The life and death of Bobby Kennedy is one of the great legends of American political
history — but who was the woman who stood by his side?
The Kennedy family is one of the most powerful and prestigious dynasties in American history.
You would be hard pressed to find a family in the world of U.S. politics that wields
as much influence — or has acquired quite as much money — as this one.
When the family arrived in America from Ireland in the 1840s, they became heavily involved
in politics.
Over the following decades, the Kennedy family produced multiple congressmen, an attorney
general, and a United States president.
In addition to having a long line of direct descendants, some individuals who married
into the Kennedy family also contributed to its legacy.
Take Ethel Kennedy, for example.
Ethel married Robert Kennedy in 1950 and stood by him as he pursued his political aspirations.
Unfortunately, within five years of her marriage, tragedy had struck her life in a number of
different ways.
Ethel Kennedy was born Ethel Skakel in Chicago, Illinois, in 1928.
Her father worked his way to the top of the railroad industry, resulting in the family
becoming very wealthy.
Due to her family's money, Ethel was afforded a life of relative luxury and eventually attended
the Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart.
There, she would become friends with Jean Kennedy, who introduced her to her brother,
Robert.
The couple got married on June 17th, 1950 and moved to Washington D.C. when Robert Kennedy
got a job with the Department of Justice.
They started their family in 1951, while Robert was working alongside his brother, John F.
Kennedy, on his political aspirations.
While Ethel navigated motherhood, calamity befell her family in 1955 when both of her
parents perished in a plane crash.
Sadly, the untimely deaths of her parents wasn't the last loss she would suffer.
Following the loss of her parents, Ethel and her husband purchased a mansion known as Hickory
Hill in Virginia.
Their home soon became the place to be, as the family hosted countless events and parties,
with politicians, actors, and other celebrities in attendance.
In addition to hosting these parties, Ethel became increasingly involved in politics,
beginning in 1957 with her husband's appointment as chief counsel to the Senate Select Committee.
She also joined the campaign trail for her brother-in-law as he made a run for the White
House.
John F. Kennedy was elected the 35th president of the United States in 1960.
However, his historic tenure as the youngest president to ever be elected was cut short
by an assassin's bullet on November 22nd, 1963.
The death of JFK was not just a personal tragedy for Ethel, but for the nation as a whole.
"I will repeat, with the greatest regret, two priests who were with President Kennedy
say he have died of bullet wounds."
Despite the horrors of JFK's assassination, the Kennedy family was determined to press
on in the world of politics.
This was particularly true for Ethel and Robert Kennedy.
Following the death of his brother, Robert decided to run for a seat in the United States
Senate, and his wife was right by his side.
In 1968, after successfully winning a senate seat, Robert decided to run for president.
Ethel accompanied him on the campaign trail, despite being pregnant with the couple's 11th
child.
When he won the California Democratic primary, Robert should have been well on his way to
winning the White House.
Unfortunately, Robert was shot on June 5th, 1968, and succumbed to his wounds the following
day.
Ethel would give birth to their last child, a daughter, just a few months later.
"A lot of wonderful children to be with."
After the death of her husband, Ethel raised her family and began to make her own contributions
to the public, carrying on her husband's legacy.
One of her most notable accomplishments was founding the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center
for Human Rights, which carries on her husband's work through journalism and human rights advocacy.
Yet more misfortune struck Ethel's life when her son David died of a drug overdose in 1984.
He had watched his father's assassination on TV and battled addiction afterward.
In 1997, she lost another son, Michael, in a skiing accident.
Ethel's pain would extend beyond her immediate family, too, as a number of other Kennedys
have died in tragic circumstances over the years.
In spite of all of the many losses that she suffered, Ethel Kennedy still fought for the
causes that her husband championed.
She has contributed greatly to the Kennedy family legacy, and continues to serve as an
inspiration.