All About Ethel Kennedy's 34 Grandchildren — and Why One Called the Late Activist His 'Hero'
Political matriarch Ethel Kennedy had over 30 grandkids from her 11 children
When Ethel Kennedy died on Oct. 10 at age 96, she left a lasting legacy that her grandchildren can carry on.
Several of her grandkids posted a statement from the family two days before her death with an update on her health, including Joe Kennedy III, who wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Sharing some news about one of my heroes."
She was the matriarch of the Kennedy family, one of America’s most storied political families, and the sister-in-law of President John F. Kennedy. Ethel’s husband was Sen. Robert F. “Bobby” Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968.
Related: Ethel Kennedy's 11 Children: All About the Late Kennedy Matriarch's Sons and Daughters
Ethel and Bobby had 11 children: Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend, Joseph Patrick Kennedy II, Robert Francis Kennedy Jr., David Anthony Kennedy, Courtney Kennedy Hill, Michael LeMoyne Kennedy, Mary Kerry Kennedy, Christopher George Kennedy, Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, Douglas Harriman Kennedy and Rory Kennedy Bailey. (David died in April 1984, and Michael died in December 1997.)
Most of the couple's kids went on to have their own, and even though the family grew larger over time, they have continued to share close bonds.
Here’s everything to know about Ethel Kennedy’s grandkids.
Ethel had over 30 grandchildren
Ethel's grandchildren were born into a rich history from her 11 children.
Kathleen and her husband, David Townsend, had four daughters: Meaghan Anne Kennedy Townsend, born Nov. 7, 1977; Maeve Fahey Kennedy McKean, born Nov. 1, 1979, and died April 2, 2020; Rose Katherine Kennedy Townsend, born Dec. 17, 1983; and Kerry Sophia Kennedy Townsend, born Nov. 30, 1991.
Joseph and his first wife, Sheila Rauch, had twins Joe Kennedy III and Matthew Rauch Kennedy, born Oct. 4, 1980. Joseph married Beth Kelly in 1993.
Robert Jr., who is known as Bobby Jr. or RFK Jr., married Emily Black in 1982. They had two kids: Bobby Kennedy III, born Sept. 2, 1984, and Kathleen Alexandra “Kick” Kennedy, born April 13, 1988. Bobby Jr. married his second wife, Mary Richardson, in 1994, and the couple had four kids: Conor Richardson Kennedy, born July 25, 1994; Kyra LeMoyne Kennedy, born Aug. 22, 1995; William Finbar “Finn” Kennedy, born Nov. 8, 1997; and Aidan Caohman Vieques Kennedy, born July 13, 2001. Bobby Jr. married actress Cheryl Hines in 2014.
Courtney married Paul Hill in 1993. The couple had one daughter, Saoirse Róisín Kennedy Hill, who was born May 22, 1997, and died Aug. 1, 2019.
Michael married Victoria Gifford in 1981. They had three children: Michael LeMoyne Kennedy Jr., born Jan. 9, 1983; Kyle Francis Kennedy, born July 6, 1984; and Rory Gifford Kennedy, born Nov. 14, 1987. Michael died in a skiing accident in 1997 at age 39.
Mary Kerry, who goes by Kerry, married future New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 1990, and the couple had twins Cara Ethel Kennedy-Cuomo and Mariah Matilda Kennedy-Cuomo, born Jan. 11, 1995, and youngest daughter Michaela Andrea Kennedy-Cuomo, born Aug. 26, 1997.
In 1987, Christopher married Sheila Sinclair Berner, and the couple had four kids: Katherine Berner Kennedy, born in 1990; Christopher George Kennedy Jr., born in 1992; Sarah Louise Kennedy, born in 1994; and Clare Rose Kennedy, born in 1998.
Matthew Maxwell, who goes by Max, married Victoria Anne Strauss in 1991, and the couple had three kids: Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy Jr., born Sept. 18, 1993; Caroline Summer Rose Kennedy, born Dec. 29, 1994; and Noah Isabella Rose Kennedy, born July 9, 1998.
In 1998, Douglas married Molly Stark, and the couple had five children: Riley Elizabeth Kennedy, born in August 1999; Mary McCauley Kennedy, born Aug. 22, 2001; Rowen Frances Kennedy, born in February 2004; George Skakel Kennedy, born in 2007; and Anthony Boru Kennedy, born in 2012.
Rory married Mark Bailey in 1999, and the couple had three kids: Georgia Elizabeth Kennedy-Bailey, born Sept. 30, 2002; Bridget Katherine Kennedy-Bailey, born in July 2004; and Zachary Corkland Kennedy-Bailey, born July 16, 2007.
