all optimistic.
Cecil Stoughton, Wikimedia Commons
39. The Cold War Ramps Up
Despite some successes, the US relationship with the USSR became increasingly frosty. The Kennedy government worried about the nearness of Castro’s Communist Cuba, and JFK’s meeting with Premier Nikita Khrushchev of the Soviet Union was disastrous. Months later, the Soviets constructed a wall dividing the city of Berlin, Germany.
Personally, things weren’t going much better for the President.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Wikimedia Commons
40. JFK’s 45th Birthday Is…Memorable
At a gala celebration for John’s 45th birthday, doomed starlet Marilyn Monroe sang a version of “Happy Birthday” that went down in history. Monroe’s steamy rendition of the song began decades of speculation about the relationship between the President and the actress. But events only a year or so in the future would overshadow these rumors.
Cecil Stoughton, Wikimedia Commons
41. JFK Prevents A Potential Catastrophe
October 1962 saw the world come closer to nuclear devastation than it had since the closing days of WWII. Soviet missiles discovered in Cuba initiated the Cuban Missile Crisis, and millions watched in fear as tensions between the two countries heightened. President Kennedy needed to rise to the occasion and prove himself to the public.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
42. The Crisis Is Resolved
Cool heads eventually prevailed, and the US and the USSR removed missiles from contested areas in the world and humanity breathed a collective sigh of relief. Just over six months later, President Kennedy called for a moratorium on nuclear weapon tests. Despite all the successes, the Kennedy family could not escape the supposed curse.
Cecil Stoughton, Wikimedia Commons
43. The Kennedys Still Struggled To Grow Their Family
In August 1963, JFK and Jackie’s third child, Patrick, was born. Sadly, the tiny infant only lived for two days. In the end, John Kennedy Jr and Caroline were the only surviving children of President Kennedy and the First Lady. Yet darker days—the darkest—were coming.
44. Dallas, November, 1963
While driving in a motorcade in Dallas, TX, an assassin’s bullet ended the life of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The event shook not only America but the world. President Kennedy’s charisma and progressive attitudes were a beacon of hope to people around the world. His life and death would be a focus of American culture for a long time to come.
45. John F Kennedy’s Fate Sent Shockwaves Through The Nation
The same month, Justice Earl Warren established a commission to investigate the circumstances around the fateful day. Their final finding was that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone and there was no conspiracy. However, the event continues to fascinate and frustrate people to the present day, and although it was the most famous instance, it was far from the end of the Kennedy curse.
Ira Jefferson, Wikimedia Commons
46. Robert Kennedy Continued His Brother’s Legacy
In the wake of the tragic end of JFK, Robert continued his involvement in progressive politics in the US. Robert traveled to the American South and to segregated South Africa and witnessed the poverty and oppression suffered by Black people around the world. Robert’s star, too, seemed to be on the rise. Yet Ted Kennedy, as always, missed out on this luck.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
47. The Curse Claims Another Airplane
A mere six months after his brother’s tragic end, youngest brother Ted Kennedy was almost the next Kennedy to be struck by the curse. Ted, now a Massachusetts senator, survived a plane crash with a broken back, but both his aide and the pilot were not so fortunate. Pilot error was to blame, but the “curse” seemed to be taking shape.
48. The Kennedy Women Weren’t Immune To Tragedy
Although the men of the Kennedy clan were primarily in the spotlight, the Kennedy daughters also saw their fair share of tragedy. Alongside the terrible fate suffered by Rosemary and the early passing of Kathleen, sister Patricia’s marriage to actor Peter Lawford crumbled early in 1966. The Kennedys needed some good news soon.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Wikimedia Commons
49. Robert Announced His Presidential Bid
In March 1968, Robert Kennedy officially announced his intention to run for President. He was a latecomer to the candidacy process, but his reputation, charisma, and ideas helped him to win numerous Democratic primaries across the US. In June, all eyes turned to the California primary—but disaster struck soon after.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
50. Robert Kennedy Never Made It To The Presidential Trail
Only five years after his brother’s infamous end, Robert Kennedy befell the same fate. After winning the California primary, a gunman confronted Robert at the Los Angeles Ambassador Hotel. He was shot and passed away the following morning. A nation only just getting over JFK’s premature end was thrust back into tragedy, as was the Kennedy family itself.
Bettman Archive, Wikimedia Commons
51. There Were Some Glimmers Of Brightness For The Family
Despite the tragedies, there were still moments of triumph for the beleaguered Kennedy family. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, just a month after her brother’s assassination, convened the first Special Olympics in Chicago. This lasting legacy spread around the world, with more than 150 nations participating by 2003.
The looming curse, however, would soon be named.
Fairchild Archive, Getty Images
52. Ted Kennedy Has Another Terrible Accident
Though he survived a plane crash and had a successful political career, Ted Kennedy’s fortunes still had further to fall. In the summer of 1969, the youngest Kennedy brother was driving home from a party in honor of Robert Kennedy’s campaign volunteers when he drove off a bridge at Chappaquiddick, MA.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
53. Ted Makes A(nother) Bad Decision
Though the senator survived, his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, became trapped and drowned. For reasons that were never sufficiently explained, Ted waited until the next day to report the accident. This, and the misfortunes that came before, prompted Ted to make an infamous statement.
White House Photographic Collection, Wikimedia Commons
54. Ted Named The “Terrible Curse”
At the end of a decade that seemed to hold such promise for the family and delivered such immense pain, Ted Kennedy addressed his accident at Chappaquiddick and wondered aloud if a “terrible curse” really did follow his family. Although the tragedies had piled up by this point, Ted’s articulation of the curse thrust the idea into the mainstream.
And the Chappaquiddick incident was certainly not the last tragedy to afflict the family.
