The Kennedy legacy in Massachusetts

The Kennedy Legacy in Massachusetts

The name Kennedy is one of the most recognized family names in American history . This wealthy and powerful family has had a legacy in politics social status and unfortunately tragedy for the last 150 years

First Generation Kennedys

The legacy basically begins in the 1800s with John Francis Fitzgerald otherwise known as Honey Fitz ' He grew up in Boston , attended Harvard and became a Massachusetts State Senator and ultimately a US House Representative in 1895 . He stood in early opposition to restrictive immigration legislation noting that

the difference between everyone 's ancestors at that time was only that of a few ships (The Kennedys . He continued his political career despite allegations of cronyism in the mayor 's office and a rather public love affair with a girl named Toodles ' In spite of all that , he won another seat in the US House of Representatives only to be removed by allegations of fraud . Apparently Honey Fitz had won by the votes of falsely registered and even dead voters . In addition , he employed the services of thugs to frighten those who were going to vote against him (The Kennedys . He was the first of many in his family to withstand scandal

Fitz 's oldest daughter was Rose , and she married a young Irishman named Joseph

. Kennedy . Even though , Fitz died in 1950 , Rose went on to take the role of matriarch in this politically ambitious family . She and Joe had nine children , including John Fitzgerald Kennedy who would later win the same seat his grandfather had held in the US House of Representatives and continue to become President of the United States (The Kennedys

Joe 's father was Patrick Joseph Kennedy ,

.J . for short . He was an Irishman who made his money from the sale of liquor and dabbled in local politics . Joe was educated at Harvard and became a bank president at a very young age . He was good with money , making money from the stock market , but luckily selling before the big crash in 1929 . He continued to sell bootleg liquor during prohibition and then legally afterward (The Kennedys

Politically , Joe endorsed first his father-in-law , and then FDR . He obtained the job of chairman of the SEC and eventually the ambassadorship to Great Britain , but his increasingly isolationist views kept him from being successful in politics (The Kennedys . He did endorse his son John for President , and many believe that he called in favors from his mafia connections that he made during Prohibition in to help his son get elected (McAdams . He was not so dedicated as a husband . He had many publicized affairs , just like his father-in-law

Rose overlooked the many affairs of Joe Kennedy , which may have become a theme in the scheme of the Kennedy marriages . Unfortunately , she became cold and distant to both Joe and her children , preferring to do everything by herself and leave the children to their father Throughout her life , she remained true to her...