A Full Guide to the Kennedy Family Tree

As soon as John F. Kennedy Sr., a young, handsome New Englander, stepped on the political scene in the 1950s, he captured the hearts—and eyes—of Americans everywhere. Upon entering office, his many diplomatic successes cemented his mark on history quickly, until his assassination rocked the nation.

Even decades later, JFK Sr. and the rest of the Kennedy dynasty remains the subject of lasting infatuation. They've inspired dozens of films, songs, books, and, with much credit to Jackie O. and Caroline Bessette, remain fashion icons. With many family members following in JFK Sr.'s political footsteps, the Kennedys are the closest the United States has had to royalty. In the words of Jackie O., herself, the Kennedy family was Camelot.

"At night, before we'd go to sleep, Jack liked to play some records; and the song he loved the most came at the very end of this record. The lines he loved to hear were: Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief, shining moment that was known as Camelot," she told Life magazine a week after her husband's death. "There'll be great presidents again...but there will never be another Camelot again."

Read ahead for a full Kennedy family tree, breaking down all the individuals who captured the nation's imagination in life and in death.

John F. Kennedy Sr.

John F. Kennedy Sr. was born on May 29, 1917, to millionaire businessman Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Kennedy. He was the second of nine children: Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr. (1915-1944), Rosemary Kennedy (1918-2005), Kathleen Agnes Kennedy (1920-1948), Eunice Mary Kennedy (1921-2009), Patricia Helen Kennedy (1924-2006), Robert F. Kennedy Sr. (1925-1968), Jean Anne Kennedy (1928-2020), and Edward Moore Kennedy (1932-2009).

JFK Sr. earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government, concentrating on international affairs, from Harvard University in 1940. He joined the Navy in 1941, was sent to the South Pacific in 1943, and was discharged in 1945 with serious injuries after a Japanese destroyer sank the patrol torpedo he was commanding. In 1946, he became a Democratic Congressman and advanced to the Senate in 1953. The politician married Jacqueline Bouvier the same year, and the two welcomed a daughter, Caroline Bouvier Kennedy, in 1957, and a son, John F. Kennedy Jr., in 1960. That same year JFK Sr. became the youngest man elected president, at 43 years old, and the first Catholic. During his Inaugural Address, he famously said, “Ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.”

During his presidency, JFK Sr. created the Peace Corps; negotiated a nuclear test ban treaty; proposed legislation to lower taxes, increase the minimum wage, and protect the unemployed; promoted equal rights and opportunities; and, in what is regarded one of his greatest diplomatic achievements, peacefully resolved the Cuban Missile Crisis.

On November 22, 1963, the president was shot twice by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a motorcade through Dallas; he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Parkland Memorial Hospital. The assassination was caught on film. Two hours later, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president.

Jackie Kennedy Onassis

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, better known as "Jackie O.," was born Jacqueline Lee Bouvier on July 28, 1929 to John Vernou "Black Jack" Bouvier III and Janet Norton Lee. She studied humanities at Vassar College, and completed a semester abroad in France, where she developed an affinity for French culture and style. She ultimately graduated from George Washington University, and worked as a reporter-photographer for the Washington Times-Herald post-grad, where she covered the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1952. She was known to have enjoyed horseback riding, writing, and painting.

She met JFK Sr., then a Massachusetts congressman, in 1951, and after two years of dating (and his appointment as a U.S. senator), he proposed. The couple tied the knot in Newport, Rhode Island, that same year, 1953. After suffering from a miscarriage and delivering a stillborn daughter, Arabella Kennedy, the couple then welcomed a daughter, Caroline Bouvier Kennedy, in 1957, and a son, John F. Kennedy Jr., in 1960, the same year JFK Sr. was elected president. During his presidency, in 1963, Jackie Kennedy Onassis also gave birth to another son, Patrick Kennedy, though he died nearly two days after his premature birth.

Jackie Kennedy Onassis made quite an impression as first lady, inviting musicians, actors, and intellectuals to the White House; establishing the White House Historical Association; and solidifying herself as a style icon with a fashion sense marked by well-tailored skirt sets, pillbox hats, and white gloves. Tragedy struck in 1963 when JFK Sr. was assassinated as his motorcade drove through Dallas, with Jackie Kennedy Onassis sitting beside him, making her a widow at 34 years old. Shortly after, she planned her husband's funeral and received an outpouring of support and admiration from all over the world.

Jackie Kennedy Onassis went on to marry Aristotle Onassis in 1968, although she became widowed again when he passed in 1975. She largely resided in an apartment in New York City, and returned to writing, working as a consulting editor at Viking Press and later a senior editor at Doubleday. She was romantically linked to Maurice Tempelsman until she died from non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1994 at the age of 64.

