and sons, John F. Kennedy and Joseph P. Kennedy Jr,
Nachrichten,
Switzerland
The Kennedys: Dynasty to End All Dynasties
"Powerful
families may promise glamour, but they also bring nepotism and corruption,
things that played as big a role in Kennedy history as ambition and a ruthless
instinct for power. Presumably, the era of dynasties is past."
It is assumed that with the
death of Ted, the last of the four Kennedy-Brothers, the importance of this
American "Royal House" will decline and eventually fall into
obscurity. This is perfectly feasible, so it's worth taking a closer look at the
rise of this immigrant family of Irish ancestry that left such an indelible
mark on the America of the 20th century.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
It's of course impossible to
find the real staring point for any family. But in the history of the Kennedys,
Patrick
Kennedy (1823-1858) is probably the pivotal figure - and as it was for so many
Irish emigrants, the Great Irish [Potato]
Famine of 1845 to 1849 the pivotal event.
[Editor's Note: The Great Famine
remains one of the most devastating catastrophes in recorded history. In a few
short years, one million people died - the equivalent of 12 percent of
Ireland's population. Half the population died or fled, and those who stayed
went through a horrific experience of misery. In terms of the collective
tragedy of a people, it has been rightfully compared to the Holocaust. The
proximate cause of famine was a potato disease commonly known as potato blight].
As a third-born child on a
farm, Kennedy had little chance of making something of himself, so when the
potato-induced famine ravaged Ireland, the learned cooper [a maker of conical
wooden vessels] decided to try his luck in exile. The arrival of Patrick in
Boston on April 22, 1849 marked the beginning of Kennedy history - THE Kennedys - in the USA. Soon his fiancée Bridget
Murphy followed, with whom he eventually had five children. The youngest, Patrick John Kennedy, was
eight years old when his father died of cholera. His mother purchased a stationary
and dry goods store that succeeded, thus laying the groundwork for the rise of
her son [Patrick].
J.P. as he was called,
entered politics and was elected to a number of [Massachusetts State] offices,
but preferred to work behind the scenes. When in 1914 his son Joseph married Rose
Fitzgerald, the daughter of Boston's mayor, it was clear: the second generation
of U.S.-Kennedys had become part of the New-England establishment - a mere 60
years after Patrick escaped starvation in Ireland.
Joseph P. Kennedy made
millions on insider trading on the stock-market and got out in time - before
the Great Crash of 1929:
"When I got the tip from the shoeshine boy, I knew it was time to get out!"
His fortune increased 45-fold between 1929 and 1935, amounting to $180 million
($2.9 billion if corrected for inflation). Apart from stock and real estate, he
also made a killing on movies and moonshine.
In 1932, he supported Franklin
D. Roosevelt, and after the campaign was rewarded with the newly-created post
of chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. When Roosevelt was asked
why he appointed such a crook to this post, he would say only: "It takes
one to catch one!"
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
The
Kennedy family in 1938: From left, seated: Eunice, Jean,
Edward,
Joseph P., Patricia and Kathleen. Standing: Rosemary,
It was about this time that
Joseph's youngest son, Edward, was born. Three older brothers were already being
prepared for the huge roles their father intended for them. But it was the
father himself that got in the way of the family's continued rise. In 1938 he was
appointed Ambassador to England. There, without the authorization of his
government, he worked with politicians that favored appeasement and in 1940, he
himself tried to negotiate with Hitler, claiming that Great Britain didn't
fight for democracy but merely self-preservation.
He was subsequently forced to
resign. His chances to continue a successful career as a politician, let alone
a president, were destroyed. Those dreams now had to be left to his sons. However,
his designated heir apparent, Joseph P. Jr., his eldest - died after
volunteering for a high-risk bombing mission over England in August, 1944.
His second son, John F.
Kennedy, also nearly perished in the war. He survived the sinking of his boat,
suffering a back-injury that would afflict him for the rest of his life.
What ensued is more then
worthy of a Shakespearean tragedy: The ascent to the very highest summit and
death by an assassin's bullet for both John and his younger brother Robert, who
had served as attorney general during John's presidency. Even before his death,
John F. Kennedy's life was marked by tragedy. His wife suffered a miscarriage
in 1955, delivered a still-born baby in 1956 and the youngest of his children,
Patrick - named after the dynasty's founder - was born prematurely and died two
days after delivery.
In 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr.,
who achieved heartbreaking fame when he saluted his father's coffin as a
three-year-old, crashed while piloting a small aircraft. This left only Jack
Kennedy's daughter Caroline, although she has no great political ambition.
So only Edward, the last son
of John Patrick Sr., remained. He was the senator of Massachusetts for 47
years. He had survived plane crashes, car wrecks and scandal - and was known as
the most indefatigable warrior for liberal causes and opponent of
discrimination. But now he's dead as well, leaving in politics only Patrick J.
Kennedy, a House member from Rhode Island for the past 14 years. But the only
attention he seems to draw are for things like drunk driving and his attendance
at drug rehab clinics - not great political initiatives.
It looks as though the days
of "Camelot," as Jack Kennedys government was once called, are over
for good. Accidents and assassins certainly played a major role. But
presumably, the era of dynasties is past. Powerful families may promise glamour,
but they also bring nepotism and corruption, things that played as big a role in
Kennedy history as ambition and a ruthless instinct for power.
And even a John Kennedy would
have no chance today. At the time, the press covered his painkillers and
innumerable affairs with a cloak of silence. Nowadays, such behavior would be
unthinkable.
With the death of Edward
"Ted" Kennedy, an age that produced politicians that were "bigger
than life" has drawn to a close. The times when patriarchs and matriarchs controlled
the destinies of nations, like the wife of John Patrick who died in 1995 at the
age of 105, are hopefully at an end.
