Joe Kennedy II Follows JFK’s Footsteps, Seeks O’Neill Seat
BOSTON — Joseph P. Kennedy II today entered the race for the congressional seat that set his uncle, John F. Kennedy, on the road to the presidency, making him the third generation of the family to enter public life.
The 33-year-old son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.) said he will move to the 8th Congressional District to bolster his bid in the September, 1986, race for the seat being vacated by House Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O’Neill Jr.
Joseph Patrick Kennedy II, one of 11 children born to Robert and Ethel Kennedy, is named for his eldest uncle, a Navy flier killed in World War II.
His brother David died of a drug overdose in a Florida hotel last year.
In the summer of 1973, Joseph was driving a jeep on Nantucket when the vehicle overturned. The accident left passenger Pamela Kelley partially paralyzed. Kennedy was found guilty of a negligent driving misdemeanor and fined $100.
Kennedy, who is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, founded Citizens Energy Corp. in 1979. The nonprofit company has won praise for delivering low-cost heating fuel to the needy.
The same year, he married Sheila Brewster Rauch, the daughter of a Main Line Philadelphia banking family. They have twin sons.
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