- In full:
- Robert Francis Kennedy
- Born:
- November 20, 1925, Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
- Died:
- June 6, 1968, Los Angeles, California (aged 42)
- Political Affiliation:
- Democratic Party
- House / Dynasty:
- Kennedy family
- Notable Family Members:
- spouse Ethel Kennedy
- father Joseph P. Kennedy
- mother Rose Kennedy
- son Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
- brother Ted Kennedy
- brother John F. Kennedy
- sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver
- sister Rosemary Kennedy
- On the Web:
- PBS - American Experience - Robert Kennedy and Family (Oct. 24, 2026)
Robert F. Kennedy
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Who was Robert F. Kennedy?
Robert F. Kennedy (1925–1968) was a U.S. attorney general (1961–1963) during his brother John F. Kennedy's presidency and a U.S. senator (1965–1968). Rising to national prominence in the 1950s through his work on Senate committees, he later managed John's successful presidential campaign in 1960.
After John's assassination in 1963, Robert continued as attorney general until 1964. As attorney general, he sent federal marshals to protect Martin Luther King, Jr., and led efforts against organized crime, including assembling the evidence that convicted Jimmy Hoffa.
Elected as a U.S. senator from New York in 1964, he became a leading voice for liberal Democrats and a critic of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Vietnam policy. In 1968, while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, he was assassinated.
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What important jobs did Robert F. Kennedy have in the U.S. government?
Robert F. Kennedy, brother of President John F. Kennedy, served in several important positions in the U.S. government. He first gained national attention in 1953 working with the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and later as chief counsel to the Senate select committee investigating labor racketeering.
After his brother John won the presidential election, Robert was appointed attorney general in 1961. During his time as attorney general, Kennedy took action to protect Martin Luther King, Jr. and his supporters during racial crises and led efforts against organized crime. In November 1964, he was elected U.S. Senator from New York.
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How was Robert F. Kennedy related to President John F. Kennedy?
Robert F. Kennedy was the brother of President John F. Kennedy, who served as president from 1961 to 1963. Robert served as U.S. Attorney General during John's administration. Both were sons of Rose and Joseph P. Kennedy. John's presidency was cut short due to his assassination in Dallas, Texas, in 1963. Robert was also assassinated while campaigning for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1968.
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What was Robert F. Kennedy’s role during the Civil Rights Movement?
Robert F. Kennedy played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement. As Attorney General under his brother, President John F. Kennedy, he took decisive action to protect civil rights leaders and their supporters. When a hostile mob threatened Martin Luther King, Jr., and 1,200 supporters in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1961, Kennedy sent 400 federal marshals to ensure their safety. He also used his influence to mediate strategies between peace officers in the South during racial crises. According to The New York Times, Kennedy put new energy into protecting civil rights through administrative action and played a pivotal role in shaping comprehensive civil rights law.
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Why did Robert F. Kennedy run for President in 1968?
In 1968, Robert F. Kennedy declared his candidacy for the presidency. As a U.S. Senator from New York, he had become a prominent voice for liberal Democrats and a critic of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Vietnam policy. Kennedy aimed to carry on the work that he and his brother, John, had started.
His decision to run followed Senator Eugene McCarthy's strong showing against Johnson in the New Hampshire primary, which was largely attributed to McCarthy's anti-war stance. Johnson's popularity was declining as the Vietnam War became increasingly unpopular. Kennedy's campaign gained momentum with primary wins, but his life was tragically cut short when he was assassinated on June 5, 1968.
6 Britannica Sources- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: Early life and education
- assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Context: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the United States in April 1968
- United States presidential election of 1960: The general election campaign
- Ethel Kennedy: Tragedy strikes
- Democratic National Convention of 1968: Background
- Robert F. Kennedy
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What happened to Robert F. Kennedy during his presidential campaign?
While campaigning for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot by Sirhan Sirhan shortly after midnight on June 5, after winning the California primary. Sirhan, a Christian Palestinian, opposed Kennedy’s support for Israel. Kennedy died the next day.
His assassination occurred just months after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and four years after his brother, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated. Kennedy's death added to the turmoil and grief during that period in the United States.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Robert F. Kennedy (born November 20, 1925, Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.—died June 6, 1968, Los Angeles, California) was a U.S. attorney general and adviser during the administration of his brother Pres. John F. Kennedy (1961–63) and later a U.S. senator (1965–68). He was the son of Rose and Joseph P. Kennedy. He was assassinated while campaigning for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1968.
Read about assassination and attempts involving U.S. presidents and presidential candidates.
Robert interrupted his studies at Harvard University to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II but returned to the university and graduated in 1948. After receiving a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School in 1951, he began his political career in Massachusetts the next year with the management of his brother John’s successful campaign for the U.S. Senate. Robert first came into national prominence in 1953, when he was an assistant counsel to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, headed by Joseph R. McCarthy (he resigned in mid-1953 but returned in 1954 as counsel to the Democratic minority). In 1957 he was chief counsel to the Senate select committee conducting investigations into labour racketeering, which led to his long-standing feud with James R. Hoffa of the Teamsters Union. Kennedy resigned from the committee staff in 1960 to conduct his brother’s campaign for the U.S. presidency. After John won the election, he appointed (1961) Robert attorney general in his cabinet.
On November 22, 1963, the president was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy continued to serve as attorney general until he resigned in September 1964. The months after his brother’s death were a desperate time for him. He was stooped by grief and spent long periods staring out windows or walking in the Virginia woods. He had presided over the Department of Justice for 44 months. He had emerged as a statesman of the law, improving the lot of many. Learning on May 20, 1961, that a hostile mob threatened the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., and about 1,200 of his supporters in Montgomery, Alabama, Kennedy sent 400 federal marshals to protect them. In subsequent racial crises he used long telephone sessions to work out the strategies of peace officers in the South. He also led a tough and imaginative drive against organized crime. One of his proudest achievements was assembling the evidence that convicted Hoffa. On Kennedy’s departure from the Department of Justice, The New York Times, which had criticized his appointment three years earlier, said editorially,
He named excellent men to most key posts, put new vigor into protecting civil rights through administrative action, played a pivotal role in shaping the most comprehensive civil rights law in this century…. Mr. Kennedy has done much to elevate the standard.
He was the author of The Enemy Within (1960), Just Friends and Brave Enemies (1962), and Pursuit of Justice (1964).
In November 1964 he was elected U.S. senator from New York. Within two years Kennedy had established himself as a major political figure in his own right. He became the chief spokesman for liberal Democrats and a critic of Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson’s Vietnam policy. On March 16, 1968, he announced his candidacy for the presidency. By June 4 he had won five out of six presidential primaries, including one that day in California. Shortly after midnight on June 5 he spoke to his followers in Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel. As he left through a kitchen hallway, he was fatally wounded by a Palestinian immigrant, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan. Kennedy was buried near his brother John at Arlington National Cemetery.
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Is there a Kennedy family curse? Who suggested such a thing may surprise you.
Kennedy and his wife, Ethel, had 11 children, several of whom became politicians and activists.