Rose Kennedy
American philanthropist, mother of John F. Kennedy (1890-1995)
Who was Rose Kennedy?
Rose Kennedy lived from July 22, 1890 to January 22, 1995. Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald Kennedy (July 22, 1890 – January 22, 1995) was an American philanthropist, socialite, and matriarch of the Kennedy family. Her father, John F. Fitzgerald, served in the Massachusetts State Senate (1892–1894), in the U.S. House of Representatives (1895–1901, 1919), and as Mayor of Boston (1906–1908, 1910–1914). Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald was born on July 22, 1890, at 4 Garden Court in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Her father, John F. Fitzgerald, served in the Massachusetts State Senate (1892–1894), in the U.S. House of Representatives, and as Mayor of Boston. She was deeply embedded in the "lace curtain" Irish-American community in Boston. Her husband, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., chaired the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (1934–1935) and the U.S. Maritime Commission (1937–1938), and served as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (1938–1940).
Historical significance
Their nine children included United States president John F. Kennedy, U.S. senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York, U.S. senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith. In 1951, Rose Kennedy was ennobled by Pope Pius XII, becoming the sixth American woman to be granted the rank of papal countess.
