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Edward M. Kennedy Jr.

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Edward M. Kennedy Jr.
Member of the Connecticut Senate
from the 12th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 7, 2015
Preceded byEdward Meyer
Personal details
Born
Edward Moore Kennedy Jr.

(1961-09-26) September 26, 1961 (age 63)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseKiki Gershman (1993–present)
ChildrenEdward Moore Kennedy III
Kiley Elizabeth Kennedy
Residence(s)Branford, Connecticut
Alma materWesleyan University (B.A.)
Yale University (M.A.)
University of Connecticut,
Hartford (J.D.)

Edward Moore Kennedy Jr. (born September 26, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician. He is a partner at Epstein Becker & Green, a firm headquartered in New York City, New York, and currently represents Connecticut's 12th Senate district in the Connecticut Senate. He is a son of Senator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy from Massachusetts and nephew of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

Early life and education

Edward was born to Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy and Joan Bennett Kennedy in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the brother of Kara (1960-2011) and Patrick J. Kennedy (born 1967).

In 1973, when Kennedy was twelve, osteosarcoma (a form of bone cancer) was diagnosed in his right leg. The leg was surgically amputated on November 17, 1973. On that same day his father had escorted his cousin Kathleen down the aisle at her wedding and rushed back to the hospital. A made-for-TV movie, The Ted Kennedy Jr. Story (1986), concentrated on this event in young Kennedy's life.[1]

In 1982, his mother Joan revealed that Kennedy missed by just ten minutes being aboard Air Florida Flight 90, which crashed into the Potomac River on January 13 of that year, killing 74 people. Kennedy was luckily delayed on the drive to the airport and missed the flight.

Kennedy graduated from the private St. Albans School in Washington, D.C.. He attended Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1984. He continued his studies at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, earning a master's degree from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.[2] He then attended the University of Connecticut School of Law at night, earning a Juris Doctor degree.[3] On May 19, 2013, Kennedy received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of New Haven.[4]

Career

After graduation he worked at the New Haven law firm Wiggin & Dana specializing in disability issues. He later co-founded served as president of the Marwood Group, a firm that advises corporations about health care and financial services. He left the Marwood Group in 2014 to join the law firm of Epstein Becker & Green where he advises health care providers, commercial insurers, and life science companies on critical issues related to health care reform policies.[5][6][7]

Kennedy is on the board of directors of the American Association of People with Disabilities.[8]

Connecticut Senate

Elections

On April 8, 2014, Kennedy announced his candidacy for a seat in the Connecticut State Senate representing the state's 12th district.[9][10] He was elected on November 4.

Tenure

Kennedy was sworn-in on January 7.

Committee assignments

  • Committee on the Environment (Senate Co-Chair)
  • Committee on Internship (Ranking Member)
  • Committee on Public Health
  • Committee on Transportation

Party leadership

  • Majority Whip

Personal life

On October 10, 1993, he and Katherine Anne "Kiki" Gershman (b. 1959)[11][12][verification needed] were married on Block Island, Rhode Island. She is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine at Yale University and an environmental advocate. She serves as spokeswoman for Stop the Pipeline, which successfully blocked the Islander East natural gas pipeline across the Long Island Sound. They live in Branford, Connecticut.[13][14][15][16]

The couple have a daughter, Kiley Elizabeth Kennedy (born August 7, 1994, in New Haven),[17] who is a competitive snowboarder and a student at Wesleyan University, and a son, Edward Moore Kennedy III, (born February 25, 1998, in New Haven) who graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in 2016 and now attends Wesleyan University. His son, at age 11, announced his intention to run for U.S. Senator from Massachusetts some day.[18]

Kennedy gave a tribute to his father at his father's public funeral on August 29, 2009.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ Staff Writer (October 8, 2010).The Doctor's World. New York Times. Accessed March 1st, 2012.
  2. ^ http://www.ebglaw.com/edward-m-kennedy-jr/
  3. ^ Staff Writer (July 29, 2008). Ted Kennedy Jr. Raises Profile. The CTMirror. Accessed March 1st 2012.
  4. ^ http://www.newhaven.edu/558913/
  5. ^ http://www.ebglaw.com/edward-m-kennedy-jr/
  6. ^ Staff writer (Undated). "Welcome". Marwood Group. Accessed September 1, 2009.
  7. ^ Staff writer (Undated). "Marwood Group LLC". BusinessWeek. Accessed September 1, 2009.
  8. ^ Staff writer (Undated). "Meet our Board of Directors". American Association of People with Disabilities. Accessed August 31, 2009.
  9. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/ted-kennedy-jr-announces-run-connecticut-state-senate-010835121.html
  10. ^ http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-ted-kennedy-jr-announces-20140408,0,7312570.story
  11. ^ Staff writer (October 11, 1993). "Weddings; Dr. Gershman, E. M. Kennedy Jr". The New York Times. Accessed August 23, 2009.
  12. ^ [verification needed]Film; textual transcript available from main page). portal to The Kennedys - aired on The American Experience on PBS. Accessed August 23, 2009.
  13. ^ Staff writer (February 14, 1993). "Engagements; Dr. Gershman, Edward M. Kennedy Jr.". The New York Times. Accessed August 23, 2009.
  14. ^ Zaretsky, Mark (December 2, 2008). "High Court Sinks Plan for Natural Gas Pipeline" New Haven Register. Accessed Aug. 27, 2009.
  15. ^ Russell, Jenna (September 13, 2009). "Son shuns spotlight, but not duty". The Boston Globe.
  16. ^ [1]
  17. ^ Brozan, Nadine (August 8, 1994). "Chronicle". The New York Times. Accessed August 23, 2009.
  18. ^ Staff writer ("Political Ticker") (August 29, 2009). "13-year old Kennedy announces for Senate". CNN. Accessed August 31, 2009.
  19. ^ Video (August 29, 2009). "Kennedy Jr. on His Dad". CBS News's module at YouTube. Accessed September 1, 2009.
Connecticut State Senate
Preceded by Connecticut Senate
12th District
since 2015 		Succeeded by
incumbent
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