Biography of Joseph Patrick Kennedy Essay
Biography of Joseph Patrick Kennedy
Joseph Patrick Kennedy was a very successful banker and film executive, born in
Boston, Massachusetts, on September 6, 1888. Considered by many to be America s
version of the royal family, the Kennedy s of Boston, Massachusetts have enjoyed
triumphs and seen tragedy during the 20th century. As the family patriarch, Joseph
Patrick Kennedy instilled values of commitment to public service, determination to
succeed, and loyalty to family.
His father, Patrick Joseph, was a prosperous saloonkeeper. Patrick also was active in
Boston politics, as Irish ward boss, a five time state representative, and state senator.
Kennedy s parents were anxious for their son to succeed, however in the Boston social
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Kennedy was extremely financially shrewd. He showed an entrepreneurial spirit
and an appreciation for money at an early age, and held a number of jobs as an
adolescent, including candy vendor, newspaper merchant, and play producer. He also
performed jobs for Orthodox Jews, whose faith prohibited them from working on
their holy days. During his student days at Harvard, he and a friend bought a bus and
began operating sightseeing tours. Kennedy negotiated with another tour operator to
share working hours. He was successful at this, earning $5,000 over the course of
several summers.
In 1914, two years after his graduation, Kennedy accepted a job as president of
Columbia Trust Company Bank. At 25 years of age, he was the youngest bank
president in the United States. During that same year, he married Rose Fitzgerald,
daughter of Boston s mayor. Kennedy and Rose bought a small home in Brookline,
Massachusetts, and started their family. In all, they had nine children: Joseph Jr.,
John (Jack), Rosemary, Kathleen, Eunice, Patricia, Robert (Bobby), Jean, and
Edward (Ted). Several of his children went on to develop distinguished political
careers, including two U.S. senators and one U.S. president.
Kennedy supported his large family through numerous successful business ventures.
He joined an investment banking firm, bought a chain of New England movie
theaters, gained control of a film production company, bought and sold many
properties