Patrick Kennedy announced he was not seeking re-election this year. In a recorded message to the people of Rhode Island, Kennedy said, "My father taught me that politics at its very core is about serving others." Kennedy said he will continue to serve the people in a different capacity.
He stated, "Having spent two decades in politics, my life is taking a new direction." He also said he was "humbled and honored to represent the pepole of [Rhode Island]."
Kennedy had several personal issues while in the Congress.Patrick has suffered with asthma since he was a child. He has also been diagnosed with bi-polar disease as well as alcoholism and addiction to prescription drugs. In May 2006 Kennedy drove his car into a barricade on Capitol Hill. He stated the cause of the crash was disorientation from prescription drugs. After the incident Kennedy admitted himself into rehab, something he had done before. In his message he said he was "so grateful to the people of Rhode Island" for standing by him during his troubled times.
Finishing up his message, Patrick Kennedy simply said, "Rhode Island, thank you."
Patrick Kennedy is the youngest child of Joan and Ted Kennedy. He was born July 14, 1967, just eleven months before the assassination of his uncle Robert. Kennedy said last year’s death of his father Senator Ted Kennedy, caused him to do some “soul searching” and he decided to take a different path, which at this time does not include public office.
Kennedy was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives in 1988 at the age of 21. He was re-elected in 1990 and again in 1992. He ran for and won his first term in the United States House of Representatives in 1994 and took office in 1995. He has been serving in the U.S. Congress for 15 years. Providence, Rhode Island Mayor David Cicilline told reporters he is running for Kennedy’s seat.
Patrick Kennedy was a strong supporter of then-candidate Barack Obama and campaigned on behalf of Obama, along with his father and cousin Caroline Kennedy.
Patrick Kennedy’s Politics
Health care was a driving force for his father, and Patrick Kennedy has also been working during his career on behalf of health care and mental health care. He has also been a vocal gun-control advocate
Kennedy Family Tradition in Elective Politics
The death of Senator Edward Kennedy in 2009, marked the first time in 47 years that at least one Kennedy had not been a member of the United States Senate. Edward Kennedy was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962 and served together with his brother Robert, a senator from New York from 1965-1968. Robert was killed while running for the presidency in 1968.
Joseph Kennedy, Patrick’s cousin and oldest son of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, served as a congressman from Massachusetts from 1987-1999.
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the oldest child of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, served as Lieutenant Governor of Maryland.
Mark Shriver, son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver, served in the Maryland State Legislature from 1994-2003. Mark’s older brother Robert Shriver is on the Santa Monica City Counsel.
Patrick Kennedy’s father, Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 1980.
Ted Kennedy’s brother John F. Kennedy served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947-1953. He was then elected to the U.S. Senate where he served from 1953-1960 when he was elected President of the United States.
President Kennedy’s grandfather, John Francis “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald for whom the president was named, was a member of the Massachusetts State Senate from 1893-1894, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1895-1901, Mayor of Boston from 1906-1907 and 1910-1913, and returned to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1919 for one more term.
There are plenty of Kennedy’s in Patrick’s generation and the younger generation who might still hold elected office in the future. Patrick’s departure from the Congress marks the first time since 1962 that a member of the Kennedy family has not served on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Source for Honey Fitz: Biofiles
