Patricia Kennedy Lawford

Born:

  • 6 May 1924
  • Brookline, Massachusetts

Died:

  • 17 September 2006 (Aged 82)
  • Manhattan, New York
  • Pneumonia

Spouse:

  • Peter Lawford (m. 1954, div. 1966)

Children:

  • Christopher Lawford
  • Sydney Maleia Lawford
  • Victoria Francis Lawford
  • Robin Elizabeth Lawford

Above: Patricia Kennedy, ca. 1948

Parents:

  • Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.
  • Rose F. Kennedy

Education:

  • Rosemont College

Life, work, and accomplishments:

  • Enjoyed theatre productions in college, where she participated in and directed several. She incorporated this into her work as an assistant in NBC’s New York production department, then later as an assistant for Kate Smith’s radio program, and finally at Family Theater and Family Rosary Crusade, a Christian radio show
  • With the rest of the Kennedy women, she assisted in the political campaigns of her brothers Jack, Bobby, and Ted, by acting as surrogates for the candidate at events and directing their efforts towards women, where Pat was especially effective at swaying the votes of other women, perhaps due to her elegant beauty and charm in speaking
  • Served as an original Director of the John F. Kennedy Library Corporation in 1963, where she worked closely with the Library and Museum
  • Worked with the National Center on Addiction
  • Founded the National Committee for the Literary Arts
  • She led a significantly less public life than most of her siblings