Caroline Kennedy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Caroline Kennedy
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Official portrait, 2022
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| United States Ambassador to Australia | |
| In office July 25, 2022 – November 28, 2024 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr. |
| United States Ambassador to Japan | |
| In office November 19, 2013 – January 18, 2017 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | John Roos |
| Succeeded by | Bill Hagerty |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy
November 27, 1957 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Edwin Schlossberg
(m. 1986) |
| Children |
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| Parents | |
| Relatives | Kennedy family Bouvier family |
| Education | Radcliffe College (AB) Columbia University (JD) |
| Awards | Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (2021) |
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (born November 27, 1957) is an American writer, diplomat, and lawyer. She served as the United States Ambassador to Australia from 2022 to 2024. Before that, she was the United States ambassador to Japan from 2013 to 2017.
Caroline Kennedy has spent her career working in literature, law, politics, education, and charity. She is a member of the famous Kennedy family. She is the only living child of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
Caroline was born in New York City. She was two years old when her father became president in 1960. She spent her early childhood living in the White House. When she was five, her father was sadly assassinated. The next year, she and her younger brother, John F. Kennedy Jr., moved with their mother to New York City.
Caroline went to Radcliffe College and later earned a law degree from Columbia Law School. She passed the New York State bar exam in 1989. She worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where she met her husband, Edwin Schlossberg. They have three children: Rose, Tatiana, and Jack.
In 2008, Caroline Kennedy supported Barack Obama for president. She helped with his campaign and spoke at the Democratic National Convention. In 2013, President Obama appointed her as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. This made her the first female ambassador to serve in that country. Later, in 2021, President Joe Biden appointed her as the U.S. Ambassador to Australia. She started this role in 2022.
Contents
Early Life and White House Years
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy was born on November 27, 1957, in New York City. Her parents were John F. Kennedy, who was a U.S. senator at the time, and Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy. She was named after her aunt and great-grandmother. Before Caroline, her parents had a daughter who was stillborn. Her younger brother, John F. Kennedy Jr., was born in 1960. Another brother, Patrick, died shortly after his premature birth in 1963.
For her first three years, Caroline lived with her parents in Washington, D.C. When her father became president, the family moved to the White House. Caroline often attended kindergarten classes organized by her mother there. She was often photographed riding her pony named "Macaroni" around the White House grounds. One photo even inspired the singer Neil Diamond to write his famous song, "Sweet Caroline".
Caroline received many gifts from important people, like a puppy from Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. People described her as a bit shy but very well-behaved. Her grandmother, Rose Kennedy, said Caroline was too young to realize how special her life was.
When her father was assassinated in 1963, Caroline and John Jr. were taken to their grandmother's house. Their nanny told Caroline the sad news. Soon after, Caroline, John Jr., and their mother moved out of the White House. They first lived in Washington, D.C., and then moved to an apartment in New York City.
Later Childhood and Education
In 1967, Caroline helped christen the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy. This was a big public event. That summer, her mother took her and John Jr. on a trip to Ireland. They visited their family's ancestral home.
After her father's death, her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy, became a very important person in her life. He was like a second father to her. But in 1968, her uncle was also assassinated. Her mother, Jacqueline, wanted to protect her children. So, she married Greek businessman Aristotle Onassis and they moved to his private island in Greece.
In 1971, Caroline visited the White House again. President Richard Nixon invited her to see the official portrait of her father. In 1975, Onassis died, and Caroline returned to Greece for his funeral. Later that year, while she was studying art in London, a car bomb exploded near her hosts' car. Caroline was safe inside the house, but a neighbor was tragically killed.
Caroline started her education with kindergarten classes in the White House. She later attended schools in New York City and Massachusetts. She graduated from Concord Academy in 1975. She also worked as a photographer's assistant at the 1976 Winter Olympics. In 1977, she interned at the New York Daily News newspaper. She also wrote for Rolling Stone about visiting Graceland after Elvis Presley died.
In 1980, she earned her college degree from Radcliffe College at Harvard University. She thought about becoming a photojournalist, but realized it was hard to observe others when everyone was watching her. After college, she worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She helped coordinate a Sesame Street TV special filmed there. In 1988, she earned her law degree from Columbia Law School.
Family Life
While working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Caroline met Edwin Schlossberg, who designed exhibits. They got married in 1986 in Massachusetts. Her cousin, Maria Shriver, was her matron of honor, and her uncle, Ted Kennedy, walked her down the aisle. Caroline Kennedy kept her own name after marriage.
Caroline and Edwin have three children:
- Rose Kennedy Schlossberg (born 1988)
- Tatiana Celia Kennedy Schlossberg (born 1990)
- John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg (born 1993), known as Jack
Caroline and her brother, John Jr., were very close, especially after their mother died in 1994. When John Jr. died in a plane crash in 1999, Caroline became the only surviving member of President Kennedy's immediate family. She decided to have his ashes scattered in the Atlantic Ocean. John Jr. left her his share of George magazine, but Caroline felt he wouldn't want it to continue after his death, so it stopped publishing two years later.
