The younger brother of John F Kennedy, Robert, better known as Bobby was born in Massachusetts, the seventh of nine children. During World War II, he served in the Navy before returning to Harvard to finish his degree in government. He then continued on to earn his degree in law at the University of Virginia Law School. In fact, just out of law school, Bobby actually became an advisor to Joseph McCarthy in 1953. He eventually resigned from the position less than a year after. He felt that McCarthy's tactics were immoral and unjust.
Kennedy was an extremely educated man and he eventually became known as the Attorney General under his older brother, John F. Kennedy. Bobby's appointment into government sparked outrage in the minds of many Americans. This was outright nepotism. It was six years after JFK appointed Bobby that the Federal Anti Nepotism Statute was enacted. The law was nicknamed the "Bobby Kennedy Law". During Bobby's appointment, he played a central role in organized crime as well as civil rights. He was also JFK's closest advisor. While Attorney General, Kennedy constantly fought for civil rights both with his brother and his brother's successor: Lyndon B. Johnson. Bobby also played an important role in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Clearly, the Kennedy family was one of misfortune. However, it is without a doubt that both John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy will be remembered by hundreds of thousands of Americans for a very long time.
https://www.biography.com/people/robert-kennedy-9363052
http://www.history.com/topics/robert-f-kennedy
Claire -- Your post was interesting because it highlighted the similarities between both the Kennedy brothers. It is depressing to realize that both of them were assassinated under the grounds of political differences but at least Robert's perpetrator met his punishment. Somebody asked the question as to why Robert Kennedy was so close to John F Kennedy, it seemed that they were using their power to assert positional jobs over one another but he certainly did seem qualified and capable. This relationship reminded me of current President Donald Trump and his daughter, son in law and many members of his family being part of the White House "family". While many have questioned his actions, they have been met with very little resistance. Politics often run in families, shown through Clinton's, Kennedys and now Trump (under Ivanka's claim of being the first woman president). It is interesting to see the distinction between the two families.
ReplyDeleteSources:
https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/29/politics/ivanka-trump-white-house-job/index.html
Interesting article, Claire! Americans often focus more on John F. Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy has seemed to remain in his shadow. However, just like John F. Kennedy's own death remains shrouded in mystery, Kennedy's assassination is filled with conspiracy as well. While applying for parole, Paul Schrade supported Sirhan Sirhan. Schrade had been present that night Bobby Kennedy had been shot and had been wounded as well. He stated that although he knew that Sirhan had been the one who shot him, he knew without a doubt that Kennedy had been shot by a second shooter. Although officials didn't believe him, it's interesting to see how conspiracy often plays out in high profile cases. We'll never know what truly happened, but what we do know is that Kennedy will live on in American history forever.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/02/10/this-kennedy-confidant-has-spent-decades-calling-for-the-release-of-rfks-killer/?utm_term=.797c7fd94689