Thomas Fitzgerald Jr. was born in 1895 in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Mayor Thomas "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald and Mary Josephine Hannon. He grew up as part of one of Boston's most prominent Irish Catholic families during the height of his father's political career, which included two terms as mayor and prior service in the U.S. House of Representatives. His sister Rose Fitzgerald would marry Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. in 1914, embedding the Fitzgerald family permanently in what would become the most famous American political dynasty of the twentieth century.
Thomas Fitzgerald Jr. led a comparatively private life, stepping back from the public spotlight that defined both his father and later his nephew, President John F. Kennedy. His death in 1968 came during a cataclysmic year in American history — the same year that saw Robert Kennedy's assassination — giving his passing an additional poignant context within the family story.
He lived long enough to see his nephew John elected president, to witness the shattering events of November 1963, and to observe Robert Kennedy's rise and fall. Living to the age of 73, Thomas Fitzgerald Jr. served as a quiet link between the immigrant ambition of his father's generation and the presidential grandeur of his nephew's era.
Thomas Fitzgerald Jr. is the late child of John Francis 'Honey Fitz' Fitzgerald and Mary Josephine 'Josie' Hannon.
Thomas Fitzgerald Jr. was the uncle of President John F. Kennedy. His sister Rose Fitzgerald married Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., and their son John became the 35th president.
Thomas Fitzgerald Jr.'s father was Thomas "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, twice Mayor of Boston and U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.