The decision of the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy to stand for presidency has not gone down well with his siblings. They have openly expressed their disapproval of their brother’s ambition.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. comes from a long line of acclaimed politicians.
The presidential candidate was born in 1954 to Robert F. Kennedy Sr. and Ethel Kennedy and has 11 siblings: Joseph, Kerry, Courtney, Rory, David, Kathleen, Michael, Max, Douglas and Christopher. (David and Michael passed away in 1984 and 1997, respectively.)
Following in his dad’s footsteps, Robert entered into law founding the environmental law firm Kennedy & Madonna in 2000.
In 2023, Robert announced he was going to stand as an independent in the 2024 presidential race; however, four of his siblings disapproved of his candidature.
“The decision of our brother Bobby to run as a third-party candidate against Joe Biden is dangerous to our country,” Rory, Kerry, Joseph, and Kathleen Kennedy said in an October 2023 statement.
“Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision, or judgment. Today’s announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country.”
Keep scrolling to learn more about Robert’s siblings, wives and kids:
Robert F. Kennedy Sr. and Ethel Kennedy
Robert was born to the late senator and mother Ethel in January 1954. He is the third of 11 siblings. The Sr. Kennedy was assassinated in June 1968 while in the running for president.
Joseph Patrick Kennedy
The second oldest sibling, born in September 1952, served as a member of the House of Representatives in Massachusetts from 1987 to 1999. Since leaving the house in 1999, Joseph has worked on his non-profit energy company called Citizens Energy.
Kerry Kennedy
Robert’s younger sister has also been involved in politics, serving as the president of the nonprofit Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. Kerry was married to the former governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, from 1990 to 2005. The twosome share daughters Cara, Mariah and Michaela together.
Rory Kennedy
Robert’s youngest sister, Rory, became a documentary filmmaker creating movies that focus on social issues like addiction, the treatment of prisoners-of-war and nuclear radiation. Rory married writer Mark Bailey in 1999 and twosome share daughters Georgia, Bridget and son Zachary.
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
Kathleen, the oldest child, served as the sixth lieutenant governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. Following her term, Townsend became an advisor on retirement in the United States Department of Labor in 2021. She married David Lee Townsend in 1973 and welcomed four daughters together: Rose, Maeve, Meaghan and Kerry. Maeve and her son Gideon died in a canoeing accident in April 2020.
Courtney Kennedy
Robert’s sister, Courtney, worked at the Children’s Television Network and later served as a representative of the United Nations AIDS Foundation. She was married to Jeffrey Ruhe from 1980 to 1990. Following her divorce, she moved on with Paul Michael Hill and the twosome tied the knot in June 1993. The couple welcomed daughter Saoirse in 1997. In 2019, Saoirse died from an overdose.
Max Kennedy
Robert’s brother, Max, also attend the University of Virginia Law School and later worked as an attorney before serving as a member of the Board of the Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation from 2011 to 2018. Max has also written three books including a biography on his father in 1998. The former lawyer married Victoria Anne Strauss in July 1991 and share son Matthew and two daughters Caroline and Noah.
David Kennedy
Robert’s brother, David, died in 1984 at the age of 28 due to a combination overdose of cocaine, Demerol and a sedative. He had suffered from heroin and alcohol addiction prior to his death.
Michael Kennedy
Robert’s brother, Michael, graduated from Harvard in 1980 and later attended the University of Virginia School of Law. After school, he became the manager of Joseph’s non-profit organization, Citizens Energy Corporation, and cofounded Stop Handgun Violence in 1994. As for his personal life, Michael was married to Victoria Denise Gifford from 1981 to 1997. The duo shared son Michael Jr. and daughters Kyle and Rory.
Shortly after his separation from Gifford, Michael died in December 1997 as the result of a skiing accident.
Douglas Kennedy
Robert’s younger brother, Douglas, graduated from Brown University and began his career as a journalist. He joined Fox News Channel in 1996. He married Molly Stark in 1998 and the pair share daughters Riley, Mary and Rowen and sons George and Anthony.
Christopher Kennedy
Christopher, another one of Robert’s brothers, graduated from Boston College and later earned his master of business administration degree from Northwestern University. He also followed in his family’s footsteps, serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the University of Illinois from 2009 to 2015 and was a candidate in the Democratic Party primary for Governor of Illinois in the 2018 election.
Christopher married Sheila Berner in 1987 and the couple welcomed daughters Katherine, Sarah, Clare and son Christopher Jr.
Emily Ruth Black
Robert married Black in 1982 after meeting at the University of Virginia School of Law. The former couple separated in 1992, but share two kids: Robert Francis “Bobby” Kennedy III and Kathleen “Kick” Alexandra Kennedy, born in 1984 and 1988, respectively.
Bobby Kennedy III
Emily and Robert’s oldest son, Bobby, is currently a writer and director known for films such as 2013’s Eurotrapped and 2021’s Fear and Loathing in Aspen. He married Amaryllis Fox in June 2018 and the couple share two children.
Kick Kennedy
Kick strayed away from politics and instead became an actress. She has appeared on shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Newsroom and Gossip Girl.
Mary Kathleen Richardson
Following his divorce from Emily in 1994, Robert married Richardson that same year. The pair welcomed four children together: Conor, Kyra, William and Aidan, born in 1994, 1995, 1997, and 2001, respectively. Two years after their divorce in 2010, Richardson was found dead at her home in Bedford, New York.
Conor Kennedy
Robert and Mary’s oldest son, Conor, is best known for briefly dating Taylor Swift in the summer of 2012. Conor later moved on with girlfriend Giulia Be and the couple have been together since 2021.
Kyra Kennedy
Mary and Robert’s second child, Kyra, attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and is a regular at fashion shows and events. Robert shut down her Instagram account in April 2016 after she allegedly cyberbullied New York Magazine writer Allie Jones.
William Kennedy
William, Mary and Robert’s third child, attended Brown University and currently works as an analyst at Bailey Capitol.
Aidan Kennedy
Mary and Robert’s youngest son, Aidan, currently attends Harvard University and has been spotted supporting his father’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Cheryl Hines
Robert married Hines in August 2014. She has starred on several TV shows including Larry David’s wife on Curb Your Enthusiasm.