Kennedy, Kathleen (1920–1948)

American socialite and sister of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Name variations: Kick; Marchioness of Hartington. Born Kathleen Agnes Kennedy in 1920; died in a plane crash in Belgium on May 13, 1948; daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy (1888–1969, a financier, diplomat, and head of several government commissions) and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (1890–1995); attended Sacred Heart Convent, Roehampton, England; attended Fitch Junior College; married William "Billy" Cavendish (1917–1944), marquess of Hartington and future duke of Devonshire, in May 1944 (shot by a German sniper on September 9, 1944).

Kathleen Kennedy was born in 1920, the daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy . Blonde and petite, Kathleen, nicknamed "Kick" by her father, was the most lively and vivacious of the Kennedy girls. Her father's favorite, she was also particularly close to her brothers Joseph Kennedy, Jr. and John Fitzgerald Kennedy. "Those three—Joe Junior, Jack, and Kick—were like a family within the family, a charmed triangle," said a friend. "They were the pick of the litter, the ones the old man thought would write the story of the next generation."

After her debut in London in 1938, while her father was U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, Kathleen became popular with World War II English society and began dating William Cavendish (Billy to his friends), the eldest son of the duke of Devonshire and heir to an enormous estate. The Irish-Catholic Kennedys were strongly opposed to the match because Cavendish was Protestant, and when the two married in a civil ceremony on May 6, 1944, only Kathleen's brother, Joe Junior, was present to represent the Kennedys. Following the honeymoon, Cavendish, who was serving with the Coldstream Guards in France, returned to his unit, while Kathleen went home to try and patch things up with her family. Tragically, Cavendish was killed by a German sniper just a month after Kathleen's brother Joe Junior, a Navy pilot, lost his life in a plane crash. Mourning both her husband and her brother, Kathleen took up residence in England where she worked with the Red Cross until the end of the war. Gradually, she eased back into society, dating a number of prominent young men and turning her house in Smith Square into something of a salon for such luminaries as Anthony Eden, George Bernard Shaw, and Evelyn Waugh.

When Kathleen fell in love again, her choice was Peter Fitzwilliam, an elegant and wealthy aristocrat who was not only Protestant, but married. Described as older, charming, something of a rake, Fitzwilliam was said to have many of the same qualities as Joe Kennedy, Jr. Early in 1948, Kathleen came home to tell her family that she planned to wed Fitzwilliam after he divorced his wife. Her mother Rose, the one most shaken by the announcement, threatened to disown Kathleen if she went through with the marriage. Joseph Kennedy was more open to compromise and planned to ask for some sort of dispensation from the pope that might allow Kathleen to marry without losing her standing as a Catholic. Before he had a chance to do anything, Kathleen and Fitzwilliam were killed in a private plane crash over Belgium on their way to a holiday weekend getaway. Joseph Kennedy was the only family member to attend Kathleen's funeral and burial, which took place in England at the request of the Cavendish family. At Joe's request, the Boston papers related that the couple were only casual acquaintances, and that Kathleen had accepted the plane ride only because she had a pressing appointment in Paris.

sources:

Collier, Peter, and David Horowitz. The Kennedys: An American Drama. NY: Warner Books, 1984.

suggested reading:

McTaggart, Lynne. Kathleen Kennedy: Her Life and Times. NY: Dial Press, 1983.