Ethel Kennedy's 11 Children: All About the Late Kennedy Matriarch's Sons and Daughters

Ethel Kennedy welcomed 11 children with her husband Robert F. Kennedy — including Robert Jr. and Kerry Kennedy — before her death in 2024

<p>Bettman</p>

Bettman

Human rights activist Ethel Kennedy was the widow of U.S. Sen. Robert F. “Bobby” Kennedy and the sister-in-law of former President John F. Kennedy. She was also a mom to 11 children — Kathleen, Joseph, Robert Jr., David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Max, Douglas and Rory — nearly all of whom have moved into their own political and legal careers.

Born in Chicago, Ethel, who died on Oct. 10 at age 96, married Robert Sr. in 1950. Between 1951 and 1968, the couple welcomed their seven sons and four daughters, the youngest of whom was born after Robert’s assassination in 1968.

Over the years, Ethel campaigned for members of the Kennedy family as they launched their political careers while also raising the children she and Robert shared. She also founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights after her husband's death to continue his work.

After Ethel suffered a stroke in early October 2024, it was her daughter Kerry who announced the news of the Kennedy matriarch's death on Oct. 10. "It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our mother," she wrote in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). "Along with a lifetime's work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly."

Here is a look at Ethel and Robert F. Kennedy’s 11 children: Kathleen, Joseph, Robert Jr., David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Max, Douglas and Rory.

Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend, 73

<p>Paul Morigi/Getty</p>

Paul Morigi/Getty

Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend was born on July 4, 1951, in Greenwich, Conn, and is the oldest daughter of Ethel and Robert. She was known for being a strong equestrian until she was thrown from her horse at the age of 14. The New York Times reported that the injury took place while her family was sailing, and her parents and uncle Edward “Ted” M. Kennedy rushed to the hospital after reaching land.

Kathleen was 16 when her father was assassinated, and to date, she has not spoken frequently about his death. She attended Radcliffe College, where she met her husband David Lee Townsend, before getting her law degree at the University of New Mexico. The couple have four children: Meaghan, Maeve, Rose and Kerry.

After graduation, Kathleen began working at a law firm in New Haven, Conn. The family eventually moved to Maryland, where she ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in a majority Republican district and subsequently became the first Kennedy to lose a general election in 1986.

In 1994, Parris Glendening picked Kathleen as his running mate in the Maryland gubernatorial race. The pair won their election, making Kathleen the lieutenant governor. She lost her own gubernatorial race in 2002.

In 2007, she published the book Failing America's Faithful: How Today's Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way. She has since taught at Georgetown and Harvard universities.

In 2020, Kathleen’s daughter Maeve and grandson, Gideon, died by drowning in a canoeing accident.

Joseph Patrick Kennedy II, 72

<p>Angela Rowlings/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald/Getty</p>

Angela Rowlings/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald/Getty

Joseph Patrick Kennedy II was born in Boston on Sept. 24, 1952, and was named after his grandfather. He enrolled at Milton Academy following his father's death and eventually graduated from Manter Hall School. In 1976, he graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston. He founded the nonprofit Citizens Energy in 1979, only leaving the company after he was elected to the House for the 8th district of Massachusetts in 1986.

He married Sheila Rauch in February 1979, and the pair welcomed their twin sons, Matt and Joseph “Joe” III, the following year. They divorced in 1991. He married Anne Elizabeth Kelly in 1993.

Robert Francis Kennedy Jr., 70

<p>Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</p>

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Robert Francis Kennedy Jr., often called RFK Jr. or Bobby Jr., was born on Jan. 17, 1954, in Washington, D.C. RFK Jr. received a bachelor’s degree from Harvard before studying at the London School of Economics. He later studied law at the University of Virginia and Pace University.

His career was halted in 1980 after he was arrested in South Dakota for heroin possession, The New York Times reported. He was sentenced to community service at the nonprofit Riverkeeper, and he was hired as the organization’s attorney in 1985.

Related: A Timeline of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Controversies

RFK Jr. is widely known for promoting anti-vaccine and public health-related conspiracy theories. In 2023, he declared his intent to run for president of the United States in 2024, though has since dropped out of the race and endorsed the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump.

He married Emily Ruth Black in 1982 and the pair welcomed two children, Bobby III and Kick, before divorcing in March 1994. He married Mary Richardson the next month, and the couple had four children: Conor, Kyra, William and Aidan. He filed for divorce from Richardson in 2010, and two years later she died by suicide before their divorce was finalized.

In 2014, he married actress Cheryl Hines.

David Anthony Kennedy

<p>Brownie Harris/Corbis/Getty</p>

Brownie Harris/Corbis/Getty

David Anthony Kennedy was born on June 15, 1955. David was 13 years old when his father was assassinated.

Robert’s death severely impacted David. He died of an overdose on April 25, 1984, having recently dropped out of Harvard and gone through treatment for heroin and alcohol addiction, according to The New York Times.

