I had originally planned to write about something else this week, but I was stopped in my tracks when I heard news of the death of an American political icon, Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy. As I write this, the ‘Last Lion in the Senate’ is being laid to rest near the graves of his brothers, Robert and John, at Arlington National Cemetery. Funnily enough, the man who gave Ted this moniker during last year’s heated Presidential contest wasn’t President Obama – it was Republican candidate John McCain.
Ted was also the lone surviving son of the powerful and politically connected Joseph P Kennedy, but he learned more about the art of politics from his two grandfathers, East Boston ‘backroom’ political boss PJ Kennedy and Boston Mayor John ‘Honey Fitz’ Fitzgerald, both sons of Irish immigrants who left Ireland during the potato famine and immigrated to America.
Honey Fitz got involved in Democratic Party politics shortly after he dropped out of Harvard Medical School. He was a stylish showman with a gift of gab (famous for his so-called ‘Fitzblarney’ speeches) and warmth of character that in turn led to his nickname. In other words, he was a natural politician, so it wasn’t long before he became the most recognisable Irish-American on Boston’s North End.
PJ Kennedy’s involvement in politics came much later in his career, after rising from poverty to become the biggest liquor importer in Boston by the age of 30. Kennedy also had a reputation for giving money and advice to less fortunate Irish emigrants, which made him very popular and respected in the East Boston ward where he lived and worked. This led to his involvement in politics, and he was subsequently elected to five terms in the state House of Representatives and three more terms in the state Senate.
Joesph Kennedy was PJ’s eldest child and only son, and thanks to his father’s business success, Joe was able to get the education that PJ never had. He also proved to be a savvy entrepreneur and financial investor with a keen eye for value that helped see the Kennedy clan through the Depression more than unscathed.
Joe became a political pariah when he advocated negotiating with Hitler and disparaged Britain’s fight against the Nazis, and he subsequently devoted himself and his fortune to promoting the political career of his eldest son, Joe Jr. But after his untimely death during the war, Joe Sr only became more determined to see both of his remaining eldest sons, John and Robert, become President of the United States. As a result, Ted spent most of his time learning about politics from his grandfathers, rather than his immediate family.
When Ted’s father married Rose Fitzgerald, the eldest daughter of Honey Fitz, in 1914, the marriage also resulted in the merging of Boston’s two most powerful political families. While this union – and the influence of Irish-American politicians in Chicago, New York, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and New Jersey, coupled with Joe Sr’s considerable financial resources – definitely aided John and Robert in their respective bids to become US President, it was Joe Sr’s often overlooked youngest son Ted who, I believe, benefited most from his grandfathers’ accumulated wisdom.
The funeral is about to begin so I must now take my leave and join millions of my fellow Americans who will say goodbye to a true statesmen and one of the greatest American legislators of all time. Some of those I join are the poor he tried to help, while others are wealthy or famous, but most are just ordinary American citizens – a testament to Ted Kennedy’s common touch.
Charles Laffiteau is a lifelong US Republican from Dallas, Texas who is currently pursuing a PhD in International Relations at DCU with a focus on environmental policy
