Robert F. Kennedy

Described as

American politician and lawyer (1925–1968)

Other names

RFK, Robert Kennedy, Robert Francis Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy

Born

November 20, 1925 · 14 references

Died

June 6, 1968 · 12 references

Born in

Brookline · 1 reference

Died in

Los Angeles · 2 references

Buried in

Arlington National Cemetery (1968) · 2 references

Cause of death

gunshot wound

Name at birth

Robert Francis Kennedy

Citizen of

United States

Occupation

politician · 2 references; military officer; lawyer; writer

Positions held

United States Attorney General (1961–1964); United States senator (1965–1968) · 1 reference; justice minister · 1 reference

Political party

Democratic Party

Education

Harvard College; University of Virginia School of Law; Bates College; Harvard University (–1948); University of Virginia (–1951); V-12 Navy College Training Program

Teams

Harvard Crimson football

Sport

American football

Awards

Ernst Reuter Medal (1962) · 1 reference; Congressional Gold Medal (1978); Presidential Medal of Freedom (2025) · 1 reference

Spouse

Ethel Kennedy (1950–1968) · 2 references

Children

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend; Joseph P. Kennedy II · 1 reference; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. · 2 references; David A. Kennedy · 2 references; Courtney Kennedy Hill · 1 reference; Michael LeMoyne Kennedy · 1 reference; Kerry Kennedy · 1 reference; Christopher G. Kennedy · 1 reference; Max Kennedy · 1 reference; Douglas Harriman Kennedy · 1 reference; Rory Kennedy · 1 reference

Father

Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. · 1 reference

Mother

Rose Kennedy · 1 reference

Siblings

Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. · 1 reference; John F. Kennedy · 1 reference; Rosemary Kennedy · 1 reference; Kathleen Cavendish · 1 reference; Eunice Kennedy Shriver · 1 reference; Patricia Kennedy Lawford · 1 reference; Jean Kennedy Smith · 1 reference; Ted Kennedy · 1 reference

Religion

Catholicism

Military branch

United States Navy (1944–1946)

Military rank

Seaman apprentice

Nickname

Bobby

Wikipedias with a page

100

Wikidata item Q25310 (wikidata.org/wiki/Q25310), public domain (CC0). Copied November 13, 2026.

Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. A member of the Democratic Party, Kennedy served as the 64th United States attorney general from 1961 to 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New York from 1965 until his assassination in 1968. Like his brothers John F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, he is considered an icon of American liberalism in the 20th century.
Born into the prominent Kennedy family in Brookline, Massachusetts, Kennedy attended Harvard University, and later received his law degree from the University of Virginia. He began his career as a correspondent for The Boston Post and as a lawyer at the Justice Department, but later resigned to manage his brother John's successful campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1952. The following year, Kennedy worked as an assistant counsel to the Senate committee chaired by Senator Joseph McCarthy. He gained national attention as the chief counsel of the Senate Labor Rackets Committee from 1957 to 1959, where he publicly challenged Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa over the union's corrupt practices. Kennedy resigned from the committee to conduct his brother's successful campaign in the 1960 presidential election. He was appointed United States attorney general at the age of 35, one of the youngest cabinet members in American history. Kennedy served as John's closest advisor until the latter's assassination in 1963.
Kennedy's tenure is known for his advocacy for the civil rights movement, the fight against organized crime, and his involvement in U.S. foreign policy related to Cuba. He authored his account of the Cuban Missile Crisis in a book titled Thirteen Days. As attorney general, Kennedy authorized the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to wiretap Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference on a limited basis. After his brother John was assassinated, he remained in office during the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson for several months. Kennedy left to run for the U.S. Senate from New York in 1964 and defeated Republican incumbent Kenneth Keating, overcoming criticism that he was a "carpetbagger" from Massachusetts. In office, he opposed U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and raised awareness of poverty by sponsoring legislation designed to lure private business to blighted communities (i.e., Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration project). Kennedy was an advocate for issues related to human rights and social justice by traveling abroad to eastern Europe, Latin America, and South Africa, and formed working relationships with Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, and Walter Reuther.
During the 1968 presidential election, Kennedy became a leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency by appealing to poor, African American, Hispanic, Catholic, and young voters. His main challenger in the race was Senator Eugene McCarthy. Shortly after winning the California primary around midnight on June 5, 1968, Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, a 24-year-old Palestinian, in retaliation for his support of Israel following the 1967 Six-Day War. Kennedy died 25 hours later. The following year, Sirhan was convicted and sentenced to death by gas chamber for Kennedy's assassination, but this was later commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 1972. As with that of his brother, Kennedy's assassination continues to be the subject of widespread analysis and numerous conspiracy theories.

Born, in its opening lines

November 20, 1925

Died, in its opening lines

June 6, 1968

From the Wikipedia article “Robert F. Kennedy” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy), by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Copied November 13, 2026; not changed.