Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (
July 22,
1890–
January 22,
1995) was the wife of
Joseph Kennedy and the mother of
President John F. Kennedy as well as eight other children.
Birth
Born
Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald in the
North End neighborhood of
Boston, Massachusetts, she was the eldest child of
John F. "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald and his wife, as well as second cousin,
Mary Josephine Hannon. "Honey Fitz" was a prominent figure in
Boston politics and served one term as a member of
United States Congress and two terms as the
Mayor of Boston.
As a young child, Rose lived in an
Italianate/
Mansard-style home in the Ashmont Hill section of
Dorchester, Massachusetts and attended the local
Girl's Latin School. The home later burned down, but a plaque at Welles Avenue and Harley Street proclaims "Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Square". The plaque was dedicated by her son, Senator
Edward M. Kennedy, on Rose's 102nd birthday in 1992.
Rose studied at the convent school Kasteel Bloemendal in
Vaals,
The Netherlands, and graduated from
Dorchester High School in 1906. She also attended the
New England Conservatory in
Boston where she studied piano. After being refused permission by her father to attend
Wellesley College, Rose enrolled at the
Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart (as it was known at that time). In 1908, Rose and her father embarked on a tour of
Europe. She and "Honey Fitz" had a private audience with Pope
Pius X at the
Vatican.
Marriage and children
On
October 7,
1914 Rose married
Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. after a courtship of more than seven years. They first lived in a home in
Brookline that is now the
John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site. Rose and Joseph had the following nine children:
Rose was predeceased by her husband, Joseph, in 1969, and four of her nine children: Joseph Jr. in 1944, Kathleen in 1948, John F. in 1963 and Robert in 1968. Just eight months after John F. was assassinated, Rose's mother, Mary, died at the age of 98.
Her husband Joseph was a good father, but was not a faithful husband. When Rose was eight months pregnant with their fourth child Rose had had enough. She walked out on him and went back to her parents. When she got home her dad sat her down and reminded her that she was Catholic and they didn't believe in divorces so she was just going to have to tough it. So she went back to him. Joseph and Rose's childern grew up seeing their dad cheat and their mother silently take it. One women he had a widely known affair with screen star Gloria Swanson. Gloria once said, "that Rose must be a saint, a fool, or just a better actress than me."
Rose Kennedy's strict
Roman Catholic religion often placed her at odds with her children, most notably daughter Kathleen. She refused to attended Kathleen's wedding to
William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, an
Anglican and the eldest son and heir of the
10th Duke of Devonshire on May 6, 1944. When Kathleen died in a plane crash in 1948, Rose again spurned her daughter and only father Joseph Kennedy attended the funeral.
Rosemary Kennedy died on
January 7,
2005 at the age of 86,
Patricia Kennedy Lawford died on
September 17,
2006 at the age of 82,
Eunice Kennedy Shriver died on
August 11,
2009, aged 88, and
Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy died on
August 25,
2009, aged 77. As of October 2009, only one child is still living: 81-year old
Jean Kennedy Smith.
Death
In 1984, at the age of 94, Rose suffered a severe stroke and had to use a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
She maintained her residence at the
Kennedy Compound in
Hyannis Port, Massachusetts and was cared for by private nurses and staff. On
January 22,
1995, Rose died from complications from
pneumonia at the age of 104, outliving four of her nine children. She continues to be the longest-lived presidential relative in history. Her father died in 1950 at age 87 and her mother died in 1964 at age 98.
Legacy
Well-known for her
philanthropic efforts and for leading the Grandparents' Parade at age 90 at the
Special Olympics, Rose's life and work are documented in the
Oscar-nominated short documentary
Rose Kennedy: A Life to Remember.
Rose is also one of several women from the
United States to have the noble papal title
countess bestowed upon her in 1951 by
Pope Pius XII in recognition of her "exemplary motherhood and many charitable works."
Miscellaneous
