Joseph Kennedy :: essays research papers

Joseph Patrick Kennedy was born on September 6, 1888, in capital of Massachusetts Massachusetts. He was born the male child of Patrick Joseph Kennedy, a local politician and fortunate businessman, and his wife Mary Augusta Hickey Kennedy. His parents wanted only the opera hat for young Joe. In 1901 Joe was enrolled in Boston Latin, and elite boys catholic school. He was a very popular student there as chairman of his class, col cardinall on the drill team, a baseball player, and valedictorian. The next step for Joe was Harvard. at that place things were different he was non the most popular student. He was not a particularly good student, and because of his Irish heritage, he had to endure a lot of slurs against his background. Yet he graduated thinking he was except as good as anyone in the class of 1912. After Harvard he decided to go into banking companying, where he received a position as a state bank examiner. In less than a class he saw the opportunity he wanted. The C olumbia Trust was more or less to be lodge inn over by the First National. Joe decided that if anybody was to take over the Columbia, he should be the one. Joe had supporters, which was accompanied by a plunk for of bluff that finally forced First National to give up. When the fusion was called off, the Columbia directors rewarded him with the top job. At 25 he had become the youngest bank electric chair in the country. In 1914, now the successful bank president married the love of his life, Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald. Rose was the daughter of the Mayor of Boston, washbowl Francis Fitzgerald, a leading Irish figure in Boston. Together they had 9 children, Joseph Patrick Jr., John Fitzgerald, Rosemary, Kathleen, Eunice Mary, Patricia, Robert Francis, Jean Ann, and Edward Moore. By the age of 30 he had amassed a great fortune through business ventures that included motion pictures, shipbuilding, and accepted estate, and through the stock market. As chairman of the Federal Mariti me outfit in 1937, he laid the groundwork for the U.S. merchant marine. He was embassador to Great Britain from 1938 to 1940. But perhaps his greatest achievement was seeing his son become John become President of the United States. As his parents did for him, he did the same for his children. He wanted nothing more than to see one his children as a great political leader.