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The Kennedy Curse: Deaths, accidents and assassinations | Chronology of the family’s fatal events

The Kennedy Curse: Deaths, accidents and assassinations | Chronology of the family’s fatal events

61 years have passed since the incident The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, an event etched in American history. Known for their contributions to politics and public service, the Kennedy family faced a series of extraordinary misfortunes that some have referred to as the “Kennedy curse.” Today we are re-evaluating this legacy.

Tragic losses in the Kennedy family

The Kennedy family’s history is marred by a series of heartbreaking tragedies.

  • Eldest son Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash during World War II in 1944.
  • Kathleen Kennedy’s newlywed husband, William Cavendish, was shot and killed by a German sniper in Belgium on September 9, 1944.
  • Four years later, in 1948, Kathleen Kennedy, also known as “Kick”, also died in a plane crash.
  • In 1956, JFK and Jackie’s daughter Arabella died at birth.
  • JFK and Jackie’s son died on August 9, 1963, two days after being born prematurely.
  • November 22, 1963 JFK was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas.
  • After President John F. Kennedy, just five years later, in 1968, the family suffered another assassination; Robert F. Kennedy fell victim to a gunman while pursuing his presidential campaign.

The 1960s were also marked by other events affecting the Kennedy family:

More tragic events in the 1960s

  • December 19, 1961: Joseph Kennedy suffered a massive stroke that affected his ability to speak.
  • June 19, 1964: U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy survives a plane crash that killed the pilot and one of his assistants. The crash happened in Southampton, MA.
  • July 18, 1969: The Chappaquiddick incident, which involved Ted Kennedy throwing his car off the bridge, resulted in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne. This led him to say: “There was actually a terrible curse on all the Kennedys.”

The following decades brought additional sorrows. In 1974 Joseph P Kennedy Jr. Athalia Ponsell, who was dating Lindsley, was murdered in her home. April 25, 1984 was when David Kennedy died of a drug overdose. On New Year’s Eve 1997, Michael Kennedy met a tragic end when he crashed into a tree as a result of a skiing accident. John F. Kennedy Jr., a charismatic figure in his own right, died in a plane crash in 1999. with his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette.

The following years saw the deaths of Kara Kennedy in 2011, Mary Kennedy in 2012, Christopher Kennedy Lawford in 2018, and Saoirse Kennedy Hill in 2019. In 2020, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean tragically lost her life in a canoe accident along with her young son Gideon. really a disasters catalog.

Keeping the Kennedy family name alive

Aspect Kennedy family Some members who have survived these heartbreaking losses continue to carry on the family legacy. Survivors include the children and grandchildren of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. who continues to contribute to public life.

Patrick Kennedy, son of Senator ‘Ted’ Kennedy and nephew of President JFK, was an eight-term congressman from Rhode Island. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s son, Joseph Kennedy II, served six terms as a Massachusetts congressman, while his sister, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, served two terms as lieutenant governor of Maryland. then there is Caroline Kennedy is JFK’s daughter and only surviving child. He nearly replaced Hillary Clinton in the Senate in 2009 but chose a different path.

But the most prominent of the Kennedys at the moment is definitely the aforementioned Robert. And he’s pushing for more information to be released about his uncle’s death.

What is the situation with the JFK assassination records?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the late president’s nephew and a candidate to become U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration. He started his duty. A petition urging the Biden administration to release remaining government records connected with this historical event. In 1992, Congress passed the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act, which mandated that all materials related to JFK’s assassination be deposited at the National Archives and Records Administration. The law required all records to be made public by 2017.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Participated in the 2024 elections as an independent candidate

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It will become independent in 2024.MARK MAKELAREUTERS

While both President Trump and Biden have released thousands of documents, Some records remain classified due to national security, law enforcement and foreign relations concerns. Kennedy Jr. argues that releasing the full records, unredacted, is crucial to restoring trust in the government. Biden disclosed 99 percent of the information regarding the assassinationciting the need to protect against identifiable harm to military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement, and foreign relations.

But Kennedy Jr. believes the release of remaining records is necessary for transparency and democracy and has called on President Biden to comply with the 1992 law. Kennedy Jr. questions this hesitation and asks the question: “What is so shameful that we are afraid to show it to the American public 60 years later?”

Despite the petition being initiated, The White House has not yet responded to Kennedy Jr.’s request. Now, as part of the Trump administration, maybe RFK can release the last 1 percent.