Remembering JFK's Sister Jean Kennedy Smith in Pictures

President John F. Kennedy's sister Jean Kennedy Smith died on Wednesday at 92.

Her death was confirmed by her daughter Kym Smith to The New York Times. She died in her New York home. She was the last surviving sister of the former president. She was born on February 20, 1928 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Jean Kennedy
Kennedy family at Thanksgiving at Hyannisport, Massachusetts, 1948. From left: John F. Kennedy, Jean Ann Smith, Rose Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy Sr., Patricia Lawford, Robert F. Kennedy, Eunice Mary Shriver, Edward Kennedy (squatting). © CORBIS/Corbis/Getty

According to her biography from the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, Smith studied at Sacred Heart schools in both the United States and England, before attending Manhattanville College, where she graduated as an English major. In 1945, she christened the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., a destroyer ship that was named for her brother, the eldest Kennedy sibling who was killed during World War II. In 1956, she married Stephen Edward Smith at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral. The two had four children together.

jean kennedy
Jean Kennedy, daughter of Joseph Patrick and Mrs. Kennedy Sr., and sister of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., is shown while christening the Destroyer. Bettmann/Getty
Jean Kennedy
5/19/1956-The former Jean Ann Kennedy walking down the aisle with her new husband Stephen Smith. Bettmann/Getty

Smith first became involved in politics during JFK's various political campaigns for Congress, Senate, and eventually president in 1960. During a 2010 interview with USA Today, she reflected on her time on the campaign trail. "People were very interested in our family, because we were such a big family and we were all involved in the quest for Jack," she said. "We got a lot more questions about that than we did about politics. And of course a lot of questions about his heroism during the war." She also said that her brother had a "great sense of humor about himself."

Jean John Kennedy
President John Kennedy and his sister Jean Smith attend the opening day of baseball together. Bettmann/Getty
jean kennedy smith
Jean Kennedy Smith, sister of the late President John F. Kennedy, walks along Giron Beach March 24, 2001,150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Havana, Cuba. The visit to the beach was made on the last... Jorge Rey/Newsmakers/Getty

From 1993 to 1998, President Bill Clinton appointed Smith as the U.S. ambassador to Ireland. According to a July 1998 article by The Irish Timesannouncing her retirement from the ambassador position, she not only represented U.S. interests in country but also worked with women's affairs, arts, and social networking to better understand issues. She retired only months after the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to Northern Ireland.

"The Irish people were willing to take me at face value, to give me the benefit of the doubt because I was a Kennedy," she said during her 1998 retirement, as reported in her obituary in The New York Times. "I was fortunate to be here to perhaps add momentum to what was happening."

Jean Kennedy Smith
Jean Kennedy Smith carries the Kennedy flame during a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the visit by US President John F Kennedy, on June 22, 2013 in New Ross, Ireland. Clodagh Kilcoyne/Getty
Bill Clinton Jean Kennedy SMith
U.S. President Bill Clinton(L) accepts a bowl of shamrocks in honor of St. Patrick's Day from Irish Prime Minister Albert Reynolds during a 17 March 1993 meeting in the White House Oval Office. PAUL RICHARDS/AFP/Getty

Besides her political career, Smith was also very involved in the arts. In 1974, she founded Very Special Arts, an international organization that supports artists with disabilities.

In her life, Smith received numerous awards and recognition for her commitment to public service. She received both the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service from the American Institutes for Public Service and the Margaret Mead Humanitarian Award from the Council of Cerebral Palsy Auxiliaries, according to her JFK Library bio. In 2010, she was awarded the Presidential Honor of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

Jean Kennedy
U.S. President Barack Obama (L) presents The International Organization on Arts and Disability founder Jean Kennedy Smith with the 2010 Medal of Freedom that he presented in the East Room of the White House February... Chip Somodevilla/Getty

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer



To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go