The Kennedy dynasty was known as Camelot (in reference to King Arthur and his Knights), for the relatives’ political and cultural prominence for decades in the United States. However, the family also seems under a curse as its members have endured many tragedies as well as triumphs. Those include the shocking assassinations of John’s father, President John F. Kennedy, on Nov. 22, 1963, and his brother candidate for president, Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968 which long preceded the deaths of JFK Jr. and his wife.
Read on to find out more about JFK Jr.’s iconic family and who preceded him in Parade’s Kennedy guide.
The Kennedy Family Tree
Joseph P. Kennedy and his wife, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy got married on Oct. 7, 1914, and had nine children together: Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr. (1915), John F. Kennedy (1917), Rosemary Kennedy (1918), Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy (1920), Eunice Kennedy (1921), Patricia Kennedy (1924), Robert F. Kennedy Sr. (1925) Jean Kennedy (1928) and Edward “Ted” Moore Kennedy (1932).
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Joseph P Kennedy Sr.Related: What Happened to JFK Jr.? All About The American Icon’s Tragic Death
John F. Kennedy
The future 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy was the second-born child of Joseph and Rose, and arrived in Brookline, Mass., in 1917. He graduated from Harvard and then was the PT-109 boat hero serving in the Navy during World War II. His dad pushed him into politics and in 1947, JFK was elected congressman from Massachusetts. Voters chose JFK as their U.S. Senator from the state in 1952. He defeated Richard Nixon in the 1960 Presidential election. But as president on Nov. 22, 1963, the nation was horrified when he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. A slew of conspiracy theories have swirled about his death and the killing of his alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, ever since.
President John F Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy OnassisGetty/Bettmann
Jackie Kennedy Onassis
She began her work as America’s most stylish First Lady on Jan. 20, 1961, wearing designer duds and remodeling the White House. Jackie was sitting by her husband’s side in the Dallas motorcade in a pink suit when he was shot and killed. The nation mourned with her as she returned to Washington, D.C. with his body and planned a funeral for the ages.
American First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy at the White HouseJackis raised her two kids in widowhood but hit the headlines again by marrying Greek shipping multi-millionaire Aristotle Onassis in 1968. He died in 1975, making Jackie a widow, and she never remarried, although she had a longtime companion, businessman Maurice Templesman. On May 19, 1964, Jackie died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 64.
The Kennedy gal married artist Ed Schlossberg in 1986 and they welcomed three kids: daughters Rose Kennedy Schlossberg in 1988 and Tatiana Kennedy Schlossberg in 1990 and son John “Jack” Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg in 1993.
John F. Kennedy Jr.
Two weeks after John F. Kennedy was elected to the presidency, his wife Jackie gave birth to son JFK Jr., who was born on Nov. 25, 1960. He was just three years old when his dad was assassinated in 1963; the boy famously saluted the president’s coffin. JFK Jr. graduated from Brown University in 1983, then went to New York University School of Law. After media reported “the hunk flunks,” Jr. finally passed the bar exam on his third try. He became a magazine publisher in 1995 with George getting big fanfare.
John F. Kennedy Jr.Evan Agostini/Getty Images
After meeting Carolyn Bessette around 1992, they married in a tiny surprise ceremony on Cumberland Island Sept. 21, 1996. Camelot fans hoped they’d start a family, but they had no kids before passing away on July 16, 1999. The Piper Saratoga he was piloting that night crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. The National Transportation Safety Board ultimately decided that Kennedy’s spatial disorientation in the hazy weather had caused him to lose control.
JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's love story enthralled the nation.Jack Schlossberg
Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg share their only son Jack, born on Jan. 19, 1993, who later graduated from Yale University in 2015 and Harvard Business School in 2022. Now 33, Jack is finally joining the family political business! On November 11, 2025, Jack announced he’s running to become the 2026 Democratic candidate for New York’s 12th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is hoping to replace the retiring Jerry Nadler. Esteemed longtime representative Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Jack.
Jack Schlossberg in 2025Robert “Bobby” F. Kennedy Sr. is the seventh child of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. He served as his brother JFK’s Attorney General of the United States until the president’s death in 1963. RFK Sr. ran for president himself but after winning the Democrat California primary on June 5, 1968, he was assassinated at Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel. Although Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of the killing, many don’t believe he acted alone.
Ethel Kennedy
After Ethel grew up in Greenwich, Conn., she raised her 11 children with RFK Sr. in “Hickory Hill,” a mansion McLean, Va. Ethel was the face of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights until daughter Kerry Kennedy took over. After being grandmother to many, the fierce matriarch passed away at age 96 in 2024 from a stroke.
RFK Jr.’s family includes six kids. He had Robert “Bobby” Kennedy Jr. III (1984) and Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy (1988) with first wife Emily Ruth Black and Conor Kennedy (1994), Kyra Kennedy (1995), William Kennedy (1997) and Aidan Kennedy (2001) with late second wife Mary Richardson. In 2012, Mary killed herself. Two years later, RFK. Jr. wed his third wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines.
The Kennedy-Shriver Family Tree
JFK's younger sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, walked down the aisle with Robert Sargant Shriver Jr. in 1957. They produced four sons, Robert “Bobby” Sargant Shriver III (1954), Timothy Perry Shriver (1959), Mark Kennedy Shriver (1964) and Anthony Paul Shriver (1965), and one daughter Maria Owings Shriver (1955).
Eunice Kennedy Shriver and family
Maria Shriver
The second child of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Former U.S. Ambassador to France Robert Sargant Shriver Jr., Maria’s birthday is Nov. 6, 1955. Maria lived partly in Paris during her dad’s Ambassador career and then attended Manhattanville College and Georgetown University. Beautiful Maria became famous as a journalist for NBC News, in particular on its Dateline show from 1992 to 1994.
She became part of a supercouple in 1986 by marrying Arnold Schwarzenegger, with whom she had four children: Katherine Schwarzenegger (1989); Christina Schwarzenegger (1991); Patrick Schwarzenegger (1993); and Christopher Schwarzenegger (1997). Arnold’s scandalous affair with the family housekeeper wrecked the marriage. Maria and former California governor Arnold’s divorce was final in 2021.
Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger on their wedding dayPhoto by Nancy Lane
Edward "Ted" Moore Kennedy's Family Tree
Joan Kennedy
Ted tied the knot with beautiful blonde Joan Bennett in 1958 after his sister Jean introduced them. Their family line produced three children, Kara, Ted Jr. and Patrick Kennedy.
Victoria "Vicki" Reggie Kennedy
Ted married his second wife attorney/diplomat Victoria Reggie in 1992. Her political astuteness was perfect for his family and they’d been married 16 years when he passed away.
Next, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette: ‘Love Story’ Reveals Glamour and Drama of ’90s Romance
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