Is There a Kennedy Curse?

Countless authors have analyzed, rebuked, researched, reported the numerous tragedies in the Kennedy Family. Books, articles, movies, have all been dedicated to recounting the seemingly disproportionate amount of sadness that has clouded the family’s history. 

Some may suggest that the size of the family is a cause.  Joe and Rose Kennedy had 9 children and 29 grandchildren – unfortunate things are bound to happen to some of them.  And the family is so prevalent in the media – any time anything happens to one of them we’re bound to hear about it.  Also, the members of the Kennedy family tend to be risk takers, in their personal, professional lives.  In work and in play they put themselves in situations that many would not.    

No doubt, all of those things are true, but one can’t ignore the fact that many of the family members have met with untimely deaths and hardships.  Here is a quick rundown of the most “tragic”:

In 1944 Teddy’s older brother, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., a Navy pilot, was killed in England during a training mission. 

In 1948 his sister, Kathleen, was killed in a plane crash in France. 

On November 22, 1963 President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. 

In 1964 Ted Kennedy himself survived a deadly plane crash, sustaining serious injuries.

In June, 1968 Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Los Angles, CA.

In 1969, Mary Jo Kopechne, a passenger in a car driven by Ted Kennedy, died when the car crashed off of a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island. Ms. Kopechne had been a campaign worker for Robert Kennedy. Senator Kennedy plead guilty to “leaving the scene of an accident.” He was sentenced to 2 years jail time (suspended) and he lost his driver’s license for a year. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Senator Kennedy himself questioned if there wasn’t a curse on the Kennedy family.

In 1984, David Kennedy, son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, overdosed on drugs and died.

On December 31, 1998, Michael Kennedy, also son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, died following a skiing accident.

In July, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr. (along with his wife, Carolyn, and her sister) was killed when a plane he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha’s Vineyard.

Are they just a large family, in the spotlight, so their ”laundry” (dirty or otherwise) is just more documented? Or is there something else?

As a quick comparison, my mother is the 7th of 10 children, and I am one of 28 grandchildren; the eldest of Mom’s siblings was born in 1932, the same year as (and, actually, less than a month before) Ted Kennedy (the youngest of the Kennedy children).  While they have all had some hardship and sadness in their lives, they are all, thankfully still living, as are (again, thankfully) their children.  There has been some illness, and danger but they’ve all made it through.  Our family is not in the “spotlight” but they have neither led sheltered lives: many have joined the military and civil service; one was seriously injured while serving in Vietnam, but returned and has lived a very good life; 2 have their pilot licenses; all have traveled, but 1 in particular has traveled all over the world and the US; they ski; they drive cars; and, (while not to the extent exhibited by the Kennedy family) have participated in politics.

I’m not really sure what my conclusion is – much of the turmoil that has happened to the Kennedy family was either their own doing or because they put themselves in harm’s way – but one thing is true about the Kennedys – they attack their problems the same way they do everything else – with determination – they have met with tragedy and trouble numerous times – in their personal, public and political lives – and they have persevered.