Mary Courtney Kennedy Hill, 68

<p>Evan Agostini/Getty </p>

Evan Agostini/Getty

Mary Courtney Kennedy Hill, known as Courtney, was born on Sept. 9, 1956. She was 11 when her father died, and her husband, Paul Hill, later told The New York Times that it was difficult for Courtney and her siblings to escape his tragic death. “They’ll go to a party or event and 20 times in the course of an evening, some stranger will come up to them and say, ‘I remember the day your father died,’ ” he said.

Courtney is one of the most private of Ethel and Robert Sr.'s children as she never pursued a career in politics. She was married to producer Robert Ruhe from 1980 to 1990. The Boston Globe reported that she and her second husband, Paul, were introduced by her mother, who met Paul at a congressional hearing on human rights. Paul, who was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, had spent 15 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted in connection with two Irish Republican Army bombings in England.

Courtney and Paul married in 1993 and welcomed their daughter, Saoirse Roisin, in 1997. Saoirse died of an accidental drug overdose in 2019.

Michael LeMoyne Kennedy

<p> Rick Maiman/Sygma/Getty</p>

Rick Maiman/Sygma/Getty

Michael LeMoyne Kennedy was born on Feb. 27, 1958, in Washington, D.C. He was 10 years old when his father was killed.

Michael graduated from Harvard in 1980 and the University of Virginia School of Law in 1984, after which he began working as a lawyer at a private firm. He married Victoria Denise Gifford in March 1981, and the couple had three children: son Michael Jr. and daughters Kyle Francis and Rory Gifford.

The family was rocked by scandal in 1997 after several outlets alleged that Michael had begun an affair with the family’s babysitter when she was 14. Michael admitted that they had had an affair, though he denied having sex with the sitter before she turned 16 (then the legal age of consent). Michael and Gifford announced they were separating in April 1997.

Related: A Look Back at the Long List of Kennedy Family Tragedies

Michael died on Dec. 31, 1997, in a skiing accident while on a family trip. The Washington Post reported that Michael sustained head and neck injuries after hitting a tree in Aspen, Colo.

Mary Kerry Kennedy, 65

<p>Dia Dipasupil/Getty</p>

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Mary Kerry Kennedy, who goes by her middle name, was born on Sept. 8, 1959, in Washington, D.C. She attended Brown University and Boston College Law School.

Kerry began working as a human rights activist in 1981 when she joined Amnesty International as an intern. Over the years, she has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations in the field and is currently president of the nonprofit Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, which her mother founded. She has also earned a number of awards from organizations such as Save the Children and International AIDS Trust.

Kerry married future New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 1990. They welcomed three daughters — Cara, Maria and Michaela — before divorcing in 2005.

Christopher George Kennedy, 61

<p>Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic</p>

Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic

Christopher George Kennedy was born in Boston on July 4, 1963. He shares a birthday with his sister Kathleen. He graduated from Boston College in 1986 and from Northwestern University in 1994.

Christopher met Sheila Sinclair Berner while still a student at Boston College and the two married in 1987. They have four children: Katherine Berner, Christopher Jr., Sarah Louise and Clare Elizabeth.

Over the years Christopher has worked in both politics and business. He worked for his uncle Ted Kennedy’s 1980 presidential campaign. According to Forbes, like many of his siblings, Christopher has been closely involved with many nonprofit organizations and civic organizations, and he is chairman of Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, an investment firm.

Matthew Maxwell Taylor “Max” Kennedy, 59

<p>Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP</p>

Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, who primarily goes by Max, joined the family on Jan. 11, 1965, in New York City.

Max was only 3 years old when his father was killed. He graduated from Harvard and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Max made waves on his first day working as a prosecutor in Philadelphia when he chased down a mugger on foot. In the years that followed, he worked primarily in politics, campaigning for his uncle Ted in 2000 and for future President Barack Obama in 2008.

Max married his wife, Victoria Anne Strauss, in July 1991, and they have three children: Matthew Maxwell Jr., Caroline Summer and Noah Isabella.

Douglas Harriman Kennedy, 57

<p>Evan Agostini/Getty</p>

Evan Agostini/Getty

Douglas Harriman Kennedy was born on March 24, 1967, in Washington, D.C., one year before his father was killed.

Unlike many members of his family, who have gone into politics or law, Douglas began a career as a journalist when he graduated college. He joined Fox News in 1996 to host his own program, Douglas Kennedy’s American Stories.

Douglas married his wife Molly Stark in 1998 and the pair have five children: Riley Elizabeth, Mary McCauley, Rowen Francis, George Skakel and Anthony Boru.

Rory Elizabeth Katherine Kennedy, 55

<p>Charley Gallay/Getty</p>

Charley Gallay/Getty

As the youngest member of the family, Rory Elizabeth Katherine Kennedy was born in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12, 1968, six months after her father died. She is a documentary filmmaker whose work has premiered at the Tribeca, Sundance and Woodstock film festivals.

Rory was especially close to her brother Michael, who was also her godfather; the Los Angeles Times reported that the pair spoke nearly every day until Michael’s death.

Rory married her husband, fellow filmmaker Mark Bailey, in August 1999. Their wedding was originally planned for July but was postponed after her cousin John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, were killed in a plane crash on their way to attend the wedding. Rory and her husband went on to have three children: Georgia Elizabeth, Bridget Katherine and Zachary Corkland.

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