Rosemary Kennedy: A Life of Promise, Tragedy, and Secrecy
Rosemary Kennedy, born on Friday 13 September 1918, was the third child and eldest daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. She belonged to a family that would become one of the most prominent and scrutinised in 20th-century America, a dynasty marked by both extraordinary achievement and unfathomable tragedy.
While her brothers John, Robert, and Ted Kennedy would rise to political prominence, Rosemary’s life followed a different and devastating trajectory. Once a beloved and charming presence in elite circles, she would disappear from public view at the age of 23, following a life-altering decision made by her father. Her story is as much a reflection of the family’s ambitions and societal pressures as it is a tale of personal suffering.
The Kennedy Family: A Dynasty on the Rise
Rosemary was born into privilege and power. Her father, Joseph P. Kennedy, was a self-made millionaire whose fortune spanned industries as varied as film, steel, and whisky. He was an ambitious man, deeply focused on the political and social advancement of his family. Rosemary’s mother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, hailed from Boston’s Catholic aristocracy. Intensely devout, she embodied discipline and tradition, values she sought to instil in her children.
Together, Joseph and Rose had nine children, and their lives became the stuff of legend. Their eldest son, Joe Jr., was groomed from birth for the presidency but was killed in a World War II aviation mission in 1944. John F. Kennedy would take up that mantle, becoming the 35th president in 1960, only to be assassinated in 1963. Robert Kennedy, a U.S. senator and attorney general, was assassinated in 1968 while campaigning for the presidency. The youngest son, Ted, faced scandal and personal turmoil after the infamous Chappaquiddick car accident in 1969.
Beyond these well-known tragedies, the family endured numerous others: Kathleen, the fourth Kennedy child, was killed in a plane crash in 1948, and several later generations would face untimely deaths. This sequence of misfortunes became known as the "Kennedy Curse," but Rosemary’s plight often remained a footnote in the family’s troubled narrative.
A Difficult Start: Birth Complications and Early Challenges
Rosemary’s life was shaped by her difficult entry into the world. At the time of her birth, Brookline, Massachusetts, was in the grip of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which killed millions worldwide. With the attending doctor delayed by the crisis, the midwife instructed Rose Kennedy to delay the delivery by clamping her legs together. For two agonising hours, Rose followed these instructions, likely depriving her baby of oxygen.
As Rosemary grew, the effects of this traumatic birth became evident. She experienced developmental delays and struggled with basic tasks like reading and writing. Specialists later attributed her condition to oxygen deprivation during delivery, calling it a “uterine accident.”
The Kennedys, ambitious and image-conscious, worked hard to conceal her difficulties. In an era where disabilities were stigmatised, they feared that any sign of imperfection could threaten their family’s social and political aspirations. Rosemary’s disabilities were often hidden or downplayed, and she was shuffled between more than a dozen special schools in the United States and the United Kingdom.
A Brief Moment in the Spotlight
The late 1930s offered a rare period of joy and success for Rosemary. When her father was appointed U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1938, the Kennedy family relocated to London, immersing themselves in British high society. Rosemary and her younger sister, Kathleen, became instant favourites of the press, their beauty and charm helping to endear the Kennedys to their new social circles.
In May 1938, Rosemary and Kathleen were presented at Buckingham Palace to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Newspapers lauded Rosemary’s appearance, with the Evening Standard describing her as “exquisite” in a white gown embroidered with silver. The young woman seemed to thrive under the attention, and for a brief time, her disabilities were overshadowed by her radiant public persona.
However, the pressures of high society took their toll. Photographs from the time reveal her father tightly gripping her arm during public events to prevent her from stumbling. Rosemary often felt overwhelmed by the scrutiny, and her behavioural issues became harder to manage.
The Downward Spiral: War, Isolation, and Behavioural Decline
When World War II broke out in 1939, the Kennedy family returned to the United States. Rosemary’s transition back home was fraught with difficulty. Separated from the structure and support she had found in England, she began to regress. Violent tantrums, erratic behaviour, and instances of sneaking out at night to meet men alarmed her family. Her actions were seen as a threat not only to her safety but to the family’s reputation.
Accounts from the time paint a picture of a young woman struggling against the constraints imposed on her. At one point, she lashed out at her maternal grandfather, Honey Fitz, kicking and hitting him in a fit of rage. The family, desperate to control her, sent her to a convent. However, the nuns there struggled to manage her, frequently reporting that she wandered the streets at night, defiant of curfews and restrictions.
The Lobotomy: A Tragic Decision
In 1941, Joseph Kennedy, alarmed by Rosemary’s escalating behaviour, decided to pursue a drastic solution. Without consulting his wife, he authorised a lobotomy—a controversial and experimental procedure intended to curb her mood swings and erratic behaviour.
The surgery, performed by Dr. Walter Freeman and Dr. James Watts, involved drilling into Rosemary’s skull and severing connections in her brain’s frontal lobes. She was awake during the procedure and was asked to recite simple tasks to gauge its progress. Partway through, she fell silent, and it became clear that the operation had been a catastrophic failure.
Rosemary was left severely incapacitated. She could no longer walk or speak coherently and required lifelong care. Her father, reportedly wracked with guilt, had her institutionalised at Saint Coletta’s School for Exceptional Children in Wisconsin. There, she lived out the remainder of her days, largely hidden from public view.
Rosemary Kennedy's years of Isolation
For decades, Rosemary’s existence was a closely guarded secret. Doctors and family directives discouraged visitors, fearing that her condition might disrupt the Kennedys’ public image. She lived in a private cottage on the Saint Coletta campus, cared for by devoted nuns.
Her siblings gradually reconnected with her in later years, particularly after their father suffered a debilitating stroke in the 1960s. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, deeply moved by Rosemary’s plight, became a fierce advocate for individuals with intellectual disabilities, founding the Special Olympics in 1968. Rosemary’s story thus indirectly contributed to a major shift in societal attitudes and support systems for people with disabilities.
A Quiet End
Rosemary Kennedy passed away in 2005 at the age of 86. By then, she had spent over 60 years living in quiet isolation, her once-bright potential eclipsed by tragedy. Her life, though often forgotten in the broader Kennedy narrative, stands as a stark reminder of the costs of societal stigma and the devastating consequences of misguided medical practices.
Rosemary Kennedy’s story is one of both heartbreak and quiet heroism. Though her life was shaped by profound suffering, it inspired meaningful change. Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s advocacy reshaped public perceptions of intellectual and developmental disabilities, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to benefit millions.
Today, Rosemary’s life is remembered not just as a chapter in the Kennedy saga, but as a cautionary tale about the importance of compassion, understanding, and the enduring need to support society’s most vulnerable members.