Ethel instilled strong values in the family
Being a member of the Kennedy family comes with a legacy, including a long tradition of public service.
While she married into the family and lost her husband at a young age, the matriarch of the Kennedy clan carried those values throughout her life.
In 2012, Ethel told PEOPLE, "I hope the children live full and happy lives and that they think about other people and help those that are less fortunate."
Joe Kennedy III is an accomplished politician
Joe III, son of Joseph II and Sheila Rauch, has followed in his family’s tradition and become a politician.
Joe got his start in politics working on his uncle Sen. Ted Kennedy’s reelection campaign; he was elected to the House of Representatives for Massachusetts’ 4th district in 2012 and later ran for U.S. Senate in 2020. He still hasn’t ruled out running for president one day.
“Look, my family means different things to different folks,” Joe told Town & Country in 2017. “I think for most people they have very fond memories and believe my family made important contributions to the country. And I happen to believe so too, and I’m grateful when people do mention that and share their stories: ‘I shook your grandfather’s hand,’ or JFK’s hand, or ‘I met your Uncle Teddy.’ ”
On his grandmother’s 95th birthday in April 2023, Joe was with President Joe Biden when he called Ethel to wish her well. At the time, the pair were flying on Air Force One en route to Belfast as a part of Joe's role as U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland.
Conor Kennedy dated Taylor Swift
In 2012, pop superstar Taylor Swift, then 22, and Conor, then 18, briefly dated after she met Ethel and Rory at the Sundance Film Festival earlier that year.
Swift was first spotted with the family at their Fourth of July gathering, and she even bought a home near the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Mass. At the time, Ethel said Swift was "sensational inside and out.”
In August 2012, the pair were spotted visiting the grave of Conor’s mother, Mary, who died in May of that year. Swift even wrote a song, "Starlight," inspired by a photo she saw of Ethel and RFK Sr. while she was dating Conor.
The couple had broken up by October 2012.
Bobby Kennedy III is a film and theater director
Bobby III, RFK Jr.’s oldest son, is a director and debuted his first theatrical production, a one-act comedic play called ELEW: Live from Infinity, in 2012. The show featured puppets acting out myths in conversation with pianist Eric Lewis, a.k.a. ELEW.
Bobby III went on to write and act in Eurotrapped, alongside Alec Baldwin and Eva Amurri, in 2013. He also wrote and directed Fear and Loathing in Aspen in 2021, a film about Hunter S. Thompson’s bid to be elected sheriff of Pitkin County, Colo., starring his stepmom Hines.
True to the family mission, he hoped the film would inspire younger generations to be more civically engaged. “I just really want to motivate a bunch of young 20- and 30-year-olds to get back into politics right now,” he told The Denver Post in 2016.
Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy is an actor
Rather than following the family business of politics, Kick moved to New York in 2012 to pursue an acting career, taking acting classes and landing roles on Gossip Girl and The Newsroom.
The daughter of RFK Jr. and Emily Black, Kick is named after RFK and JFK’s sister Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, who broke away from the family to marry William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, in 1944 against her parents’ wishes.
The Kennedy family is Catholic, and Cavendish was Protestant. He was killed just four months after their wedding while serving in World War II. In 1948, the elder Kick died in a plane crash on the way to meet her father in France, having never reconciled with her family.
In 2016, the younger Kick visited the grave of her great-aunt.
“Visiting the gravesite of my great aunt and namesake, Kick Kennedy, in Edensor, England,” she captioned an Instagram photo. “‘Joy she gave, Joy she has found.’ "
Conor is a political activist
Conor hasn’t served in office, but he has long been politically active, having been arrested in front of the White House in 2013 for protesting the Keystone XL pipeline.
In 2022, amid the Russian attacks on Ukraine, Conor was inspired to volunteer to fight in the war.
"Like many people, I was deeply moved by what I saw happening in Ukraine over the past year,” he wrote on Instagram. “I wanted to help. When I heard about Ukraine's International Legion, I knew I was going, and I went to the embassy to enlist the next day.”
Conor added that he kept his location and real name a secret so he wouldn’t worry his family or receive preferential treatment during his brief stint in Ukraine.
"This war will shape the fate of democracy in this century,” he added. “There's more to say about its politics and the role of western governments there. For now, I'll only urge you to help in your personal capacity. Join the legion, help on the border, or send medical supplies. Every day, someone there sacrifices everything for a lasting peace. They can't be asked to act alone."
Cara Kennedy-Cuomo graduated from business school
Cara, daughter of Kerry and her ex-husband, Andrew Cuomo, graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in May 2023.
"So incredibly proud of my oldest, Cara Kennedy Cuomo, who graduated from Wharton Business School yesterday," Cuomo wrote on Instagram. "Such a special day getting to celebrate her incredible accomplishment all together."
