Kennedy, Joseph P. (Joseph Patrick), 1915-1944

Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr. (July 25, 1915 – August 12, 1944) was the eldest of the nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888–1969) and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (1890–1995). A US Navy lieutenant, he was killed in action during World War II while serving as a land-based patrol bomber pilot, and posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

His father had aspirations for him to become US president. He was a delegate to the 1940 Democratic National Convention and planned to run for a seat in the US House of Representatives after his military service as the first stepping stone on the path to the White House. His death while participating in a top-secret mission in 1944 caused his father to transfer his aspirations to his next-oldest son, John F. Kennedy, who followed the path first planned for his brother by advancing from the House to the US Senate and then to the presidency.