Joseph Patrick Kennedy II
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| Joseph Patrick Kennedy II | |
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| In office January 4, 1987 – January 3, 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Tip O'Neill |
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| Succeeded by | Mike Capuano |
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| Born | September 24, 1952 Brighton, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Sheila Rauch (divorced) Anne Kelly |
| Alma mater | University of Massachusetts, Boston |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Joseph Patrick Kennedy II (born September 24, 1952, in Brighton, Massachusetts), named after his late uncle Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., is the eldest son of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy.
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[edit] Career
In 1979, Kennedy established Citizens Energy Corporation, a non-profit organization, to provide discounted heating oil to low-income families. Citizens Energy also began pursuing commercial ventures aimed at generating revenues that in turn would be used to generate funds that could assist those in need in the United States and abroad.
Citizens Energy grew to encompass seven separate companies, including one of the largest energy conservation firms in the U.S. Citizens became one of the nation's first energy firms to move large volumes of natural gas to more than 30 states.[1] As a precursor to market changes under electricity deregulation in the late 1990s, Citizens was a pioneer in moving and marketing electrical power over the grid.[2]
In November 1986, Kennedy was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Massachusetts 8th Congressional District. The Democratic nomination was contested by a number of well-known Democrats with long records of public service, among them veterans of the Massachusetts legislature such as Thomas Gallagher, George Bachrach, and Mel King. However, Kennedy garnered endorsements from the Boston Globe and the retiring incumbent, Speaker of the House Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, who held the seat from 1953 to 1987. (From 1947 to 1953, this seat had been held by Kennedy's uncle, President John F. Kennedy.)
Kennedy's legislative efforts in Congress included[3] :
• Expanding the availability of credit to working Americans to buy homes and open businesses.
• Helping create hundreds of thousands of new affordable housing units nationwide by introducing tax credits to stimulate private investment in neighborhood housing developments.
• Proposing a balanced budget amendment as a vehicle to end skyrocketing deficits, bring down interest rates, and free up investment capital for business growth rather than government bonds.
• Overhauling federal public housing law for the first time in 60 years, giving local housing authorities the ability to raise standards while protecting those who depend on public housing for shelter.
• Preserving and expanding federal research and development accounts that stimulate the creation of new technologies and build the foundation for new jobs and business growth.
Throughout his career in Congress, Kennedy served on the House Banking Committee, where he played an active role in the federal savings and loan bailout, credit reporting reform, Glass-Steagall overhaul, and financial modernization. Kennedy also served on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, passing legislation to strengthen the veterans health care system, investigate the causes of Gulf War Syndrome, and provide medical treatment for veterans of the first Persian Gulf War.
He served in Congress for six terms, until January 1999, when he returned to Citizens Energy.
Kennedy considered running for the Massachusetts governorship in 2002, but opted out citing family difficulties.[4]
[edit] Controversy Involving Citizens Energy and Venezuela
Citizens Energy Corporation has provided affordable heating oil to low income families in the Northeast since 1979. These charitable efforts were funded largely from profitable commercial ventures and donations. Beginning in 2005, CITGO, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Venezuelan national oil company, PDVSA, has been the primary donor of heating oil to Citizens Energy. The Wall Street Journal and others have criticized Citizens Energy for continuing its relationship with the Venezuelan government and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who has been a harsh critic of U.S. President George W. Bush.[5] In response, Kennedy has argued that it is hypocritical to criticize a non-profit from accepting oil from Venezuela while numerous other American businesses are profiting from robust trade with Venezuela and at a time when the U.S. government has cut low-income fuel assistance.[6]
During the winter of 2006-2007, CITGO donated 40 million gallons of home heating oil, which served an estimated 170,000 families in 16 states.[7]
[edit] Personal life
Kennedy reportedly had a troubled childhood, regularly getting into fights with his younger brothers and male cousins.[8] He gained early notoriety for a 1973 incident in which a jeep he was driving overturned (according to the police report, due to reckless driving), injuring his brother David Kennedy and paralyzing David's then-girlfriend, Pam Kelley.[8]
Kennedy received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Massachusetts, Boston in 1976. Kennedy married Sheila Brewster Rauch (b. March 22, 1949)[9] on 3 February 1979 in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, daughter of Rudolph Stewart Rauch and Frances Stuart Brewster. The couple divorced in 1991, and Kennedy married Anne Elizabeth "Beth" Kelly (b. April 3, 1957)[9] on 23 October 1993 in Brighton, Massachusetts.
His efforts to have the marriage to Rauch annulled led to a controversy: Rauch, who was not Catholic, published a book (Shattered Faith) asserting that she was opposed to the concept of annulment, because it meant in Roman Catholic theology that the marriage had never actually existed. After the book was published, it was revealed that the annulment was granted on the grounds of mental deficiency. Kennedy has twin sons from his marriage to Rauch: Matthew Rauch Kennedy and Joseph Patrick Kennedy III (b. October 4, 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts).
The annulment, which was originally granted by the Boston Archdiocese in 1997, was overturned by the Vatican in 2005. [10] On 19 June 2007, Time Magazine reported that the Roman Rota reversed the declaration of annulment made by the tribunal of the Boston Archdiocese.[11] As the Rota was sitting for that case as a second-instance appellate court,[12] Kennedy could appeal the decision to another Rotal panel.[13]
[edit] Possible Rise to Senate
With the diagnosis of his uncle Ted Kennedy with a brain tumor, Joe's name has been thrown out as a possible replacement for his uncle's senate seat in Massachusetts if Senator Kennedy were to have to step down. State law dictates that a special election would have to take place no fewer than 145 days after a senator steps down and no more than 160 days after. [14]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Citizens Energy website, "Natural Gas: Our Experience"
- ^ Citizens Energy website, "Electricity Transmission: Our Experience"
- ^ Joseph P. Kennedy II corporate biography
- ^ Joseph Kennedy Ends Gubernatorial Bid. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
- ^ Dial Joe-4-Chávez, Wall Street Journal editorial, 28 November 2006
- ^ Joseph P. Kennedy II, "Yes, Oil from Venezuela," Boston Globe (December 24, 2006).
- ^ Citizens Energy Oil Heat Program, People Helping People.
- ^ a b Clemens D. Heymann (2007). American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy. Simon & Schuster, p. 194. ISBN 0743497384.
- ^ a b American Experience | The Kennedys | Kennedy Family Tree | PBS
- ^ Joe Kennedy's First Marriage: Still On. Time Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-08-03.
- ^ Joe Kennedy's First Marriage: Still On - TIME
- ^ Code of Canon Law c. 1444 § 1 #1(1983); Shelia Rauch Kennedy, Shattered Faith 215 (1997).
- ^ See Code of Canon Law c. 1444 § 1 #2.
- ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/22/kennedys-replacement-ap-a_n_103024.html
[edit] External links
- Joseph Patrick Kennedy II at the Internet Movie Database
- Ortiz, Ana Maria, and Vadum, Matthew. "The American Friends of Hugo Chavez: Dial 1-800-4-TYRANT" Capital Research Center March 2008
- Citizens Energy Corporation
- Citizens Energy Corporation profile of Kennedy
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tip O'Neill |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 8th congressional district 1987–1999 |
Succeeded by Mike Capuano |
