The following information about Joseph P. Kennedy is listed alphabetically by topic. For more information please contact Kennedy.Library@nara.gov. Have a research question? Ask an Archivist.
Ambassadorship to the Court of St. James: Appointed January 7, 1938; arrived in Great Britain on March 1, 1938. Resigned November 6, 1940 after outspoken anti-war remarks.
Birth: September 6, 1888, in a house on Webster Street in East Boston.
Children:
- Joseph, Jr. (July 25, 1915– August 12, 1944)
- John (May 29, 1917–November 22, 1963)
- Rosemary (September 13, 1918–January 7, 2005)
- Kathleen (February 20, 1920–May 13, 1948)
- Eunice (July 20, 1921–August 11, 2009)
- Patricia (May 26, 1924–September 17, 2006)
- Robert (November 20, 1925–June 6, 1968)
- Jean (February 20, 1928–June 17, 2020)
- Edward (February 22, 1932–August 25, 2009).
Columbia Trust Co., President of: Named President on January 20, 1914 at age 25.
Death: Died at 11:05 am in Hyannis Port on November 18, 1969. Private funeral held at Hyannis Catholic Church, Cardinal Cushing officiating. Buried at Holyhood Cemetery, Brookline, MA.
Education:
- Assumption School through 7th grade, then Xaverian School.
- Boston Latin School, 1901–1908, where he was a poor student but excelled in extracurricular activities, especially baseball.
- Harvard College, 1908–1912
Fore River Shipyard of Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. in Quincy, MA: Became assistant general manager in 1917; Met then-Secretary of the Navy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Foundation, Joseph Kennedy, Jr.: Founded in 1946.
Hayden-Stone Co., a Boston investment banking firm: Named to Board May 29, 1917. Named manager of Boston office June 1919.
Hollywood: Began career with the purchase of Film Booking Offices of America in February 1926. Leaves Hollywood with an estimated fortune of $5 million in 1930.
Liquor business: Entered 1933
Maritime Commission: Assumed duties as Chairman on April 19, 1937.
Marriage: Married Rose Fitzgerald on October 7, 1914 in the private chapel of William Cardinal O'Connell in Boston, with the Cardinal officiating.
Massachusetts Electric Co.: Elected trustee in 1917.
Parents: Patrick Joseph Kennedy (born January 14, 1858, died May 18,1929) and Mary Hickey (born December 6, 1857, died May 20, 1923).
Riverdale, New York: Moved family to Riverdale in 1924.
Securities and Exchange Commission: Became first chairman of the newly created commission on July 2, 1934.
Social Security Number: 053-18-4530
Stroke: Suffered at home in Palm Beach on December 19, 1961.