Maeve Kennedy McKean spoke out against her uncle RFK Jr.
Ethel and Bobby’s son RFK Jr. has spoken out against vaccines, spreading long-disproven anti-vaccine and public health-related conspiracy theories.
In 2021, he published a book, The Real Anthony Fauci, criticizing infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to The New York Times, RFK Jr.’s nonprofit, Children's Health Defense, and another organization had paid for more than half of Facebook ads that promoted false claims about vaccines. He was banned from the platform in 2021 for spreading vaccine misinformation.
Related: A Timeline of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Controversies
In May 2019, Maeve, along with her mother Kathleen and her uncle Joseph II, wrote an op-ed for Politico denouncing her uncle’s scientifically unfounded vaccine stance.
"We love Bobby. He is one of the great champions of the environment," they wrote. "We stand behind him in his ongoing fight to protect our environment. However, on vaccines he is wrong."
Max Kennedy Jr. is a whistleblower
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Max, son of Max Sr. and Victoria Strauss, volunteered for then-President Donald Trump’s White House Coronavirus Supply-Chain Task Force, led by Jared Kushner — but quickly became disillusioned with the work he was asked to do.
He told The New Yorker that the team of volunteers, all in their 20s, had no experience in supply operations or the medical field but were tasked with delegating the country’s personal protective equipment using their personal laptops and email addresses.
He also claimed to have faced pressure from higher-ups to misrepresent statistics about projected fatality rates and to prioritize certain hospitals at the request of Trump’s friends and supporters.
After about two weeks, Max sent an anonymous report to Congress detailing his experience on the task force.
"We were the team. We were the entire frontline team for the federal government," Max told the outlet when he revealed his identity. "It was the number of people who show up to an after-school event, not to run the greatest crisis in a hundred years."
He added, "It was such a mismatch of personnel. It was one of the largest mobilization problems ever. It was so unbelievably colossal and gargantuan. The fact that they didn’t want to get any more people was so upsetting."
Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo is a business owner
Michaela has made a name for herself with her brand Mic Loves Me. The young entrepreneur sells art, jewelry and other spiritual accessories.
At the Ripple of Hope Award Gala in December 2022, she met Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, a couple who she described on Instagram as “two of the people whose courage and resilience have inspired me most.”
The couple were at the gala to receive the Ripple of Hope award for their work in racial justice, mental health and other social impact action through their Archewell Foundation. Michaela’s mother, Kerry, presented Harry and Meghan with the award.
Michaela has also been outspoken about being demisexual and advocating for a greater understanding of "the whole spectrum of sexualities,” as she wrote on Instagram in 2021.
Maeve and her son Gideon died in a canoe accident
On April 2, 2020, Maeve and her son Gideon went missing after they were involved in a canoe accident.
While the family was staying in Kathleen’s home in Shady Side, Md., Maeve and Gideon went to retrieve a ball that had landed in the water, and they were swept out to sea by strong winds. Their canoe was recovered after about two hours, but their bodies weren’t discovered until days later.
"God bless Maeve and Gideon, who are up there in heaven with Grandpa, David, Michael, Mary and Saoirse," Ethel said in a virtual memorial on April 11, referring to other Kennedys who died prematurely. "You have all my love — and you are in my heart and my arms are around you."
The Kennedy family noted in Ethel's death announcement that they were "comforted" to think their matriarch was reunited with Maeve and Gideon.
Saoirse Kennedy Hill died at age 22
Saoirse was staying at her grandmother Ethel’s home in Hyannis Port, Mass., when she died of an accidental drug overdose on Aug. 1, 2019, at age 22.
“Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse. Her life was filled with hope, promise, and love,” the family said in a statement to PEOPLE. “She cared deeply about friends and family, especially her mother Courtney, her father Paul, her stepmother Stephanie, and her grandmother Ethel.”
Saoirse, daughter of Courtney and Paul Hill, was a rising senior studying communications at Boston College. “The world is a little less beautiful today,” Ethel said after her death. “She lit up our lives with her love, her peals of laughter and her generous spirit.”
According to her grandmother, Saoirse was also involved in volunteer work. “Saoirse was passionately moved by the causes of human rights and women’s empowerment and found great joy in volunteer work, working alongside Indigenous communities to build schools in Mexico. We will love her and miss her forever,” she wrote.
In his eulogy for his niece, her uncle Timothy Shriver spoke about the expansive family’s close relationship. “She was an only child with a hundred brothers and sisters,” he said.
In Ethel's death announcement, the family wrote that they were "comforted" by the thought that she was reunited with Saoirse after her death.
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