Eunice Kennedy Shriver
**Latest News on Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her Legacy**
Co-Founder of the Special Olympics, Mother of Maria Shriver, and Sister to President Kennedy and Senators Robert and Ted Kennedy
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Eunice Kennedy Shriver (July 10, 1921-August 11, 2009) Eunice Mary Kennedy Shriver (July 10, 1921-August 11, 2009) was a member of the Kennedy family and a co-founer of the Special Olympics in the 1960s as a national organization. Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, she was the fifth of nine children of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Kennedy . She was married to Sargent Shriver, and the mother of California First Lady Maria Shriver, and the mother-in-law of Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger. Eunice Mary Kennedy was born into the wealthy and politically connected Kennedy family of Boston, Massachusetts, on July 10, 1921. She received an excellent education, as befitting the daughter of a wealthy ambassador, and the granddaughter of a two-time Mayor of Boston. Rather than waste her life as a well-to-do socialite, as many of her upper-class colleagues do, Eunice Kennedy chose to devote her life to improving the way society viewed and treated people (especially children) with disabilities. Motivated by the mental handicap and institutionalization of her older sister, Rosemary Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy used her formidable rhetorical and organizational skills, as well as her vast political connections, to prod the federal government into creating the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, a division of the National Institutes of Health. This government health agency originally worked to investigate the broad aspects of human development as a means of understanding developmental disabilities, including mental retardation, and the events that occur during pregnancy. In 2008, Congress recognized Eunice Kennedy's importance in the creation of this agency by officially re-naming the agency as the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Obviously, having her brother as the sitting president while she lobbied for the creation of this agency helped greatly, she knew how to lobby the members of congress to gain their approval for this agency. Eunice Kennedy Shriver will be best known as a co-founder, along with Anne McGlone Burke, of the Special Olympics in 1968. Again, Eunice Shriver's involvement with this organization highlights her deep affection and care for people with special needs and the well-being of not only special needs athletes, but also of their parents and caregivers, who, she recognized, also needed to see their children excel and achieve in ways that were fulfilling and meaningful. In her personal life, Eunice Kennedy also found herself immersed in the political world. Her husband, Robert Sargent Shriver (often called by his middle name or as "Sarge"), played a major role in the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations, served as ambassador to France, and ran for office several times, most notably in a failed bid for the Vice-Presidency in 1972. The Shrivers had five children, Robert Jr., Maria, Timothy, Mark, and Anthony. Maria Shriver is the best known of the Shriver children, having developed a successful career in television news before she herself married famous movie actor, and current governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Maria is currently the First Lady of California. Politically, Eunice Kennedy Shriver was a life-long Democrat, but she was vocal as a pro-life Democrat, as are many Democrats of the Catholic faith. In 1990, she wrote a letter to the New York Times denouncing the misuse of a quote by President Kennedy used out of context by an abortion-rights group. In 1992, Eunice Shriver, along with other notable personalities, signed a public letter to the New York Times denouncing the Democratic Party's pro-abortion plank in the official party platform. When her son-in-law, Arnold Schwarzenegger, ran for the office of California governor as a Republican in 2003, Eunice and Sargent Shriver publicly supported him and campaigned for him in California. This is the only known instance that the Shrivers strayed from their role as prominent members of the Democratic Party. (Though it needs to be pointed out that Governor Schwarzenegger is considered a fairly moderate/liberal Republican.) As she aged, Eunice Shriver's health became an issue. She was hospitalized in 2005 with a minor stroke and a hip fracture. She was again hospitalized in 2007 for an undisclosed health issue. In August, 2009, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, suffered a series of strokes (source: Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver at Eunice Shriver's bedside-LA Times, August 8, 2009). Maria Shriver, her husband, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other members of the Shriver and Kennedy clan arrived at Eunice Shriver's bedside at Cape Cod Hospital in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away in the early morning hours of August 11, 2009, at the age of 88, with her family at her bedside. Condolences poured in from around the world upon the news of Eunice Shriver's death. In particular, Special Olympians and their families expressed deep regret over her death, but great joy in the positive work that she did for the disabled. On August 11, 2009, President Obama released a statement expressing his condolences.
