Jean Kennedy Smith

Jean Kennedy Smith. She was an American diplomat, philanthropist, and member of the prominent Kennedy family, serving as the United States Ambassador to Ireland under President Bill Clinton. The youngest daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, she was a sister to President John F. Kennedy, Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, and founder of the arts organization Very Special Arts. Her tenure as ambassador was pivotal in advancing the Northern Ireland peace process, notably influencing the decision to grant a visa to Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin.

Early life and family

Jean Ann Kennedy was born in Boston, the eighth of nine children to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., a financier and former Ambassador to the Court of St. James's, and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, daughter of Boston mayor John F. Fitzgerald. She was raised in Bronxville, New York, and attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart before graduating from the Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart. Her early life was marked by the political ascendancy of her brothers, including the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy, and she was deeply affected by the assassinations of both him and Robert F. Kennedy. In 1956, she married Stephen Edward Smith, a business executive and key campaign strategist for the Democratic Party, who managed the 1960 convention and later served on the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.

Career and public service

Prior to her diplomatic career, she focused on philanthropic and cultural endeavors, founding the organization Very Special Arts in 1974 to promote artistic opportunities for people with disabilities, an initiative later affiliated with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She served on the boards of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, and was a trustee of the Kennedy Center. Her work in the arts earned her numerous accolades, including the Humanitarian Award from the United Nations. In 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated her to serve as the United States Ambassador to Ireland, a post she held until 1998, where her most significant contributions to public service would be realized.

Ambassador to Ireland

Her appointment as ambassador came during a critical juncture in the Northern Ireland peace process. Breaking with established State Department policy, she strongly advocated for and successfully secured a visa for Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams to visit the United States in 1994, arguing it would foster inclusive dialogue. This controversial move, supported by key figures like Senator Ted Kennedy and House Speaker Tip O'Neill, is widely credited with bringing Sinn Féin into mainstream political negotiations, leading to the IRA ceasefire and paving the way for the Good Friday Agreement. Her tenure also saw strengthened economic ties through initiatives like the American Ireland Fund, and she was awarded the honorary title of Saor an Ollamh by the National University of Ireland.

Kennedy family and legacy

As the last surviving sibling of her generation, she was a central matriarchal figure in the Kennedy family, connecting the political legacy of her brothers to subsequent generations. Her life encapsulated the family's engagement with American politics, from the New Frontier to the Clinton administration, and its profound tragedies, including the deaths of her brothers and the 1991 Palm Beach rape allegation involving her son, William Kennedy Smith. Her diplomatic achievements in Ireland are considered a direct extension of the family's long-standing interest in Irish-American relations, a concern evident in President John F. Kennedy's 1963 visit to Ireland and Senator Ted Kennedy's work on the International Fund for Ireland.

Personal life and death

She was married to Stephen Edward Smith from 1956 until his death from cancer in 1990; they had two sons, Stephen Edward Smith Jr. and William Kennedy Smith, a physician, and two daughters, Amanda Mary Smith and Kym Maria Smith. She divided her time between New York City and Hyannis Port. In her later years, she authored the book The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy. She died of natural causes at her home in Manhattan in June 2020 at the age of 92, and was interred at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts. Her death was marked by statements from leaders including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and former President Bill Clinton, who praised her pivotal role in forging peace.

Category:1928 births Category:2020 deaths Category:Kennedy family Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Ireland Category:American philanthropists