Christopher G. Kennedy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chris Kennedy
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Kennedy in 2018
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Christopher George Kennedy
July 4, 1963 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Education | Boston College (BA) Northwestern University (MBA) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
Sheila Sinclair Berner
(m. 1987) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Robert F. Kennedy Ethel Skakel |
| Relatives | Kennedy family |
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Christopher George Kennedy (born July 4, 1963) is an American businessman. He leads Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, Inc., a family investment company. Chris Kennedy is part of the well-known Kennedy family. His father was former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and his mother is Ethel Kennedy. He is also the nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and former U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy.
From 2000 to 2012, he was the president of Merchandise Mart Properties in Chicago. This company managed large commercial buildings. In 2018, he ran for Governor of Illinois in the Democratic Party primary election. He also served as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the University of Illinois from 2009 to 2015, after being appointed by Governor Pat Quinn.
Contents
Early Life and Education
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Chris Kennedy was born on July 4, 1963, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the eighth of eleven children born to Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel. He grew up at his family's home, Hickory Hill, in McLean, Virginia. This area is a suburb of Washington, D.C..
He attended Lady of Victory Catholic School until eighth grade. Then, he went to Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Maryland, graduating in 1982. During high school, he volunteered at a home for young people who had run away.
Chris Kennedy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Boston College in 1986. Later, in 1992, he received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
What Does Chris Kennedy Do?
Chris Kennedy is the chairman of Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, Inc. This is the investment firm for the Kennedy family. He is also the treasurer of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation. He has served on the boards of several organizations, including the Catholic Theological Union and Ariel Investments.
He moved from Boston to Decatur in the 1980s to work for Archer Daniels Midland. He has always been involved in efforts to fight hunger. He was the chairman of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Today, he helps run Top Box Foods, a non-profit he started with his wife.
Leading Merchandise Mart Properties
From 2000 to 2012, Kennedy was the president of Merchandise Mart Properties in Chicago. The Kennedy family used to own this property before it was sold. The Merchandise Mart is one of the world's largest commercial buildings. It is a huge center for design and business in Chicago.
The Mart covers two city blocks and has twenty-five floors. It totals 4.2 million square feet. Millions of people visit the Mart each year for its shops, showrooms, offices, and many events.
Helping the University of Illinois
Chris Kennedy also served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the University of Illinois. He was appointed to this role by the governor and finished his term in 2015. In 2015, he received the Spirit of Courage award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. This award recognized his involvement in an important issue at the university.
Fighting Plant Disease in Africa
Kennedy has worked with CIP (the International Potato Center) and 2Blades to fight a plant disease called Phytophthora infestans in Africa. This disease is the same one that caused the potato famine, which led some of his ancestors to come to the United States. He leads the 2Blades African Potato Initiative. This project develops and produces special seed potatoes to be sold in Uganda and Kenya.
Top Box Foods: Helping People Get Food
In May 2012, Chris Kennedy started Top Box Foods. This is a non-profit organization based in Chicago. Top Box Foods is a community-based business that sells good quality groceries at low prices. It helps people in the greater Chicagoland area.
Top Box buys food and packs it into different combinations. They deliver these food boxes monthly to churches and other organizations, mostly in low-income neighborhoods. The food items change each month and include fruits, vegetables, meats, and frozen meals. The boxes cost between $19 and $39. People can order boxes online or through the organizations that host Top Box deliveries. These "host sites" include large churches like Trinity United Church of Christ and Salem Baptist Church. Top Box operates in Illinois (Chicago, Cook County, Rockford), Louisiana (New Orleans, Baton Rouge), and Atlanta, Georgia.
Family Life
Chris Kennedy met Sheila Sinclair Berner while they were both attending Boston College. Sheila is from Illinois. They married in 1987, after Chris moved to Decatur, Illinois.
The couple has four children: Katherine (born 1990), Christopher Jr. (born 1992), Sarah (born 1994), and Clare (born 1998). They raised their children in Kenilworth, a suburb of Chicago. His wife, Sheila, earned a law degree from Northwestern University. She worked as a lawyer before taking time off to care for their children.
