“ | “What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents.” | ” |
–Robert F. Kennedy |
Robert F. Kennedy | |
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Official portrait | |
37th President of the United States | |
In office January 20, 1969 – January 20, 1977 | |
Vice President | Eugene McCarthy (1969-1973) Hubert Humphrey (1973-1977) |
Preceded by | Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. |
Succeeded by | Ronald Reagan |
United States Senator from New York | |
In office January 3, 1965 – December 31, 1968 | |
Preceded by | Kenneth Keating |
Succeeded by | Charles Goodell |
Member of the House of Representatives from New York's 12th District | |
In office January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1965 | |
Preceded by | Francis E. Dorn |
Succeeded by | Hugh L. Carey |
Personal details | |
Born | Robert Francis Kennedy November 20, 1925 Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Died | July 19, 1981 Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. | (aged 55)
Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Ethel Skakel (m. 1950) |
Relations | Kennedy family |
Children | Kathleen, Joseph, Robert Jr., David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Chris, Max, Douglas, Rory |
Parent(s) |
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Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Naval Reserve |
Years of service | 1944 - 1946 |
Rank | Seaman apprentice |
Unit | USS Franklin D. Roosevelt |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – July 19, 1981), also known by his initials RFK, was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 37th president of the United States from 1969 to 1977. He previously served as a Senator from New York from 1965 to 1968 and a representative from New York's 12th district from 1961 to 1965.
Born into the prominent Kennedy family in Brookline, Massachusetts, Kennedy attended Harvard University, and later received his law degree from the University of Virginia. He began his career as a correspondent for The Boston Post and as a lawyer at the Justice Department, but later resigned to manage his brother Joseph's successful campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1952. The following year, Kennedy worked as an assistant counsel to the Senate committee chaired by Senator Joseph McCarthy. He gained national attention as the chief counsel of the Senate Labor Rackets Committee from 1957 to 1959, where he publicly challenged Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa over the union's corrupt practices. Kennedy resigned from the committee to conduct his brother's unsuccessful campaign in the 1960 presidential election, but later rejoined.
In 1968, Kennedy became a leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency by appealing to poor, African American, Hispanic, Catholic, and young voters. His main challenger in the race was Senator Eugene McCarthy. After securing the party's nomination, he would go on to defeat his challenger, incumbent president Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., in an upset victory. He would win reelection in 1972.
His tenure is known for advocating for the civil rights movement, the fight against organized crime and the Mafia, and involvement in U.S. foreign policy related to the German Reich.