Caroline Kennedy owns a large estate on Martha's Vineyard called Red Gate Farm, which belonged to her mother. Reports in 2008 estimated her financial worth to be over $100 million.
Career and Public Service
Caroline Kennedy is a lawyer, writer, and editor. She has also served on the boards of many non-profit organizations. With Ellen Alderman, she co-wrote two books about civil liberties: In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights In Action (1991) and The Right to Privacy (1995).
From 2002 to 2004, she worked for the New York City Department of Education. Her job was to raise private money for public schools. She helped raise over $65 million for New York City schools. She also serves as an honorary director for The Fund for Public Schools.
Kennedy and her family created the Profile in Courage Award in 1989. This award honors public officials who show brave leadership, inspired by her father's book, Profiles in Courage. In 2001, she presented the award to former president Gerald Ford. She is also the president of the Kennedy Library Foundation and an advisor to the Harvard Institute of Politics.
Caroline Kennedy has represented her family at many important events. These include the funerals of former presidents and first ladies, and the dedications of presidential libraries. She also attended the 50th-anniversary ceremony of the March on Washington in 2013.
Involvement in Presidential Elections
On January 27, 2008, Caroline Kennedy wrote an article in The New York Times called "A President Like My Father." In it, she announced her support for Barack Obama in the 2008 United States presidential election. She wrote that she believed Obama could inspire a new generation of Americans, just like her father had.
Obama later asked Kennedy to co-chair his committee to find a vice presidential candidate. On August 23, Obama announced that Senator Joe Biden would be his running mate. Kennedy spoke at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, introducing a film about her uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy.
Caroline Kennedy was also one of the national co-chairs for Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. She campaigned for him in New Hampshire.
Interest in a Senate Seat
In December 2008, Kennedy showed interest in the United States Senate seat that Hillary Clinton was leaving to become Secretary of State. This seat was to be filled by the Governor of New York. This was the same seat her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy, held before his assassination. Many people supported her for the position.
However, some people criticized her for not voting in many past elections and for not sharing enough about her political views. She said she would work very hard if chosen. On January 22, 2009, Kennedy announced she was no longer seeking the seat, citing "personal reasons."
United States Ambassador to Japan (2013–2017)
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On July 24, 2013, President Obama nominated Caroline Kennedy to be the United States Ambassador to Japan. This was a big step in her diplomatic career. The Japanese government agreed to her appointment.
On September 19, 2013, Kennedy spoke to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about her potential role. She said her main goals would be to strengthen military ties, improve trade, and encourage student exchanges between the U.S. and Japan. The Senate confirmed her nomination on October 16, 2013. She became the first female U.S. Ambassador to Japan. She arrived in Japan on November 15 and presented her diplomatic credentials to Emperor Akihito on November 19.
Her Time as Ambassador to Japan
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In December 2013, she visited Nagasaki to meet with survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing. On August 5, 2014, she attended a memorial ceremony for victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. She was the second U.S. ambassador to attend this annual event. She had visited Hiroshima before, in 1978, with her uncle Ted Kennedy.
In February 2014, Kennedy visited Okinawa, a Japanese island with large U.S. military bases. She met with the governor and promised to help reduce the impact of the American military presence there.
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In April 2015, Kennedy visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. She called her visit a "solemn honor." She also planted dogwood trees as part of a project to spread 3,000 dogwood trees across Japan. On August 6, 2015, she attended the 70th-anniversary memorial for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
On August 15, 2015, Kennedy was named the sponsor for the second USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), a new aircraft carrier named after her father. She christened the ship on December 7, 2019. It is rare for someone to sponsor two U.S. Navy ships, and she is the only person known to sponsor two aircraft carriers.
Caroline Kennedy resigned as Ambassador to Japan in January 2017. In 2021, she received Japan's Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun for her service.
United States Ambassador to Australia (2022–2024)
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On December 15, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Caroline Kennedy to be the United States Ambassador to Australia. The Senate confirmed her nomination on May 5, 2022. She was sworn in on June 10, 2022. She officially began her role on July 25, 2022, by presenting her credentials to the Governor-General of Australia, David Hurley.
In August 2023, Kennedy mentioned the possibility of resolving the legal case involving Australian journalist Julian Assange. In September 2024, she announced she would be leaving her ambassadorial position.
Publications
Caroline Kennedy has co-written and edited several books.
With Ellen Alderman, she co-wrote two books on civil liberties:
- In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action (1991)
- The Right to Privacy (1995)
Kennedy has edited these popular books:
- The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (2001)
- Profiles in Courage for Our Time (2002)
- A Patriot's Handbook (2003)
- A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children (2005)
She also wrote A Family Christmas (2007), which is a collection of poems, stories, and personal notes from her family's history. In April 2011, she published a new poetry collection called She Walks in Beauty – A Woman's Journey Through Poems.
Images for kids
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Caroline and Ted Kennedy endorsing Barack Obama.
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Barack Obama, Ted, and Caroline Kennedy.
See also
In Spanish: Caroline Kennedy para niños
