Joseph P. Kennedy II

Early Life and Education

Joseph Patrick Kennedy II was born on September 24, 1952, in Boston, Massachusetts — the second child of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, and a nephew of President John F. Kennedy. He attended the University of Massachusetts, where he earned his bachelor's degree. His young adulthood was marked by the tragedies that defined his family: the assassination of his uncle President Kennedy in 1963, and the murder of his father during the 1968 presidential campaign, when Joe was just fifteen years old.

Citizens Energy and Advocacy for the Poor

Before entering electoral politics, Joe Kennedy founded Citizens Energy Corporation in 1979, a nonprofit organization with an ambitious and unconventional mission: procuring discounted home heating oil for low-income households across New England. The organization achieved national recognition for its landmark arrangement with PDVSA, the Venezuelan state oil company under Hugo Chávez, through which Citizens Energy sourced deeply discounted fuel and distributed it free or at reduced cost to hundreds of thousands of low-income families.

The program was widely praised as an innovative use of international energy markets in service of domestic poverty relief, though it also attracted criticism given the political relationship with Chávez. Joe Kennedy consistently defended the arrangement on humanitarian grounds, arguing that the needs of poor families outweighed political considerations.

Congressional Career and Family

Joe Kennedy won election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 8th congressional district in 1986, serving from 1987 to 1999. He was a dependable progressive voice on economic and social issues throughout his six terms, focusing on energy policy, housing, and support for working families.

His personal life drew considerable public attention. His first marriage to Sheila Rauch ended in divorce; her subsequent book, 'Shattered Faith' (1997), criticized Joe's successful pursuit of a Catholic annulment of their marriage. He later married Beth Kelly. He has three sons: Joe III and Matthew from his first marriage, and Jack with Beth Kelly. His son Joseph P. Kennedy III later served in Congress, extending the family's political legacy into a fourth generation.

What is Citizens Energy Corporation and who founded it?

Citizens Energy Corporation is a nonprofit organization founded by Joseph P. Kennedy II in 1979. It provides discounted and free home heating oil to low-income households, most notably through a partnership with Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA that supplied deeply discounted fuel to hundreds of thousands of New England families.

How long did Joe Kennedy II serve in Congress?

Joseph P. Kennedy II served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Massachusetts's 8th congressional district from 1987 to 1999. His son, Joseph P. Kennedy III, later served in Congress as well.