Patricia Kennedy Lawford
| Patricia Kennedy Lawford | |
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| Born | Patricia Kennedy May 6, 1924 Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | September 17, 2006 (aged 82) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Socialite |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Spouse | Peter Lawford (1954–1966; divorced) |
| Children | Christopher Kennedy Lawford, Sydney Maleia Kennedy Lawford, Victoria Francis Lawford, Robin Elizabeth Lawford |
Patricia "Pat" Kennedy Lawford (May 6, 1924 – September 17, 2006) was an American socialite and the sixth of nine children of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald, sister to President John F. Kennedy, Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy.
Considered the most sophisticated, yet also the most introverted, of her parents' five daughters, Pat since childhood had a fascination with travel and Hollywood. She in time would become a world traveler, so much so that as a young girl she was given assignments by the independent and foreign press to write of her travels. Her ongoing fascination with Hollywood was fueled by her father's stories and adventures there as a movie mogul heading RKO Pictures. After graduating from Rosemont College, she moved to Hollywood in hopes of becoming a movie producer and director like her father was.
Her father apparently believed that she could do as much, once saying, "Pat is the one with head for business. She could really run this town if she put her mind to it."[1] However, because she was a woman in the very conservative 1950s, she was restricted to working as production assistant on patriotic and religious productions such as singer Kate Smith's radio program and Father Peyton's "Family Rosary Crusade".
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[edit] Marriage and divorce
She met British actor Peter Lawford through her sister Eunice in the 1940s. They met again in 1949, and again in 1953. They courted briefly and officially announced their engagement in February 1954. They married on April 24, 1954, at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Thomas More in New York City, two weeks before her thirtieth birthday. They settled in Santa Monica, California, and often socialized with the actress Judy Garland and her family. Garland gave birth to her son Joseph at the same hospital and on the same day Patricia gave birth to her son Christopher. Patricia made a cameo appearance on her husband's NBC sitcom, Dear Phoebe, which aired during the 1954-1955 television season.
Despite the glamorous persona Peter presented, their relationship suffered strains as early as their brief engagement. Peter had difficulty adjusting to Pat's steadfast Catholicism and her family's larger-than-life image. Pat could not tolerate Peter's heavy drinking, extramarital affairs, and gradual addiction to drugs. Shortly after JFK's assassination, Pat filed for a legal separation, and the couple were officially divorced in 1966. In accordance with her religious beliefs, she never remarried.
[edit] Children
The couple had four children:
- Christopher Kennedy Lawford (born: March 29, 1955 in Santa Monica, California). He married Jean Olsson on November 17, 1984 in Bequia, West Indies. She is the daughter of Einar Valentine Olsson and Francis Yoshitomi. They have three children: David Christopher Kennedy Lawford (b. May 24, 1987); Savannah Rose Lawford (b. February 13, 1990); and Matthew Valentine Lawford (b. February 27, 1995).
- Sydney Maleia Kennedy Lawford (born: August 25, 1956 in Santa Monica, California). She married James Peter McKelvy (b. 1955) on September 17, 1983 in Barnstable, Massachusetts, the son of William Sheldon McKelvy and Nancy Ryon. They have four children: James Peter McKelvy, Jr. (b. December 6, 1985); Christopher Kennedy McKelvy (b. August 8, 1987); Patrick Ryon McKelvy (b. May 26, 1989); Anthony Lawford McKelvy (b. November 28, 1992).
- Victoria Francis Lawford (born: November 4, 1958 in Santa Monica, California. She married Robert Beebe Pender, Jr. (b. 1953) on June 13, 1987 in Southampton, New York. They have three children: Alexandra Lawford Pender (b. March 11, 1988); Caroline Patricia Pender (b. April 25, 1990); Victoria Rose Pender (b. May 13, 1993).
- Robin Elizabeth Lawford (born: July 2, 1961).
[edit] Later life
After her divorce, Patricia Kennedy battled alcoholism and suffered from tongue cancer. She worked with the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, as well as with the National Center on Addiction, and was a founder of the National Committee for the Literary Arts, for which she arranged a series of author lectures and scholarships.
Patricia Kennedy died at the age of 82 on September 17, 2006 in her Manhattan home from pneumonia. She was survived by her four children and 10 grandchildren, as well as, at the time, her sisters Eunice and Jean, and her brother Edward. She was buried in Southampton Cemetery.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.globalarchitectsguide.com/library/Patricia-Kennedy-Lawford.php
- ^ Jacobs, Andrew (September 18, 2006). "Patricia Kennedy Lawford Dies at 82". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/18/us/18lawford.html. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
[edit] External links
- Patricia Kennedy Lawford obituary
- Patricia Kennedy Lawford at the Internet Movie Database
- Patricia Kennedy at Find a Grave
