Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Ethel Kennedy Shared 11 Kids With Husband Robert F. Kennedy: Get to Know the Late Couple’s Children

Famous Families

Oct 10, 2024 5:12 pm·

By Beth Shilliday

Picture

Out for a Swim! See ‘GMA’ Host Lara Spencer’s Gorgeous Bikini Photos

Where Does Kathie Lee Gifford Live? Photos of Nashville Home

Settled Down! Tour Kathie Lee Gifford’s Beautiful Nashville Estate

Halle Berry and Daughter Nahla Aubry’s Rare Outing: Photos

Halle Berry’s Daughter Nahla Looks All Grown Up During Rare Outing

Celebrities Over 60 Bikini Photos: Sexy Swimsuit Pictures

Celebrities Over 60 Rocking Bikinis: Photos of Christie Brinkley, More

See How Old the Cast of 'Dirty Dancing' Was While Filming the Movie

Robert F. Kennedy’s widow, Ethel Kennedy, left behind 11 kids when she died on October 10, 2024.

After marrying the late politician in 1950, Ethel became a mom for the first time the following year, welcoming daughter Kathleen. Ethel and “Bobby” would go on to have seven sons and three more daughters before he was assassinated in 1968 while running for president. Their youngest child, daughter Rory, was born six months after her father died.

1 of 11

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

Kathleen is Ethel and Bobby’s oldest child, born on July 4, 1951. After getting her law degree and working as an attorney, she entered politics, running for a Maryland congressional seat in 1986. While she lost that election, Kathleen went on to become the state’s lieutenant governor, but lost in her attempt to win the 2002 Maryland gubernatorial race.

2 of 11

Joseph Patrick Kennedy II

Named after his grandfather, Joseph was born on September 24, 1952. He followed his late father into politics, running for Massachusetts’ eighth congressional district in 1986 when Thomas “Tip” O’Neill decided not to seek re-election. Joseph won the seat handily, which was once held by his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy. He served six terms in office before leaving to return to Citizen’s Energy Corporation, a non-profit he founded in 1979.

3 of 11

Robert Francis Kennedy Jr.

Bobby was born on January 17, 1954, and named after his father. He earned his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1982. Bobby went on to work for years in environmental law and ran for president in 2023, eventually ending his campaign in August 2024.

4 of 11

David Kennedy

David was born on June 15, 1955, and was only 13 years old at the time of his father’s assassination. The death had a heavy impact on the teen. David later dropped out of Harvard and struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. He was found dead in his room at Palm Beach, Florida’s Brazilian Court Hotel on April 25, 1984. A medical examiner ruled he died from a combination overdose of cocaine and the sedative Demerol.

5 of 11

Speak The Truth To Power Memorial Benefit Gala Honors President Clinton

Mary Courtney Kennedy Hill

“Courtney” as she’s known, was born on September 9, 1956. She worked for the Children’s Television Workshop, where she later met first husband Jeffrey Ruhe. They married in June 1980 and divorced 10 years later. On June 26, 1993, Courtney married former Irish Republican Army prisoner Paul Michael Hill. The couple welcomed their only child, daughter Saoirse Roisin, in 1997, Sadly, Saoirse died of an accidental drug overdose in 2019.

6 of 11

Michael LeMoyne Kennedy

Michael was born on February 27, 1958. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1984. Michael was killed in a skiing accident in Aspen, Colorado, on December 31, 1997, after hitting a tree while on a family vacation.

7 of 11

Mary Kerry Kennedy

“Kerry” as she’s known, was born on September 8, 1959. After receiving her degree from Boston College Law School, Kerry went to work in the field of human rights. She later became president of the nonprofit organization Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights, which was founded by her mom, Ethel. Although Kerry never entered politics, she was married to former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo from 1990 through 2005. The former couple share three daughters.

8 of 11

Christopher George Kennedy

Christopher was born on July 4, 1963, sharing a birthday with older sister Kathleen. The businessman works as the chairman of the family’s investment firm, Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, Inc.

9 of 11

Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy

“Max” was born on January 11, 1965. Like several of his older brothers, he received his law degree from the University of Virginia. Max worked in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, prosecuting felonies. He went on to work at several environmental nonprofits while also authoring three non-fiction books.

10 of 11

Douglas Harriman Kennedy

Douglas was born on March 24, 1967. Instead of entering law or politics, he became an investigative journalist for the New York Post. Douglas became a reporter for Fox News in August 1996, and eventually got his own show, Douglas Kennedy’s American Stories.

11 of 11

Rory Elizabeth Katherine Kennedy

Rory was born on December 12, 1968, six months after her father’s assassination. She works as a documentary filmmaker. Rory’s most recent docuseries, The Synanon Fix, premiered on MAX on April 1, 2024.

Just For You

Conversation

All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Closer Weekly does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.