Political Career/Connections
Links and Resources: Eunice Kennedy Shriver (official website) |
Family Joseph
P. Kennedy, Sr. (September 6,
1888 – November 18,
1969)--Father Rose
Fitzgerald Kennedy ( July 22,
1890–January 22,
1995)--Mother Robert
Sargent Shriver, Jr. (b.
November 9, 1915)
--Husband
(wed on May 23,
1953) Notable
Ancestors Children Maria
Owings
Shriver
(b.
November 6,
1955)
--Daughter,
Married
to Governor Arnold
Schwarzenneger Timothy
Perry Shriver (August 29,
1959)--Son Mark
Kennedy Shriver (b.
February 17, 1964)
--Son Anthony
Paul Kennedy Shriver (b.
July 20,
1965)--Son Siblings John
F. "Jack" Kennedy (May 29,
1917–November 22,
1963)
-- Rosemary
Kennedy (September 13, 1918
– January 7,
2005)
-- Kathleen
Kennedy (February 20, 1920
– May 13,
1948)-- Patricia
Kennedy (May 6, 1924 –
September 17, 2006)
-- Robert
F. "Bobby" Kennedy
(November 20,
1925–June 6,
1968)-- Jean
Kennedy (b. February 20,
1928)
-- Edward
"Ted"
Kennedy
(
February 22, 1932-August
25,
2009)--- Religion:
Education: 1944:
BS in Social Science/Social
Thought Stanford
University Career/Occupation: 1947-1948:
Department of Justice as
executive secretary for the
National Conference on
Prevention and Control of
Juvenile
Delinquency 1950:
Social Worker at the
Federal Industrial
Institution for Women in
Alderson, West
Virginia 1951:
Social Worker at the House
of the Good Shepherd and
for the Chicago Juvenile
Court 1957:
Executive Vice-President of
the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.
Foundation, a charitable
organization established by
the Kennedy family to
research the causes of
disabilities and to improve
the treatment of disabled
people 1961:
President of the Joseph P.
Kennedy Jr.
Foundation 1981:
Eunice Shriver began the
Community of Caring program
with the goal to reduce
disabilities among babies
born to teen mothers.
Eventually, this led to the
Community of Caring
programs in 1,200 public
and private schools from
1990 to
2006. Political
Career: Party
Affiliation:
Democrat 1960:
Actively campaigned for her
brother, John, as he
successfully ran for
President. 1970:
Eunice's husband, Sargent
Shriver, ran for the office
of Maryland
Governor 1972:
Eunice's husband, Sargent
Shriver, ran for
Vice-President as the
running mate to George
McGovern. They lost to the
Nixon/Agnew
ticket. 1976:
Eunice's husband, Sargent
Shriver, ran for the
Democrtic Party's
Presidential
nomination. 1992:
Joined several other
prominent Democrats in
signing a public letter to
the New York Times, in
protes of the Democratic
Party's pro-abortion plank
in the party's official
platform. This occurred
during Bill Clinton's first
campaign for
President. 2003:
Supported her son-in-law,
Arnold Schwarzenegger, in
his successful election to
the governship of
California. 2008:
Joined other Kennedy family
members on stage as her
brother, Senator Ted
Kennedy, vocally announced
his support for Barack
Obama's campaign for the
Democratic nomination
against Senator Hillary
Clinton. Clubs
and Organizations
(membership): --The
Susan B. Anthony
List --Democrats
for Life of
America. Links
and Resources on Eunice Kennedy
Shriver Eunice
Kennedy Shriver (official
website) Eunice
Kennedy Shriver National Institute of
Child Health and Human
Development--History and
overview. Eunice
Kennedy Shriver's Olympic
Legacy--NPR, April 5, 2007 J.F.K.
Would Have Defended Bishops' Right to
Fight Abortion--Letter to the New
York Times from Eunice Kennedy Shriver,
May 13, 1990 Eunice
Kennedy Shriver-Wikipedia
article R(obert)
Sargent Shriver: Papers (#214)-An
Inventory of His Personal Papers,
1948-1976 In the John F. Kennedy
Library, National Archives and Records
Administration Site
Map--revision
in progress |
