When people talk about the Kennedy family, they usually think of JFK or the glitz of the White House. But honestly? The real heavy lifting happened at Hickory Hill. That’s where Ethel Kennedy, the matriarch who recently passed at 96, raised eleven children. Imagine that. Eleven. It wasn't just a household; it was a small, high-stakes army.
The children of Ethel Kennedy didn't have a normal childhood. How could they? Their father, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968 while their mother was pregnant with their youngest sister, Rory. You’ve got this mix of immense privilege and bone-deep tragedy that basically defined every single one of their lives. Some became politicians, some became activists, and others struggled under the sheer weight of that famous last name. It’s a complicated legacy. It isn't just about polo matches and sailing in Hyannis Port; it’s about survival in the public eye.
The Hickory Hill Eleven: A Breakdown of the RFK Siblings
Ethel and Bobby didn't do things small. Between 1951 and 1968, they had Kathleen, Joseph II, Robert Jr., David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Max, Douglas, and Rory.
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was the trailblazer. She was the first of the next generation to really dive into the family business of politics, serving as the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. She’s often seen as the serious one, the one who tried to keep the torch lit early on. Then you have Joseph P. Kennedy II. He took over his uncle Ted’s seat in Congress and ran Citizens Energy. He had that classic Kennedy look and the temper to match, which made him a fixture in the news for decades.
But then there's Robert F. Kennedy Jr. You can't talk about the family today without mentioning him. Long before his 2024 presidential run or his environmental law career, he was just a kid dealing with the loss of a father in a very public way. His path has been... let's say "unique." From fighting for the Hudson River to becoming one of the most polarizing figures in modern American politics, Bobby Jr. represents the tension within the family. Some siblings support him; others publicly denounce his views. It’s messy. It’s real.
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Tragedy and the "Kennedy Curse"
It’s a cliché, but for the children of Ethel Kennedy, the "curse" felt less like a myth and more like a recurring nightmare. David Kennedy’s story is probably the most heartbreaking. He was only 12 when he watched his father get shot on live television in a hotel suite. He never really recovered. David died of a drug overdose in a Palm Beach hotel in 1984. It was a wake-up call for the family and the country that all that wealth couldn't shield a person from trauma.
Michael Kennedy died in a skiing accident in Aspen on New Year’s Eve in 1997. He was playing football on skis—a classic, high-energy Kennedy activity—and hit a tree. He was only 39. These aren't just names in a history book; these were Ethel's sons. People often wonder how she stayed so resilient through it all. She was the glue. She pushed them to be "useful," a word that comes up constantly in Kennedy biographies.
The Activists and the Quiet Ones
Not everyone wanted the spotlight. Christopher, Max, and Douglas have largely stayed out of the tabloids, focusing on business and private life. Christopher Kennedy ran the Merchandise Mart in Chicago and made a respectable run for Governor of Illinois, but he doesn't have that same "celebrity" aura that surrounds his brother Bobby Jr. or his sister Kerry.
Speaking of Kerry Kennedy, she’s been the human rights warrior. Running the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, she’s taken the family's "moral' mandate" and applied it globally. You see her in the news a lot, often as the family spokesperson when things get rocky. She has this way of speaking that sounds exactly like her father—urgent, passionate, and a little bit breathless.
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Rory Kennedy: The Daughter Who Never Met Her Father
Rory is the baby of the family. She was born six months after RFK was killed. Because of that, her perspective is fundamentally different. She’s an acclaimed documentary filmmaker. If you want to understand the family, watch her film Ethel. It’s a raw, surprisingly funny, and deeply personal look at her mother. Rory didn't go into politics; she went into storytelling. In many ways, that gave her the distance needed to process the family history without being swallowed by it.
The Complicated 2020s and the Family Divide
In recent years, the children of Ethel Kennedy have faced a public fracture. When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launched his independent presidential campaign, it created a rift that played out on social media and cable news.
- Kerry, Joseph, and Rory stood on a stage with President Joe Biden to endorse him, effectively campaigning against their own brother.
- The family issued statements saying Bobby Jr.'s views were "dangerous" and "deplorable."
- Ethel herself, while mostly retired from public life toward the end, was reportedly heartbroken by the internal friction but remained a devout Catholic and the family's spiritual center.
This isn't just family drama; it’s a clash of ideologies. The Kennedys have always been the "First Family" of the Democratic Party. To have one of their own break away and embrace conspiratorial rhetoric was, for many of the siblings, a betrayal of their father’s legacy. But Bobby Jr. argues he’s the one actually carrying it forward. Who’s right? It depends on which sibling you ask.
Life at Hickory Hill and Hyannis Port
To understand these kids, you have to understand where they grew up. Hickory Hill in McLean, Virginia, was legendary. It was chaotic. There were pets everywhere—dogs, horses, even a sea lion in the pool at one point. Ethel was not a "helicopter parent" in the modern sense. She was tough. She expected her children to be athletic, competitive, and informed.
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Dinner table conversations weren't about school gossip. They were about the Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War, and poverty in Appalachia. If you didn't have an opinion, you weren't really part of the conversation. That environment created adults who are incredibly articulate but also, perhaps, perpetually under pressure to prove their worth.
Insights for Understanding the Kennedy Legacy
If you’re looking to truly grasp the impact of this family, don't just look at the political wins. Look at the resilience. Dealing with the children of Ethel Kennedy means looking at a group of people who had to grieve in front of a camera and somehow find a way to be "great" afterward.
- Read the primary sources. Skip the tabloid rumors and read Rory Kennedy's interviews or Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s writings on faith and politics.
- Acknowledge the nuance. It’s easy to categorize them as "privileged elites," but their history involves significant trauma that shaped their public service.
- Follow the work. Look at the RFK Human Rights organization or Citizens Energy. The legacy isn't just a name; it’s a massive infrastructure of non-profit work that continues to influence policy.
- Watch the shift. Observe how the younger generation (Ethel’s grandchildren, like Joe Kennedy III) is navigating a very different political world than their parents did.
The story of Ethel’s children is still being written. With her passing, the "Camelot" era has officially shifted from living memory into history. What remains is a group of siblings who are still trying to figure out what it means to be a Kennedy in the 21st century. It’s a heavy coat to wear, but they’re still wearing it.