Patricia Kennedy Lawford

Patricia Helen Lawford (née Kennedy) was born on May 6, 1924, in Brookline, Massachusetts. She was a member of the Kennedy family, the daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy. She was the sister of President John F. Kennedy, U.S. Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, and the sister-in-law of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Educationally, Patricia attended Roehampton Sacred Heart Convent School, now known as Woldingham School, in London, and Maplehurst Sacred Heart Convent School in Bronxville, New York. In 1945, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rosemont College, where she was actively involved in theatrical directing and acting.

Patricia Kennedy was known for her interest in travel and Hollywood, interests inspired by her father’s career in the film industry as a prior head of RKO Pictures. From childhood, she was fascinated with Hollywood and wrote about her travels for foreign and independent press. Her early career included work as an assistant in NBC’s New York production department, followed by roles assisting singer Kate Smith’s radio program and Father Peyton’s Family Rosary Crusade.

At age 22, she served as the producer of "I Love to Eat," which was the first cooking program on network television, aired on NBC-TV. Her social circle included Edith Rosenbaum, a Titanic survivor whom Patricia befriended and who became the godmother to her children.

Patricia Lawford was actively involved in her brothers’ political campaigns. She participated in political events such as "tea parties" around Boston during John F. Kennedy’s 1946 congressional campaign and traveled across the United States during the 1960 presidential campaign to support her brother. She also played roles in her brothers Robert and Ted Kennedy’s presidential campaigns.

In 1949, she met English actor Peter Lawford through her brother John Kennedy. They announced their engagement in February 1954 and married on April 24, 1954, at St. Thomas More Church in New York City. The couple settled in Santa Monica, California, and had four children: Christopher Lawford (1955–2018), Sydney Maleia Lawford, Victoria Francis Lawford, and Robin Elizabeth Lawford.

Peter Lawford, a member of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack," was known for hosting glamorous parties at their Malibu estate, which drew guests such as Marilyn Monroe. Their marriage faced difficulties, including Lawford’s struggles with alcohol, extramarital affairs, and drug addiction. Patricia found her marriage strained by differences related to her Catholic faith and her family’s prominence. Following her brother John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, she filed for legal separation, and the marriage was officially dissolved in February 1966. She did not remarry.

In her later years, Patricia Kennedy Lawford battled alcoholism and tongue cancer. She collaborated with the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum and the National Center on Addiction. She was also a founder of the National Committee for the Literary Arts, organizing author lectures and scholarship programs.

Patricia Kennedy Lawford died of pneumonia on September 17, 2006, at the age of 82 in her Manhattan home. She is buried in Southampton Cemetery.