When people go searching for the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. first wife, they usually end up down a rabbit hole of two very different stories. See, there's a bit of a mix-up that happens in the public memory. If you're looking for the woman he married first, that’s Emily Ruth Black. But if you’re looking for the woman whose story is most deeply, and tragically, woven into the Kennedy lore—the one people often think was the first because of the intensity of the headlines—you’re likely thinking of Mary Richardson Kennedy.
Honestly, the history is messy.
RFK Jr. has been married three times. His current wife is actress Cheryl Hines. But before the Hollywood red carpets, there were two decades of complicated, high-stakes marriages that defined his path into the public eye.
Who Was Emily Black?
The actual Robert F. Kennedy Jr. first wife was Emily Ruth Black. They met while they were both law students at the University of Virginia. It was 1982. They got married in Bloomington, Indiana, and for a while, they were the quintessential young power couple.
Emily wasn't a "Kennedy" by birth, but she fit the mold: smart, capable, and private. Together, they had two children: Robert F. Kennedy III and Bobby's daughter, Kathleen Alexandra Kennedy (often called Kick).
The marriage lasted about 12 years.
By 1994, the legal papers were finalized in the Dominican Republic. It’s one of those divorces that didn't generate the massive, scorched-earth headlines we saw later, but it set the stage for everything that came next. Emily mostly stayed out of the spotlight after the split. She moved on, lived her life, and maintained a level of privacy that is almost impossible to find within the Kennedy orbit.
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The Mary Richardson Era: A "First" in Impact
While Emily was technically the first, many people associate the title of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. first wife with Mary Richardson because she was the woman who lived the most public—and eventually most painful—years by his side.
Mary didn't just marry Bobby; she was already part of the family "fabric." She had been best friends with Bobby’s sister, Kerry Kennedy, since they were teenagers at boarding school. She was even the maid of honor at Kerry’s wedding to Andrew Cuomo.
She was an architect. A designer. A pioneer in "green" building before it was a trendy buzzword.
A Wedding on a Boat
Just weeks after his divorce from Emily Black was finalized in 1994, Bobby married Mary Richardson. The ceremony happened on a research vessel on the Hudson River. Mary was pregnant at the time with their first child.
Over the next 16 years, they had four children together:
- Conor Kennedy
- Kyra Kennedy
- William Finbar Kennedy
- Aidan Caohman Vieques Kennedy
On the surface, it looked like the American Dream with a political twist. They lived in a sprawling, eco-friendly mansion in Bedford, New York. Mary was the one who oversaw the massive renovation of that house, turning it into a "green" showpiece. She was brilliant, artistic, and by all accounts, a "genius at friendship."
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When Things Fell Apart
The downward spiral wasn't a secret in their social circles, but it hit the public like a freight train in 2010. Bobby filed for divorce in May of that year.
What followed was a nightmare.
Days after the filing, Mary was arrested for driving while intoxicated. She struggled with depression and alcohol. The details that came out during the divorce proceedings were brutal. There were allegations of infidelity—Mary reportedly found a diary Bobby kept that detailed dozens of extramarital affairs. There were secret recordings. There were legal battles over the kids.
It’s heavy stuff.
In May 2012, while the divorce was still pending, the tragedy became permanent. Mary was found dead in a barn on their Bedford property. The medical examiner ruled it a suicide by hanging. She was only 52.
The Conflict After Death
Even her funeral was a point of contention. The Richardson family and the Kennedy family ended up in a legal tug-of-war over where she should be buried. The Kennedys wanted her in the family plot in Hyannis Port; her siblings wanted her near her home in Westchester.
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In the end, she was buried in Hyannis Port, but even that felt like a final piece of the "Kennedy curse" narrative that she couldn't escape.
Why the Confusion Matters
People often search for the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. first wife because they want to understand the man who is now a major fixture in American politics. Whether it's his work as an environmental lawyer or his recent stint in the 2024 and 2026 political cycles, his personal life provides a lot of context for his public persona.
- Emily Black represents the early, formative years of his legal career.
- Mary Richardson represents the high-profile, tumultuous middle years that defined his public image for a decade.
- Cheryl Hines represents the later chapter, a blend of Hollywood and political advocacy.
Summary of the Facts
If you're trying to keep the timeline straight, here’s the quick version:
- First Wife: Emily Black (Married 1982–1994). Two kids.
- Second Wife: Mary Richardson Kennedy (Married 1994–2012). Four kids.
- Current Wife: Cheryl Hines (Married 2014–Present).
Basically, if you're looking for the woman who "built the house" (literally and figuratively) during his most prominent years, you're looking for Mary. If you're looking for the woman who was there at the very start, before the drama hit the fan, that was Emily.
Knowing the difference is key to understanding the full picture. If you want to dive deeper into the legacy of the Kennedy family, you might look into the specific environmental work Mary Richardson pioneered, as her "Green Home" remains a significant architectural milestone in sustainable design.