Joseph Patrick Kennedy II
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| Joseph Patrick Kennedy II | |
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| In office January 4, 1987 - January 3, 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Tip O'Neill |
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| Succeeded by | Mike Capuano |
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| Born | September 24, 1952 Brighton, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Sheila Rauch (divorced) Anne Kelly |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Joseph Patrick Kennedy II (born September 24, 1952 in Brighton, Massachusetts), named after his late uncle Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., is the eldest son of U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy.
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[edit] Career
Kennedy established the Citizens Energy Corporation, a non-profit organization. In 1986 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts, from the district formerly represented by Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill (from 1953-1987) who was the House Speaker and his uncle John F. Kennedy (from 1947-1953) who later became the President of United States. He served until 1999 to return to his non-profit organization.
Kennedy again considered running for the governorship in 2002, but opted out citing family difficulties: After his ex-wife, Shiela Rauch, published a book (Shattered Faith) criticizing the Catholic Church for granting their annulment, it was revealed the annulment was on the grounds of mental deficiency. Further, there were allegations made that his brother had an affair with a family babysitter. The final blow to his immediate aspirations may have come when his son was accidentally hurt while the two were playing with illegal fireworks.[1] Some expected Kennedy to run for Senate after the scandals died down. However, his uncle, Senator Edward Kennedy ran and successfully retained his seat for another term, until 2013.
Citizens Energy Corporation has been providing affordable heating oil to low income families in the Northeast for decades. However, since the election of Hugo Chávez as President of Venezuela, some have criticized Citizens Energy for continuing its relationship with the Venezuelan government and thereby maintaining ties to Chávez.[2]
[edit] Personal life
Kennedy received a B.A. from University of Massachusetts, Boston, in 1976. Kennedy married Sheila Rauch in 1979. The couple later divorced, and Joe married Anne Kelly. His efforts to have the marriage to Rauch annulled led to a controversy: Rauch, who was not Catholic, published a book asserting that she was opposed to the concept of annulment, because it meant in theory that the marriage had never actually existed. Kennedy has twin sons from his marriage to Sheila Rauch: Matthew Rauch Kennedy and Joseph Patrick Kennedy III (born Oct. 4, 1980). He lives in the Oak Square neighborhood of Brighton, Massachusetts.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Joseph Kennedy Ends Gubernatorial Bid. The Washington Post. Retrieved on December 12, 2006.
- ^ Dial Joe-4-Chávez, Wall Street Journal editorial, November 28, 2006
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Tip O'Neill |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 8th congressional district 1987–1999 |
Succeeded by Mike Capuano |
