P. J. Kennedy
Encyclopedia
Patrick Joseph Kennedy (January 14, 1858 – May 18, 1929) was an American
politician
. He was the father of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
, and paternal grandfather to United States
President John F. Kennedy
, Senator Robert F. Kennedy
, and Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Roman Catholic immigrants Patrick Kennedy and Bridget Murphy, who were both from New Ross
, County Wexford
, and married in Boston
on September 26, 1849. The couple's first son, John, died of cholera
in infancy. Months after P.J.'s birth, his father also succumbed to the infectious cholera epidemic that infested the family's East Boston neighborhood
. As the only surviving male, P.J. was the first Kennedy to receive a formal education. At the age of fourteen, P.J., as he was called, left school to work on the Boston docks as a stevedore
to help support his mother and three older sisters. In the 1880s, with money he had saved from his modest earnings, he launched a business career by buying a saloon in Haymarket Square downtown. In time, he bought a second establishment by the East Boston docks. Next to capitalize on the social drinking of upper-class Boston, P.J. purchased a third bar in an upscale East Boston hotel, the Maverick House. Before he was thirty, his growing prosperity allowed him to buy a whiskey-importing business.
By the time he died in 1929, P.J. held an interest in a coal company and a substantial amount of stock in a bank, the Columbia Trust Company. His wealth afforded his family of one son, Joseph Patrick, and two daughters an attractive home on Jeffries Point in East Boston."
(Robert Dallek)
He attended Boston College
on scholarship and became a prominent businessman before entering politics.
"Likable, always ready to help less fortunate fellow Irishmen with a little cash and some sensible advice, P.J. enjoyed the approval and respect of most folks in East Boston, living on the hill a mixed Boston neighborhood of upscale Irish and Protestant elite. Beginning in 1884, he converted his popularity into five consecutive one-year terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
, followed by three two-year terms in the state senate
. Establishing himself as one of Boston's principal Democratic leaders, he was invited to give one of the seconding speeches for Grover Cleveland
at the party's 1888 national convention in St. Louis."
"But campaigning, speech making, and legislative maneuvering were less appealing to him than the behind-the-scenes machinations that characterized so much of Boston politics in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. After leaving the senate in 1895, P.J. spent his political career in various appointive offices—elections commissioner and fire commissioner—as the backroom boss of Boston's Ward Two, and as a member of his party's unofficial Board of Strategy." (Robert Dallek)
Patrick Joseph Kennedy
is also the name of Edward Kennedy
's son, and thus a great-grandson of the elder P. J. Kennedy.
, the Democratic Mayor of Boston. The union of P.J.'s son and Fitzgerald's daughter essentially created the Kennedy political family. Together, they had many children, including Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (a World War II casualty), John F. Kennedy
(35th President of the United States), Robert F. Kennedy
(US Senator, Attorney General, and Presidential candidate), and Edward Kennedy
(US Senator from Massachusetts).
The Patrick J. Kennedy School is a public grammar school located in East Boston.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He was the father of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Sr. was a prominent American businessman, investor, and government official....
, and paternal grandfather to United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, Senator Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
, and Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Early life
P.J. was the youngest of five children born to IrishIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Roman Catholic immigrants Patrick Kennedy and Bridget Murphy, who were both from New Ross
New Ross
New Ross is a town located in southwest County Wexford, in the southeast of Ireland. In 2006 it had a population of 7,709 people, making it the third largest town in the county after Wexford and Enniscorthy.-History:...
, County Wexford
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
, and married in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
on September 26, 1849. The couple's first son, John, died of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in infancy. Months after P.J.'s birth, his father also succumbed to the infectious cholera epidemic that infested the family's East Boston neighborhood
East Boston, Massachusetts
East Boston is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, with approximately 40,000 residents. The community was created by connecting several islands using landfill and was annexed by Boston in 1836. East Boston is separated from the rest of the city by Boston Harbor and bordered by Winthrop,...
. As the only surviving male, P.J. was the first Kennedy to receive a formal education. At the age of fourteen, P.J., as he was called, left school to work on the Boston docks as a stevedore
Stevedore
Stevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....
to help support his mother and three older sisters. In the 1880s, with money he had saved from his modest earnings, he launched a business career by buying a saloon in Haymarket Square downtown. In time, he bought a second establishment by the East Boston docks. Next to capitalize on the social drinking of upper-class Boston, P.J. purchased a third bar in an upscale East Boston hotel, the Maverick House. Before he was thirty, his growing prosperity allowed him to buy a whiskey-importing business.
By the time he died in 1929, P.J. held an interest in a coal company and a substantial amount of stock in a bank, the Columbia Trust Company. His wealth afforded his family of one son, Joseph Patrick, and two daughters an attractive home on Jeffries Point in East Boston."
(Robert Dallek)
He attended Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
on scholarship and became a prominent businessman before entering politics.
Political career
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
, followed by three two-year terms in the state senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
. Establishing himself as one of Boston's principal Democratic leaders, he was invited to give one of the seconding speeches for Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
at the party's 1888 national convention in St. Louis."
"But campaigning, speech making, and legislative maneuvering were less appealing to him than the behind-the-scenes machinations that characterized so much of Boston politics in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. After leaving the senate in 1895, P.J. spent his political career in various appointive offices—elections commissioner and fire commissioner—as the backroom boss of Boston's Ward Two, and as a member of his party's unofficial Board of Strategy." (Robert Dallek)
Marriage and children
On November 23, 1887, Kennedy married Mary Augusta Hickey, the daughter of a prosperous businessman in the city.| Name | Birth | Death | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Patrick Kennedy Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Sr. was a prominent American businessman, investor, and government official.... |
September 6, 1888 | November 18, 1969 | 81 years | Married on October 7, 1914, to Rose Fitzgerald (July 22, 1890 – January 22, 1995) 9 children |
| Francis Benedict Kennedy | March 11, 1891 | June 14, 1892 | 1 year 3months | |
| Mary Loretta Kennedy | August 6, 1893 | November 18, 1971 | 79 years | Married on October 12, 1927, to George William Connelly (June 10, 1898 – August 29, 1971) |
| Margaret Louise Kennedy | October 22, 1898 | November 14, 1974 | 76 years | Married on June 14, 1924, to Charles Joseph Burke (August 23, 1899 – April 5, 1967) |
Patrick Joseph Kennedy
Patrick J. Kennedy
Patrick Joseph Kennedy II is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes all of Bristol County and Newport County, and parts of Providence County. Kennedy did not seek re-election in 2010.A member of the Kennedy...
is also the name of Edward Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
's son, and thus a great-grandson of the elder P. J. Kennedy.
Legacy
In 1914, their son Joseph married Rose Fitzgerald, daughter of John F. FitzgeraldJohn F. Fitzgerald
John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald was an Irish-American politician and the maternal grandfather of three prominent United States politicians—President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Senators Robert Francis Kennedy and Edward Moore Kennedy.-Early life and family:Fitzgerald was born in...
, the Democratic Mayor of Boston. The union of P.J.'s son and Fitzgerald's daughter essentially created the Kennedy political family. Together, they had many children, including Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (a World War II casualty), John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
(35th President of the United States), Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
(US Senator, Attorney General, and Presidential candidate), and Edward Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
(US Senator from Massachusetts).
The Patrick J. Kennedy School is a public grammar school located in East Boston.