How Ethel Kennedy Met RFK

Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy didn't just thrive in politics. In their 18 years of marriage, they welcomed 11 kids and fought together for social justice reforms. Robert worked as attorney general during his brother John F. Kennedy's presidency, and Ethel always supported his civil rights efforts, even after his tragic, untimely death. Yet the start of their relationship is not a common one.

It was 1945, and 17-year-old Ethel Skakel went on a ski trip in Quebec with friends. Among the group was the 20-year-old Robert, her friend Jean Kennedy's brother. Ethel was smitten. She told People that "as soon as [I] met him" she was certain they'd get married. "No maybe about it," she said. However, things didn't go her way at first. RFK and her sister Patricia Skakel were in a relationship, which lasted two years. Not long after their breakup, Robert and Ethel hit it off, and in 1950, they said their I dos. And so, one of the most famous families in American history soon added 11 more members to their team.

Ethel passionately supported Robert and John's political careers. When JFK became president, he apparently recognized the couple's captivating aura, to the point of sending them on a 14-country tour. Biographer Jerry Oppenheimer wrote in "The Other Mrs. Kennedy" that they were reportedly treated with the same kind of reverence JFK and his wife Jackie Kennedy would've received. Ethel later encouraged RFK to run for president in 1968, after his successful campaign for the Senate. According to Evan Thomas, who wrote the "Robert Kennedy: His Life" biography, "Kennedy's wife, always his most fervent believer, was the most consistent advocate of a race for the White House" (via NBC News).

Clips about Ethel Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy's early days together can be seen in the 2012 documentary "Ethel," made by their daughter Rory Kennedy. Even if many details remain unknown, their relationship has captivated many. One of them is none other than pop superstar Taylor Swift, who dated Conor Kennedy, Ethel and Robert's grandson. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, she said her love song "Starlight" was inspired by her beau's grandparents' relationship. "I met Bobby on the boardwalk, summer of '45," the lyrics read. Swift, however, didn't know the couple's history. She told the outlet she found a picture of them dancing, "So I just kind of wrote that song from that place, not really knowing how they met or anything like that." 

In life, the couple fought together for civil rights, especially racial desegregation, economic justice for marginalized communities, and peace in the face of the Vietnam War. After her husband's assassination, Ethel started a foundation in his honor to advance his goals for human rights, and she continued to fight for these causes until her death at 96 years old in October 2024. Their daughter Kathleen Kennedy told The Washington Post in 1981 Ethel likely wouldn't get married again because, "She's committed to carry out the ideals that inspired my father to [taking] care of the family and to creating a warm and loving place." President Barack Obama later awarded Ethel the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 for her work in social justice.