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