Ethel Skakel Kennedy

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Ethel Skakel Kennedy (born April 11, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois) is a member of the Kennedy family by her marriage to Robert F. Kennedy. Her parents were Ann Brannack Skakel, who was Catholic, and George Skakel, who was Protestant. She was raised as a Catholic in the affluent town of Greenwich, Connecticut. Her father was the founder of the very successful Great Lakes Carbon Corporation ^[1], which is affiliated with the steel industry.

1 Her Education
2 Her Life with Robert F. Kennedy
3 Family tragedy
4 Ethel and Bobby's Children
5 References
6 Bibliography
7 External Links

[edit] Her Education

Ethel attended the tony, all-girls Greenwich Academy[1] ^[2]in , as well as The Convent of the Sacred Heart in the Bronx. In September 1945, Ethel began her collegiate education at Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart, then located in Manhattan. It was here where she met Jean Kennedy (sister of Robert F. Kennedy); they eventually became friends and roommates.

[edit] Her Life with Robert F. Kennedy

She met Robert F. Kennedy (Bobby) during a skiing trip to Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada during the winter of 1945. At the time, he was dating Ethel's sister, Patricia Skakel. Eventually that relationship ended and Ethel and Bobby started seeing each other. Ethel campaigned for John F. Kennedy in 1946, and wrote her college thesis on his book Why England Slept.

Bobby and Ethel became engaged in February 1950. According to Jerry Oppenheimer's book, the Skakel family sent out over 1200 invitations to a lavish engagement party they hosted at their Lake Avenue mansion. The couple were married on June 17, 1950 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenwich. Ethel's wedding dress and bridal party gowns were created by noted New York fashion designer Mamie Conti.

As newlyweds, Ethel and Bobby moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, where they lived while Bobby finished his last year at the University of Virginia Law School. Their first child, Kathleen, was born on July 4, 1951. After graduating with his law degree, the family settled in the Washington, DC area and Bobby went to work for the Department of Justice. However, that path did not last long as RFK was drafted by his family to manage John F. Kennedy's 1952 Senate campaign in Massachusetts.

Throughout the Fifties, Kennedy worked for the federal government, in investigatory roles such as for the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations with the notoriously anti-Communist Senator Joe McCarthy and as chief counsel for the Senate Democrats.

In contrast, Ethel's sphere of influence was their home life. In 1956, the Kennedys purchased Hickory Hill from Bobby's brother Jack and his wife, Jackie. They needed a larger house, since Ethel was pregnant with their fifth child. This enormous 13 bedroom, 13 bath home, situated on six acres in prestigious McLean, Virginia, would prove to be an important place for socializing, both for the family and the local glitterati.

In contrast to their famous in-laws, Ethel and Bobby held many raucous get-togethers at their home. Getting an invite to Hickory Hill was highly coveted. Whether it was a pool party or a formal dinner party, the guest list was impressive and eclectic. Journalist Roger Mudd remembers meeting John Lennon at one such party. Other notable invitees have included the Secretary of the Interior Mo Udall, entertainer Judy Garland, dancer Rudolf Nureyev and historian Arthur Schlesinger, who found himself thrown into the pool fully clothed where Ethel was also already swimming fully clothed. ^[3].

The Kennedy children added to the wild atmosphere at Hickory Hill. Notoriously, Robert Jr. had a zoo in the basement. It was not unusual to see reptiles, a seal miniature ponies and even an elephant on the grounds ^[4]. In fact, Jackie found the children so wild that she did not allow Caroline and John Jr. to play with their cousins. ^[5]

In October 2003, the Boston Globe reported that Ethel was selling the legendary residence for $25 million ^[6]. She continues to live at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport, Massachusetts.

[edit] Family tragedy

On October 3, 1955, Ethel's parents died in a plane crash near Union City, Canadian County, Oklahoma, when their plane ran out of fuel. Surprisingly, her brother George Skakel, Jr., also perished in a plane crash on September 23, 1966, near Riggins, Idaho County, Idaho. His widow, Joan Patricia "Pat" (Corroon) Skakel, died shortly thereafter on May 18, 1967, in Rome, Oneida County, New York, leaving behind several children.

Ethel was expecting her 11th child when her husband was assassinated in 1968 by Sirhan Sirhan. Since his death, she has been active in preserving her husband's memory and legacy.

In 1984, her fourth child, David, died of a drug overdose in Palm Beach, Florida. He had long battled substance abuse.

Ethel lost another son, Michael, to a skiing accident in 1997.

Additionally, Ethel Skakel Kennedy is the aunt of Michael Skakel, who was convicted in 2000 of murdering Martha Moxley on October 31, 1975.

While it may not be uncommon for such a large family to have so many misfortunes, there are those who choose to explain these tragic events as the Kennedy Family Curse.

[edit] Ethel and Bobby's Children

Ethel and Bobby's eleven children have not rested on their famous family's accomplishments, but in many cases, have gone into the family business.

They are, in chronological order: Kathleen (b. 1951), Joseph (b. 1952), Robert Jr. (b. 1954), David (1955-1984), Courtney (b. 1956), Michael (1958-1997), Kerry (b. 1959), Christopher (b. 1963), Max (b. 1965), Douglas (b. 1967) and Rory (b. 1968).

Among those seeking the spotlight: Kathleen has served as lieutenant governor of Maryland; Joseph is a Congressman from Massachusetts; Robert Jr. is a prominent environmental attorney and activist; Kerry has been very involved in her father's foundations: Max wrote Make Gentle the Life of This World : The Vision of Robert F. Kennedy and the Words That Inspired Him; Douglas is an investigative reporter; and Rory is an activist/documentary filmmaker.