Human Rights Advocate. She was the wife of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy (RFK), a sister-in-law of U.S. President John F. Kennedy (JFK), and a daughter of businessman George Skakel. She was a mother of eleven children, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Following her marriage to RFK, she helped contribute to her brother-in-law John's Senate campaign by organizing "tea parties" for potential voters. Following JFK winning the 1960 Presidential election, Ethel and RFK, now Attorney General, embarked on a goodwill tour of 14 countries in 28 days. In 1964, RFK won a seat in the Senate representing the state of New York. In 1968, with Ethel's encouragement, RFK ran for President of the United States. He was assassinated shortly after midnight on 5 June 1968. That same year, in October, she founded Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (now known as Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights). In 1981, President Ronald Reagan honored her with the Robert F. Kennedy medal. In 2014, a bridge over the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Ethel Kennedy Bridge in her honor, in recognition of her advocacy for environmentalism and social causes in the District of Columbia. Also in 2014, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama for her dedication to "advancing the cause of social justice, human rights, environmental protection, and poverty reduction by creating countless ripples of hope to effect change around the world."
Bio by: Erin