Christopher G. Kennedy

Christopher George Kennedy, born on July 4, 1963, in Boston, Massachusetts, is an American businessman and a member of the Kennedy family. He serves as the chair of Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, Inc. Kennedy is a son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, a former United States Senator, and Ethel Kennedy (née Skakel). He is a nephew of John F. Kennedy, the 35th U.S. President, and Ted Kennedy, a long-serving U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. Kennedy is also a grandson of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, and a grandson of George Skakel through his mother’s family.

Kennedy was raised at Hickory Hill, the family estate in McLean, Virginia, located in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. For his early education, he attended Lady of Victory Catholic School in McLean through eighth grade. He later transferred to Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Maryland, where he graduated in 1982. During high school, he volunteered at a home for runaway youth. Kennedy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Boston College in 1986 and later obtained a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 1992.

His career includes serving as chairman of Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, Inc., the family’s investment firm. He has held various positions on several organizational boards, including treasurer of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, member of the Executive Committee for the Chicago Community Trust, and board memberships at Catholic Theological Union, Interface, Inc., and Knoll Inc. He is also on the mutual fund board for Ariel Investments. Kennedy began his professional life working for Archer Daniels Midland in Decatur, Illinois, in the 1980s, and has been involved with issues of hunger, notably as chairman of the Greater Chicago Food Depository and through the non-profit organization Top Box Foods, which he co-founded with his wife.

From 2000 to 2012, Kennedy served as president of Merchandise Mart Properties in Chicago, Illinois. The Merchandise Mart, one of his company’s properties, is the largest commercial building in the world, with 4.2 million square feet of space, spanning two city blocks and rising twenty-five stories. The venue hosts retail shops, showrooms, offices, and numerous trade and community events annually. The property was originally owned by the Kennedy family before being sold to Vornado Realty Trust.

Kennedy was appointed by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the University of Illinois, a position he held from 2009 to 2015. In 2015, he received the Spirit of Courage award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center due to his activism. His involvement in combating agricultural disease includes partnering with the International Potato Center (CIP) and 2Blades to develop the African Potato Initiative, which produces seed potatoes in Uganda and Kenya.

In the political realm, Kennedy's activism began early, working on campaigns for his uncle, Ted Kennedy, and his brother, Joe. He also organized fundraising efforts for other family members' political campaigns, including that of his cousin, Mark Kennedy Shriver. He served as general chairman of Paul Vallas' 2002 Illinois gubernatorial campaign. Kennedy was considered for a U.S. Senate run in 2009 but decided against it. That same year, he was appointed to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees and was elected Chairman in September.

Kennedy made a bid for the Democratic nomination for Illinois governor in 2018. During his campaign, he advocated for property tax reform and criticized some fellow Democratic candidates for their property tax policies, especially highlighting issues related to property tax appeals and conflicts of interest involving political figures. His campaign endorsed open primaries and called for transparency in the nomination process. Kennedy also endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

In his personal life, Kennedy married Sheila Sinclair Berner in 1987. They have four children: Katherine Berner Kennedy, Christopher George Kennedy Jr., Sarah Louise Kennedy, and Clare Elizabeth Kennedy. Sheila Berner earned a J.D. from Northwestern University and worked at Sidley & Austin law firm prior to focusing on family. Kennedy's family connections include relatives tied to notable political families and individuals involved in various public and private sector endeavors.