2019-10-01_Australian_Womens_Weekly_NZ

40 The Australian Women’s Weekly|OCTOBER 2019

The Kennedys

JohnF KennedySnr

momentsbeforehis

assassination;floral

tributesforJohnJr

andCarolynafter

theirplanecrash;Ted

Kennedy'scrashed

car.Topright:Robert

Kennedywithhis

and JFK's children.

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY

AAP,

GETTY

IMAGES,

THE

LIFE

PREMIUM COLLECTION

VIA GETTY IMAGES, DENIS REGGIE AND ALAMY.

father,forJoeestablished
a recklesspatternof
womanisingthatwould
rununcheckedthrough
theKennedys’maleline.
Hiscountlessconquests
includedactresses
MarleneDietrichand
GloriaSwanson,and
soblatantdidhis
philanderingbecome
thathiswifeRose–
devoteddespitethe
humiliationsheaped
uponher– curtainedoff
a partof theirmansionin Palm
Beach,Florida,to shieldherself
fromhisactivities.
TragedyhittheKennedysearly.
Joe’seldestson,JosephPatrickJr,
waskilledonairmanoeuvres
duringWorldWarTwo.Hewas
just28.Hiseldestdaughter,
Rosemary,diagnosedbydoctors
witha mildmentaldisorder,was
lobotomisedin 1941andlived
outherlifein institutions.
anotherdaughter,Kathleen,died
in a planecrashin 1947.Shakenbut
unstoppablein hisambitions,Joenow
investedeverythingin hissecondson,
JohnFitzgeraldKennedy.‘Jack’would,
as hisfatherfullyintended,become
Presidentof theUnitedStates,buthe
wouldalsogrowupwithmanyof his
father’sflaws– notablyaninsatiable
sexualappetitethatputevenJoe’sto
shame.Theheiressheeventually
married,JacquelineBouvier,witheringly
referredto thenumerousotherwomen
in hislifeas “thelollipops”.
Toanoutsideworldincreasingly
fascinatedbytheKennedyglamour,
Jackappearedtohaveit all– wealth,
charm,brainsandthebiggestjobin
theworld.ButtheKennedycursewas
onlyresting.OnNovember22,1963,
asJFKandJackierodein a motorcade
throughDallas,Texas,a seriesofshots
rangout.Mortallywounded,JFKdied
35 minuteslaterin hospital.
In 1968,RobertKennedy,preparing
forhisowntiltat thepresidency,was
assassinatedin a LosAngeleshotel.For
allhisferventCatholicismandlarge
broodof children,he,likeJack,wasa
notorious philanderer who frequently

sharedhisolderbrother’sgirls.Thelast

survivingbrother,Ted,despitea long

careerin Congress,foundhispathto

theWhiteHouseblockedbyhis

reputationfordrunkennessandscandal

• mostinfamouslyanincidentin 1969
  when,returningfroma party,Ted
  droveoffa bridgein Massachusetts.He
  escapedfromthewaters,butMaryJo
  Kopechne,a youngpoliticalaidewho
  wasin thecarwithhim,drowned.
  Twoof RFK’ssonsdiedyoung–
  David,28,of a heroinoverdosein
  1984,andMichael,39,in a 1997skiing
  accident.A thirdson,RobertJr,has
  admittedtodrugproblems,andhas
  beenmarriedthreetimes– hissecond
  wife,Mary,committingsuicide.
  Mostshockingtoa nationthathad
  cometoidolisehimwasthedeathof
  JohnF. KennedyJr,theeldestsonofthe
  assassinatedPresident.InJuly1999,
  John,38,andhiswife,Carolyn,33,
  wereflyingtoa familyweddingin
  HyannisPortwhentheirlightaircraft,
  pilotedbyJohn,crashedintothesea.
  Almost 100 yearsafterJoeKennedy
  createdthefamily’spowerbase,it is
  hard to catalogue all the members, their

activitiesandtheirwealth.Manyhave

droppedthenameentirely,whileothers

discreetlyplayit down.Althoughthe

corefamilybusinessremainspolitics,

thereareKennedysworkingin fashion,

showbusiness,commerceandthemedia.

Byfartherichestis Caroline,JFK’sonly

survivingchild,withanestimated

fortuneof $US200million,butas several

of herrelativeshaveruefullypointedout,

theperceptionof thefamily’slimitless

wealthdoesn’talwaysmatchthereality.

Manyof thetributesto Saoirse

touchedonhowperfectlythisnew-

generationKennedyseemedto capture

thefamilyidealof civichigh-mindedness

andpersonalmagnetism.It wasthe

otheraspectof beinga Kennedy that

proved too much.AWW