Political Involvement
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Chris Kennedy became involved in politics at a young age. In 1979 and 1980, he worked on his uncle U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy's campaign for president. He also helped with his brother Joe's campaign for the U.S. House in 1988. Over the years, he has organized many fundraising events in Chicago for his family members involved in politics.
Beyond his family, Kennedy has helped with various political campaigns. He hosted a fundraiser for Barack Obama when Obama ran for U.S. Senate. In 2002, Kennedy was the general chairman for Paul Vallas' campaign for governor of Illinois.
In August 2009, Chris Kennedy thought about running for the U.S. Senate but decided not to. Later that month, after his uncle Ted passed away, Governor Pat Quinn appointed Kennedy to the University of Illinois board of trustees. In September 2009, the trustees elected him as their chairman.
Chris Kennedy had never run for an elected office before February 8, 2017. On that day, he announced he would seek the Democratic nomination for Illinois Governor in 2018. During his campaign, Kennedy spoke about needing a property tax system that wealthy people and insiders could not misuse. He criticized one of his opponents, J. B. Pritzker, for getting a large property tax reduction on his mansion. Kennedy said the property tax appeals system in Cook County was "inherently corruptible."
In June 2017, Congressman Bobby Rush endorsed Chris Kennedy's campaign. Kennedy asked the Cook County Democratic Party not to support any single candidate in the 2018 gubernatorial race. He wanted voters to be able to choose among all candidates. However, the party endorsed Pritzker in August 2017.
More recently, Chris Kennedy supported President Joe Biden's reelection campaign in the 2024 United States presidential election. This was against a challenge from his brother, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. After Biden decided not to run, Chris Kennedy endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign. He and his siblings criticized his brother Robert Jr.'s decision to support former President Donald Trump, calling it a "betrayal."
Business and Community Involvement
Chris Kennedy is on the board of trustees for the mutual funds managed by Ariel Investments. This is an investment-management firm based in Chicago. He is also the Chairman of the Board for Interface, a company that makes commercial flooring with a focus on being good for people and the planet. He also serves on the Executive Committee for the Marine Biological Laboratory, a research and education center.
From 1997 to 1999, Kennedy was the chairman of the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. This group promotes Chicago for tourism and conventions. Under his leadership, Chicago continued to attract many events and conventions.
Since 2000, Kennedy has been a member of the City Club of Chicago. This group brings together leaders to discuss issues affecting the Chicago area. Since 2005, he has also been a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago. This group works to improve industries and create new economic opportunities in the city.
Other Community Activities
- Since 1996, he has been a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. This group discusses global issues through leadership and education.
- Since 1996, Kennedy has been on the board of directors for The Irish Fellowship Club. This Chicago-based group works to preserve and promote Irish heritage.
- From 2006 to 2013, he served on the board of directors of Catholic Theological Union. This is a large Roman Catholic graduate school.
- He is involved with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. This non-profit provides food for hungry people and offers education to help break the cycle of poverty.
- He supports El Valor, a non-profit that helps people who are underserved, disadvantaged, or disabled.
- He is involved with Heartland Alliance, a human-rights group that helps low-income citizens with housing, healthcare, and legal protection.
- He served on the board of trustees for the University of Illinois from 2009 to 2015.
- He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Chicago Community Trust until 2015.
Real Estate Projects
As Chairman of Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, Inc., Chris Kennedy is in charge of developing the Kennedy family's real estate in Chicago. This area is known as Wolf Point, Chicago. The Wolf Point project is a large investment in downtown Chicago. It includes plans for apartments, a parking garage, and two more tall buildings.
Kennedy is also a partner in Sudbury Station LLC. This company plans to build a 250-unit rental housing development in Sudbury, Massachusetts. This project aims to provide affordable housing for seniors and working-class families. The proposed development has faced some criticism from local officials and residents.
See also
