Mary Jo Kopechne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Jo Kopechne
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1962 college yearbook portrait
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| Born | July 26, 1940 |
| Died | July 18 or 19, 1969 (aged 28) Poucha Pond, Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Drowning |
| Burial place | Larksville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Caldwell College |
| Occupation | Teacher, secretary, political campaign worker |
| Known for | Chappaquiddick incident |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Parent(s) | Joseph and Gwen Kopechne |
Mary Jo Kopechne (July 26, 1940 – July 18 or 19, 1969) was an American woman who worked as a secretary and helped with political campaigns. She was part of a special team called the "Boiler Room Girls" for U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign. In 1969, she died in a car accident on Chappaquiddick Island. The car was driven by U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy. It went off a narrow road and overturned into Poucha Pond. Her body and the car were found the next morning.
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Early Life and Education
Mary Jo Kopechne was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She was the only child of Gwen and Joseph Kopechne. Her family had Polish roots through her father. Both of her grandfathers worked as coal miners in Pennsylvania.
When Mary Jo was a baby, her family moved to Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. She grew up in the Catholic faith and went to Catholic schools. In 1962, she graduated from Caldwell College for Women with a degree in business.
Career in Politics
Mary Jo was inspired by President John F. Kennedy's famous words: "Ask what you can do for your country". After college, she moved to Montgomery, Alabama. There, she worked at the Mission of St. Jude, which was involved in the Civil Rights Movement. She also taught business classes at Montgomery Catholic High School. Students remembered her as confident, kind, and fun.
By 1963, Mary Jo moved to Washington, D.C. She worked as a secretary for U.S. Senator George Smathers. After Robert F. Kennedy was elected Senator in 1964, she joined his staff. She was a loyal worker. She once stayed up all night to type a big speech for Senator Kennedy. She also loved playing catcher on the Kennedy office softball team.
During the 1968 presidential election, Mary Jo helped with Senator Kennedy's campaign. She was one of the "Boiler Room Girls". This was a friendly nickname for six young women who worked in a busy office. They collected important information about how different states planned to vote. Mary Jo was in charge of information for Pennsylvania. These women were chosen for their political knowledge and ability to work long hours. They were very important to the campaign.
Mary Jo was very sad when Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. She felt she couldn't go back to work on Capitol Hill. Her father said, "Politics was her life." In September 1968, she started working for Matt Reese Associates. This company helped politicians set up their campaigns. She worked on several campaigns, including one for a mayor in Jersey City, New Jersey. People who worked with her described her as a very skilled and hard-working professional.
Mary Jo lived with three other women in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. She was a fan of the Boston Red Sox baseball team. She was also a devoted Roman Catholic and was known for being serious and rarely drinking much.
The Chappaquiddick Incident
On July 18, 1969, Mary Jo Kopechne went to a party on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts. The party was a reunion for the "Boiler Room Girls" who had worked on Robert Kennedy's campaign. Senator Ted Kennedy, Robert's brother, was also there.
Mary Jo reportedly left the party with Senator Kennedy around 11:15 p.m. Kennedy later said he was driving her to catch the last ferry back to Edgartown, where she was staying. She left her purse and keys behind at the party. Kennedy drove his car, a 1967 Oldsmobile, off a narrow, unlit bridge. The bridge did not have guardrails and was not on the way to Edgartown. The car landed upside down in Poucha Pond.
Senator Kennedy got out of the car and survived. Mary Jo, however, drowned. The car and Mary Jo's body were found the next morning. A private funeral for Mary Jo was held in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, on July 22, 1969. Senator Kennedy and his wife attended. Mary Jo was buried in St. Vincent's Cemetery in Larksville, Pennsylvania.
The exact time and details of Mary Jo's death are not fully known. The fire rescue captain who found her body believed she might have lived for a short time in an air pocket inside the car.
After the Incident
The events surrounding Mary Jo Kopechne's death became the subject of many books. These events affected Senator Kennedy's public image. They are seen as a main reason why he never ran for President of the United States.
Senator Kennedy later wrote in his memoir, True Compass, that he regretted his role in Mary Jo's death. Her parents received a settlement from Kennedy's insurance company. They said that Senator Kennedy never apologized to them directly. However, other members of the Kennedy family did write letters to them. Mary Jo's parents felt that justice was never fully achieved.
Mary Jo's Legacy
In 2015, two of Mary Jo's cousins wrote a book called Our Mary Jo. This book focused on her life and influence, rather than the accident. It also included many letters of sympathy her parents received. Because Mary Jo believed strongly in education and was very Catholic, her family started a scholarship fund in her name at Misericordia University.
In 2017, actress Kate Mara played Mary Jo Kopechne in the film Chappaquiddick. A full biography, Before Chappaquiddick: The Untold Story of Mary Jo Kopechne, was published in 2020. The author, William C. Kashatus, wanted to show Mary Jo as an example of the hardworking and religious culture of her home area.
Mary Jo Kopechne and the Chappaquiddick incident are also mentioned in the TV series For All Mankind. This show imagines an alternate history where the accident never happened.
Images for kids
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1962 college yearbook portrait
