The Kennedy Family Tree

Mary Agnes Fitzgerald

1892–1936Born Boston, MA · Died Boston, MA
Daughter of Thomas Fitzgerald

Key Facts

Born
1892 · Boston, MA
Died
1936 · Boston, MA
Cause of Death
Natural causes
Spouse
Joseph Gargan

Biography

Family Background and Early Life

Agnes Fitzgerald was born in 1892 in Boston, Massachusetts, the second child of Thomas "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald and Mary Josephine Hannon. Growing up in the household of one of Boston's most colorful and prominent politicians, Agnes came of age amid the rising fortunes of the city's Irish Catholic community. Her father's two terms as mayor of Boston made the Fitzgerald family a prominent fixture of civic and social life in the city.

Agnes married Joseph Gargan, and the couple had a son, Joseph Gargan Jr., who would become a significant, if tragic, figure in Kennedy family history.

Connection to the Chappaquiddick Incident and Early Death

Agnes Fitzgerald Gargan died in 1936 at the relatively young age of 44, decades before her son became nationally known. Her son, Joseph Gargan Jr., was a close companion and cousin to Senator Edward M. Kennedy. In July 1969, Joseph Gargan was one of the men present at the party on Chappaquiddick Island and was with Kennedy in the immediate aftermath of the accident in which Mary Jo Kopechne drowned — a defining and deeply damaging episode in Kennedy's political career.

Agnes herself did not live to witness any of this, dying young as the sister of Rose Kennedy and the daughter of a celebrated Irish-American mayor. She was a member of a family standing at the intersection of Boston political history and the Kennedy dynasty.

Family Context

Mary Agnes Fitzgerald is the late child of John Francis 'Honey Fitz' Fitzgerald and Mary Josephine 'Josie' Hannon. They married Joseph Gargan.

Siblings

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Agnes Fitzgerald connected to the Chappaquiddick incident?

Agnes Fitzgerald's son, Joseph Gargan Jr., was with Senator Ted Kennedy the night of the 1969 Chappaquiddick accident, though Agnes herself had died decades earlier in 1936.

Who were Agnes Fitzgerald's parents?

Agnes Fitzgerald was the daughter of Thomas "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, twice Mayor of Boston, and Mary Josephine Hannon.

Family

John Francis 'Honey …1863–1950
Mary Josephine 'Josie' Hannon
Mary Agnes Fitzgerald1892–1936
Joseph Gargan
View the Full Family Tree