Ethel Kennedy Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What was Ethel Kennedy’s Net Worth?

With a net worth of $50 million, Ethel Kennedy was an American advocate for human rights and the widow of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Following his assassination in 1968, she founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, a non-profit organization. In 2014, during the Obama administration, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Ethel Kennedy is also featured in the 2012 HBO documentary “Ethel,” which received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and was celebrated with various film festival awards.

Early Life

Born as Ethel Skakel on April 11, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois, she was the daughter of Ann Brannack and George Skakel, both of whom tragically lost their lives in a plane crash in 1955. Ethel grew up in a Catholic family, having six siblings: Patricia, Ann, Georgeann, George Jr., James, and Rushton. Her nephew, Ciarán Cuffe, serves as a Member of the European Parliament. Her father was the founder of Great Lakes Carbon Corporation, which later became a part of SGLCarbon.

She attended Greenwich Academy, an all-girls school, and after completing her studies at Manhattan’s Convent of the Sacred Heart in 1945, she furthered her education at Manhattanville College. It was there that she met Jean Kennedy, who would eventually become her sister-in-law. On a ski trip to Quebec in late 1945, Ethel encountered Robert Kennedy (known as Bobby), but initially, he was involved with her sister Patricia. Once that relationship ended, Bobby began dating Ethel. She supported Bobby’s brother, future U.S. President John F. Kennedy, during his congressional campaign in 1946, and wrote her college thesis about “Why England Slept,” the work John published during his senior year at Harvard College in 1940. Ethel graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 1949.

Career

After their marriage in the early 1950s, Ethel and Bobby settled in Charlottesville, Virginia. Following Bobby’s graduation from law school, they moved to Washington, D.C., where he secured a position with the Department of Justice. He managed his brother John’s successful Senate campaign in 1952 in Massachusetts, eventually advancing within the federal government to become Attorney General of the United States and later a U.S. Senator for New York. Following Bobby’s untimely death in 1968, Ethel founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (subsequently renamed Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights). According to the center’s website, its mission is “to collaborate with the bravest individuals on the planet—partners locally and globally—to fulfill Robert F. Kennedy’s dream for a more just and tranquil world. Our efforts to reveal injustice and mitigate pain and suffering are underpinned by our commitment to racial and economic equality, forming the backbone of all our initiatives at RFK Human Rights.”

Kennedy supported Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries and hosted a fundraising dinner for him at her residence, which cost $28,500 per plate, in the summer of 2008. Ethel featured in the HBO documentary “Ethel” directed by her daughter Rory in 2012. This documentary provides an intimate perspective of a political dynasty, delving into her life with Robert F. Kennedy and her years as a single mother to their eleven children after his death. The film garnered accolades at various film festivals, including the Nantucket Film Festival, Ashland Independent Film Festival, Sarasota Film Festival, and BendFilm Festival, as well as winning a Humanitas Prize and achieving five Primetime Emmy nominations. Kennedy also made a guest appearance as herself in the 1992 “Cheers” episode titled “Daddy’s Little Middle-Aged Girl” and has appeared on various television shows such as “The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar,” “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” “60 Minutes,” “Today,” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

Personal Life

Ethel became engaged to Robert Kennedy in February 1950, and they tied the knot at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on June 17, 1950. Together they raised 11 children: daughters Kathleen, Mary Courtney, Mary Kerry, and Rory, and sons Robert Kennedy Jr., Joseph, David, Christopher, Michael, Douglas, and Max. Kathleen served as Maryland’s Lieutenant Governor from 1995 to 2003, Joseph represented the state in the House from 1987 to 1999, and Robert Jr. declared his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election in April 2023. Tragically, David passed away from a drug overdose in 1984, and Michael died in a skiing accident in 1997. In 1962, President Kennedy commissioned Robert and Ethel to embark on a goodwill tour across more than a dozen countries for a month, with host nations reportedly viewing them as substitutes for John and Jacqueline. Ethel became a widow on June 6, 1968, the day after Bobby was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, and at the time of his death, she was expecting their daughter Rory. Although she once expressed that she would remain unmarried, she enjoyed spending time with singer and family friend Andy Williams, who accompanied her to various events.

Awards and Honors

In 1981, Ethel was presented with the Robert F. Kennedy medal by then-President Ronald Reagan. A bridge in Washington, D.C. was renamed the Ethel Kennedy Bridge in 2014 “to honor her for her devotion to many social and environmental causes throughout her later years, particularly in the communities bordering the Anacostia River.” In the same year, President Barack Obama honored Ethel with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her significant contributions toward “advancing the cause of social justice, human rights, environmental protection, and poverty alleviation by creating countless ripples of hope to bring about change globally.”

Real Estate

The Kennedy family possessed an estate in McLean, Virginia, known as Hickory Hill, purchased by John and Jacqueline Kennedy in 1955. Ethel and Robert acquired the property after the Democratic National Convention in 1956. In 2004, they listed the home for $25 million before taking it off the market in late 2008. Eventually, Ethel sold the residence for $8.25 million in December 2009.