Michael LeMoyne Kennedy
| Michael LeMoyne Kennedy | |
|---|---|
 Kennedy in 1987 | |
| Born |
February 27, 1958 Washington, D.C., United States |
| Died |
December 31, 1997 (aged 39) Aspen, Colorado, United States |
| Cause of death | Skiing accident |
| Alma mater |
Harvard University (A.B.) University of Virginia (J.D.) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Spouse(s) |
Victoria Denise Gifford (m.1981–1997; his death) |
| Children |
Michael LeMoyne Kennedy, Jr. Kyle Francis Kennedy Rory Kennedy |
| Parent(s) |
Robert F. Kennedy Ethel Kennedy |
Michael LeMoyne Kennedy (February 27, 1958 – December 31, 1997) was the sixth of eleven children of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel.
Early life
Kennedy was born in Washington, D.C. He was 5 years old when his uncle, President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated and 10 years old when his father, presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy, also was assassinated.
Education and career
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Harvard College in 1980, and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1984.
Kennedy was the head of his brother Joe's non-profit organization, Citizens Energy Corporation. He also helped organize his uncle Ted Kennedy's re-election campaign against Mitt Romney in 1994.
Personal life
Kennedy married Victoria Denise Gifford, daughter of former pro-football player and sportscaster Frank Gifford[1] and Maxine Avis Ewart, on March 14, 1981, in New York City.[2]
They had one son, Michael LeMoyne Kennedy, Jr. (born January 9, 1983),and two daughters, Kyle Francis Kennedy (born July 6, 1984), Rory Gifford-Kennedy (born November 14, 1987), and resided in Cohasset, Massachusetts, until his death in December 1997.[3]
In 1997 the news broke that Michael, Sr., was having an affair with the family's former babysitter. Allegations were reported that the affair had begun three years before, when the babysitter was 14 years old. Kennedy took and passed three lie detector tests claiming he had not had sex with the Cohasset teen until she was 16 years old, the legal age of consent in Massachusetts at the time. Kennedy was placed under investigation for statutory rape.[4] The babysitter, however, did not cooperate with prosecutors. Shortly after the scandal began, Kennedy and his wife separated.[4] After the affair, he checked himself into a Maryland rehab center for alcoholics.[4]
Death
Kennedy died on December 31, 1997, in a skiing accident in Aspen Mountain, Colorado. He was playing football while on skis with several other members of the Kennedy family when at approximately 4:15 p.m. he hit a tree. Kennedy was not wearing a helmet or other safety equipment. Some have stated that the family had been previously warned by the ski patrol to cease the activity.[1] Others have stated that the ski patrol issued no such warnings.[5] Following the accident Kennedy was taken to Aspen Valley Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:50 p.m.[6]
He was interred on January 3, 1998, in the family plot at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts.[7]
See also
References
- 1 2 Gibbs, Nancy; McCarthy, Terry; Faltermayer, Charlotte; Witkowski, Tom (January 12, 1998). "The Kennedy Family: Tragedy Strikes Again". Time. p. 2. Archived from the original on January 19, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
- ↑ http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/BE047350/wedding-of-michael-kennedy
- ↑ http://articles.philly.com/1997-04-28/news/25532236_1_michael-kennedy-baby-sitter-joseph-kennedy
- 1 2 3 Gibbs, Nancy; McCarthy, Terry; Faltermayer, Charlotte; Witkowski, Tom (January 12, 1998). "The Kennedy Family: Tragedy Strikes Again". Time. p. 3. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
- ↑ Time - "Letters: Feb. 2, 1998", 1998-02-02, accessed 2009-10-27.
- ↑ http://edition.cnn.com/US/9801/01/kennedy.obit.update/
- ↑ http://edition.cnn.com/US/9801/03/kennedy.pm/