John F. Kennedy Jr.

John F. Kennedy Jr. was born on November 25, 1960, two weeks after his father took office. His third birthday coincided with JFK Sr.'s funeral, during which he famously saluted his casket. JFK Jr. grew up in New York City with his mom, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and his older sister, Caroline Bouvier Kennedy. He went on to graduate from Brown University with a Bachelor's Degree in American Studies in 1983, and later studied law at New York University. In 1989, he became an assistant district attorney, where he earned a perfect conviction record on the six cases he prosecuted over four years. He also co-founded political magazine George in 1995. He married Calvin Klein publicist Carolyn Jeanne Bessette in 1996. Unfortunately just three years later he, Bessette, and Bessette's sister, Lauren, all died in a plane crash. JFK Jr. was piloting the plane, and the National Transportation Safety Board ruled haze and darkness as contributing factors.

Carolyn Jeanne Bessette

Carolyn Jeanne Bessette was born on January 7, 1966, to William J. Bessette and Anne Marie. She graduated from Boston University's School of Education with a bachelor's in elementary education in 1988. She went on to become a publicist for Calvin Klein, working with high-profile clients Annete Bening and Diane Sawyer over her career. Bessette first met JFK Jr. in 1992, but the pair didn't start dating until 1994. They ultimately tied the knot in 1996.

Bessette's high-profile relationship made her a tabloid target. Despite facing public scrutiny for everything from her etiquette to her clothes to her appearance, she is remembered as a style icon. Her polished fashion sense, marked by sophisticated, minimalist pieces and a neutral color palette, has been idolized even decades after her death. She tragically died in a plane crash in 1999, along with her sister, Lauren, and JFK Jr., who was piloting the aircraft. Although the pair began dating before Jackie Kennedy Onassis's death in 1994, Bessette never met the former first lady.

Caroline Bouvier Kennedy

Caroline Bouvier Kennedy is the eldest child of JFK Sr. and Jackie Kennedy Onassis, born on November 27, 1957; she was 5 years old when her father passed away. After relocating to New York City with her mom and brother, Caroline Bouvier Kennedy attended private school. She went on to study the fine arts at Harvard University, graduating in 1980, and later law at Columbia University, graduating in 1988. While in school, she married artist Edwin Schlossberg in 1986. They welcomed three children: Rose Kennedy Schlossberg in 1988, Tatiana Celia Kennedy Schlossberg in 1990, and John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg in 1993.

Caroline Bouvier Kennedy inherited her father's political genes, currently serving as the U.S. ambassador to Australia. Over her career, she has helped create the Profile in Courage Award, is involved in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, and has written several books.

Edwin Schlossberg

Edwin Schlossberg was born on July 19, 1945, in New York City to Alfred I. Schlossberg and Mae Hirsch. He earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from Columbia University and has carved out a career as an artist, designer, and author. He married Caroline Bouvier Kennedy in 1986 and later welcomed three children.

Rose Kennedy Schlossberg

Rose Kennedy Schlossberg is Caroline Bouvier Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg's eldest child, born on June 25, 1988. She earned a bachelor's degree in English studies from Harvard in 2010 and a Master of Professional Studies from New York University in 2013. She is an actress, writer, and producer who co-launched the comedy web series End Times Girls Club in 2016 and has starred in several movies over the years. She married restauranteur Rory McAuliffe in 2022. Rose Kennedy Schlossberg has been called her grandmother, Jackie Kennedy's, modern look-alike.

Tatiana Celia Kennedy Schlossberg

Tatiana Celia Kennedy Schlossberg is Caroline Bouvier Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg's younger daughter, born on May 5, 1990. She earned a bachelor's degree from Yale in 2012 and a master's in American History from the University of Oxford in 2014. Tatiana Celia Kennedy Schlossberg is a climate reporter for The New York Times, who has also written for The Atlantic and published a book titled, Inconspicuous Consumption in 2019. She married her college boyfriend, George Moran, in 2017 and welcomed a son, Edwin Moran, in 2022, the first great-grandchild of JFK Sr. and Jackie Kennedy.

John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg

John Bouvier "Jack" Kennedy Schlossberg is the youngest child and only son of Caroline Bouvier Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, born on January 19, 1993. He earned a bachelor's degree in history with a focus on Japanese history from Yale University in 2015, where he was involved in the Yale Daily News and Yale Herald. He went on to earn a joint J.D./MBA from Harvard in 2022 and passed the New York State bar exam a year later. He is politically engaged, having spoken at engagements including the 2020 Democratic National Convention, and is especially passionate about environmental causes. Similar to his sister Rose Kennedy Schlossberg, he has been penned his grandfather, JFK Sr.'s, look-alike, who he is named after.

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