Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

Early Life and Education

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was born on July 4, 1951, in Greenwich, Connecticut — the Fourth of July birthday lending a certain symbolic resonance to a life dedicated to American civic values. She is the eldest child of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, and the granddaughter of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. She attended the Putney School in Vermont before enrolling at Harvard-Radcliffe College, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1974. She subsequently attended the University of New Mexico School of Law, earning her juris doctor and deepening her commitment to justice and public service.

Political Career and Public Service

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend made history in 1994 when she was elected Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, becoming the first woman to hold that office in the state's history. She served two terms under Governor Parris Glendening, focusing on crime prevention, education reform, and community policing initiatives that drew national attention.

In 2002, she won the Democratic nomination for Governor of Maryland, becoming the first Kennedy woman to head a major party ticket in a gubernatorial race. She lost a closely contested general election to Republican Robert Ehrlich, a defeat that ended her electoral career but not her public engagement.

Throughout her career, Kathleen has been deeply involved in Catholic social justice activism, bringing a faith-informed perspective to issues of poverty, inequality, and community responsibility. In 2007 she published 'Failing America's Faithful: How Today's Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way,' a provocative examination of the relationship between religious institutions and political power.

She married David Lee Townsend and has four children, including Maeve Kennedy McKean, who tragically died in 2020. Kathleen continues to write, speak, and advocate on issues of faith, justice, and democratic citizenship.

What historic first did Kathleen Kennedy Townsend achieve in Maryland?

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend became the first woman ever elected Lieutenant Governor of Maryland in 1994, serving two terms. In 2002, she became the first Kennedy woman to lead a major-party gubernatorial ticket, running as the Democratic nominee for Governor.

What is Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's book about?

'Failing America's Faithful: How Today's Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way,' published in 2007, examines what Townsend sees as the corrosive effects of political entanglement on American religious institutions and the traditions of faith-based social justice.