55. The Sixties Came To A Tragic End
Joe Kennedy Sr, patriarch of the Kennedy dynasty, suffered a massive stroke in 1961, one that left him paralyzed and unable to speak. In November 1969, six years after his son John’s dark fate, Joe Sr succumbed to age and infirmity.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
56. The Kennedys Refused To Give In To The Curse
With Joe Jr, John, and Robert’s lives cut short, much of the political hope of the family fell to youngest brother Ted. Reelected to the Senate in 1970, he chaired the Senate Health Committee. Despite decades of tragedy, the Kennedys continued to be a force in American culture. But so did their curse.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
57. The Curse Was (Mostly) Quiet For A Decade
It seemed the Kennedy Curse had done its worst and the family might move forward hopefully. 1973, however, did provide one last bit of tragedy. Ted Kennedy Jr, the senator’s 12-year-old son, lost a leg to bone cancer. Fortunately, the young man underwent a two-year treatment and was eventually pronounced cancer-free. The rest of the 70s passed by quietly.
58. The Kennedys’ Peaceful Decade Came To An End
It could just be a contrast to how difficult the 60s had been for the family, but throughout the 70s it seemed that the curse had run its course. But as President Carter left the White house and the Reagan era began, other, quieter disappointments crept in.
National Archives and Records Administration, Wikimedia Commons
59. Ted Kennedy Had Presidential Ambitions In The Eighties
Ted Kennedy continued his family’s political ambitions and announced himself as a candidate for the 1980 presidential election. Although he fared well in the primaries, most of the states looked to President Jimmy Carter as their preferred candidate. Ted withdrew his bid and did not run again for the 1984 and 1988 elections.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
60. Robert Kennedy’s Son Lost A Struggle
In 1984, true tragedy once again struck the Kennedy family when Robert Kennedy’s son David succumbed to an overdose in April that year. The young man had watched the fallout of his father’s assassination as a young boy and spent many years struggling with addiction.
To some, it seemed the curse was about to return with a vengeance.
61. Rose Kennedy Passes Away
In January 1995, family matriarch Rose Kennedy succumbed to old age. And what an age it was! Rose left this world only a few months shy of her 105th birthday. Rose’s passing was hardly the work of any curse, but it did seem to kick off another round of ill fortune for the Kennedy clan.
62. The Curse Claimed Another Of RFK’s Children
Michael Kennedy, one of Robert and Ethel’s children, was the first of the next generation of Kennedys to succumb to the curse. While on a skiing holiday in Aspen, Colorado, Michael attempted to toss a football around while skiing down a mountain. He suffered a fatal accident on New Year’s Eve 1997. The 90s were not looking good for the clan.
63. The Decade Closed With Another Horrible Accident
John F Kennedy Jr had been in the public spotlight since his father’s passing, and he was about to follow his father in infamy. While flying a small airplane to a family wedding in Martha’s Vineyard, John Jr’s plane crashed off the coast. John, his wife Carolyn, and his sister-in-law Lauren did not survive the crash.
64. JFK Jr’s Fate Was A Huge Story
The image of John F Kennedy Jr saluting at his father’s funeral was stamped indelibly on the American psyche. Though John Jr did not seem to be following in the political footsteps of his father or uncle, he was a prominent figure in publishing and had been a successful attorney. Unfortunately, it looked like the coming century was going to be just as difficult for the Kennedy clan.
CNN, American Dynasties: The Kennedys (2018)
65. Ted Kennedy Had A Difficult End
Youngest of Joe Sr and Rose’s children, Ted Kennedy had survived some truly horrific events and witnessed even more. Then, in May 2008, Ted received a diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor. He managed to hang on for just over a year and then passed away at the family compound in Hyannis Port.
His sister Eunice preceded him by just two weeks.
Ben Schumin, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
66. The 2010s Seemed To Renew The Curse
Early in the second decade of the 21st Century, the Kennedy curse reared its ugly head once more. Kara Kennedy, daughter of Ted Kennedy, suffered a fatal heart attack at a Washington, DC health club. Kara was only 51 years old and had spent much of her life championing the inclusion of people with disabilities in the arts.
Who would be next?
Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
67. RFK Jr’s Wife Took Her Own Life
Mary Kennedy’s marriage to RFK Jr was not a happy one. While they were married, it was common knowledge that Robert Jr was a serial philanderer, and she separated from RFK Jr in 2010. Their divorce and custody battle was highly publicized. After discovering her estranged husband’s journal of infidelities, Mary Kennedy took her own life in 2012. Even after her passing, there were court battles over where to bury her.
And yet more deaths were to follow.
Ron Galella, Ltd., Getty Images
68. Two Of RFK’s Granddaughters Suffered Tragic Fates
Two decades into the 21st Century, the Kennedy curse was still claiming victims. In 2018, Saoirse Kennedy Hill accidentally overdosed at her family’s estate. And in 2020, Maeve McKean and her young son Gideon, RFK’s great-grandchild, went missing after a canoeing accident and were found dead four days later.
69. Is There Really A Curse?
So, is there really a Kennedy curse? The short answer is probably not. The Kennedy family was huge, with RFK and Ethel alone having 11 children. The size of the family, coupled with their very public life, makes it easy to see a pattern where, really, there were just accidents of the same sort that other, smaller families also endure.
70. The Kennedys Continue To Be In The Spotlight
With the prominent role Robert Kennedy Jr is set to play in current American politics, it seems that the Kennedy family will continue to be watched and scrutinized in the future. RFK Jr’s troubles have been well-documented and reported, but are they worthy of the label of “curse”? We’ll have to see what the coming decades bring. Hopefully, it will be a peaceful time for the Kennedy family.
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United States Department of Health and Human Services, Wikimedia Commons
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