Ethel Kennedy, an American human rights advocate, has a net worth of $50 million. She is the widow of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights after his assassination in 1968. In recognition of her lifelong commitment to social causes, Ethel received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014. She is also the subject of the 2012 HBO documentary “Ethel,” which earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and won several awards at film festivals.
| Ethel Kennedy Net Worth | $50 Million |
| Date of Birth | April 11, 1928 |
| Place of Birth | Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Human Rights Advocate |
Early Life
Ethel Kennedy was born Ethel Skakel on April 11, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois. She is the daughter of Ann Brannack and George Skakel, who were tragically killed in a plane crash in 1955. Raised in a Catholic household, Ethel had six siblings: Patricia, Ann, Georgeann, George Jr., James, and Rushton. Her nephew, Ciarán Cuffe, is a Member of the European Parliament. Ethel’s father founded the Great Lakes Carbon Corporation, which later became part of SGL Carbon.
Ethel attended Greenwich Academy, an all-girls school, and graduated from Manhattan’s Convent of the Sacred Heart in 1945. She then enrolled at Manhattanville College, where she met Jean Kennedy, her future sister-in-law. Ethel met Robert Kennedy on a ski trip in Quebec in late 1945, but he initially dated her sister Patricia. After that relationship ended, Bobby and Ethel began dating. She campaigned for Bobby’s brother, John F. Kennedy, during his 1946 congressional campaign and wrote her college thesis on his Harvard thesis, “Why England Slept.” Ethel earned her bachelor’s degree in 1949.
Ethel Kennedy Career
After their marriage in the early 1950s, Ethel and Bobby lived in Charlottesville, Virginia. After Bobby earned his law degree, they moved to Washington, D.C., where he took a job with the Department of Justice. He managed his brother John’s successful 1952 Senate campaign in Massachusetts and eventually became the U.S. Attorney General and a Senator for New York.
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Following Bobby’s assassination in 1968, Ethel founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, later renamed Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. According to the center’s website, they work “to realize Robert F. Kennedy’s dream of a more just and peaceful world.”
Ethel endorsed Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries and hosted a fundraising dinner for him at her home. In 2012, she was featured in the HBO documentary “Ethel,” directed by her daughter Rory. The documentary provides an insider’s view of the Kennedy family and won numerous awards. Ethel has also appeared on various TV shows, including “Cheers” and “The Tonight Show.”
Personal Life
Ethel became engaged to Robert Kennedy in February 1950, and they married on June 17, 1950, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. They had 11 children together: daughters Kathleen, Mary Courtney, Mary Kerry, and Rory, and sons Robert Kennedy Jr., Joseph, David, Christopher, Michael, Douglas, and Max. Kathleen served as Maryland’s Lieutenant Governor, Joseph was a member of the House of Representatives, and Robert Jr. announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.
Ethel became a widow on June 6, 1968, the day after Bobby was shot by Sirhan Sirhan. She was pregnant with their daughter Rory at the time. Though she never remarried, she spent time with singer and family friend Andy Williams.
Ethel Kennedy Awards and Honors
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented Ethel with the Robert F. Kennedy medal. In 2014, a bridge in Washington, D.C. was renamed the Ethel Kennedy Bridge in her honor. That same year, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work in social justice, human rights, environmental protection, and poverty reduction.
Real Estate
The Kennedy family owned an estate in McLean, Virginia, known as Hickory Hill, which John and Jacqueline Kennedy purchased in 1955. Ethel and Robert bought the home after the 1956 Democratic National Convention. The family listed the home for $25 million in 2004, and Ethel sold it for $8.25 million in December 2009.
Ethel Kennedy Net Worth
Ethel Kennedy net worth is $50 million.
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