Smith, Jean Kennedy, 1928-2020

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Jean Ann Kennedy, the eighth child and youngest daughter of Rose and Joseph Kennedy, was born on February 20, 1928 in Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Sacred Heart schools in England and the United States, and graduated from Manhattanville College, where she majored in English. After her brother Joe was killed in 1944 in World War II, Jean was chosen in 1945 to christen the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., a newly commissioned Navy destroyer named for her brother.

In 1956, Jean Kennedy married Stephen E. Smith, an executive in a transportation company founded by his grandfather, and they took up residence in New York City. Mr. Smith died in 1990. They had four children together: Stephen Jr., William, Amanda, and Kym.

Jean Kennedy Smith’s first experience in national politics came in 1960, as she traveled around the country for her brother, Senator John F. Kennedy, in his campaign for the presidency. She became a political figure in her own right three decades later, when President Clinton nominated her to be US Ambassador to Ireland on March 17, 1993. After confirmation by the Senate, she assumed her duties that June, serving until 1998.

Mrs. Smith had accompanied President Kennedy on his famous visit to Ireland in 1963, and the Irish government and the Irish people enthusiastically welcomed her return as America's ambassador. She took an active interest in encouraging a peaceful settlement in the long-standing conflict in Northern Ireland, and one of her principle achievements was in persuading the Clinton administration to grant a visa to Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Fein, the political arm of the Irish Republican Army, to visit the United States in 1994. The visit is widely regarded as a key step in the success of the peace process in the years that followed.

Starting in 1964, Mrs. Smith was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, which provides grants to promote awareness and advocacy in the field of mental retardation. She has also served on the boards of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

In 1974, Jean Smith founded Very Special Arts, an educational affiliate of the Kennedy Center that provides opportunities in the creative arts for persons with disabilities. Her book, Chronicles of Courage: Very Special Artists, written with George Plimpton, was published by Random House in April 1993.

In addition to a number of honorary degrees, Ambassador Smith received various awards, including the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service from the American Institutes for Public Service, the Margaret Mead Humanitarian Award from the Council of Cerebral Palsy Auxiliaries, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Jean Kennedy Smith passed away on June 17, 2020 at the age of 92.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Bruce A. Morrison Papers., undated, 1980-2000. Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Center.
referencedIn Records of the National Security Council Staff Director (Clinton Administration), ca. 1993 - ca. 1996. Nancy Soderberg's Files, ca. 1993 - ca. 1996 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Personal Papers of Joseph P. Kennedy. 1909 - 1969. Family Correspondence Files John F. Kennedy Library
creatorOf Personal Papers of Joseph P. Kennedy. 1909 - 1969. Family Correspondence Files John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Records of the National Security Council Records Management Office (Clinton Administration), ca. 1993 - ca. 2001. NSC (National Security Council) Records Management System, 1/20/1993 - 1/20/2001 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Records of the Office of Communications (Clinton Administration), 1993 - 2001. George Stephanopoulos' Files, 1993 - 1996 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Personal Papers of Joseph P. Kennedy. 1909 - 1969. Family Subject Files John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Records of the Task Force on National Health Care (Clinton Administration), 1993 - 1994. Lynn Margherio's Files, 1993 - 1994 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Records of the National Security Council Records Management Office (Clinton Administration), ca. 1993 - ca. 2001. NSC (National Security Council) Records Management System, 1/20/1993 - 1/20/2001 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Records of the First Lady's Office (Clinton Administration), 1993 - 2001. Anne Bartley's Subject Files , ca. 1993 - ca. 2001 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn White House Press Releases (Ford Administration), 1974 - 1977. Press Releases, 1974 - 1977 Gerald R. Ford Library
referencedIn Records of the National Security Council Office of Press and Communications (Clinton Administration), ca. 1993 - ca. 2001. Philip "PJ" Crowley's Files, ca. 1998 - ca. 2001 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Records of the First Lady's Office (Clinton Administration), 1993 - 2001. Laura Schiller's Files, 1993 - 2001 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Records of the National Security Council European Affairs Office (Clinton Administration), ca. 1993 - ca. 2001. Lawrence Butler's Files, ca. 1998 - ca. 1999 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
creatorOf Personal Papers of Joseph P. Kennedy. 1909 - 1969. Family Subject Files John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Records of the White House Office of Records Management (Clinton Administration), 1993 - 2001. Subject Files on Countries, 1993 - 2001 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn John F. Kennedy Personal Papers. 1917 - 1963. John F. Kennedy Personal Papers: Correspondence: Correspondence with Family John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Records of the National Security Council European Affairs Office (Clinton Administration), ca. 1993 - ca. 2001. Richard Norland's Files, ca. 2000 - ca. 2001 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Records of the Office of Speechwriting (Clinton Administration), 1993 - 2001. Michael Waldman's Files, 1995 - 2000 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Role Title Holding Repository
Place Name Admin Code Country
Boston MA US
Bronxville NY US
New York City NY US
Subject
Occupation
Activist
Ambassadors
Authors
Diplomats
Humanitarians
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Person

Birth 1928-02-20

Death 2020-06-17

Female

Americans,

Irish

English

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