{{Short description|American diplomat (1928–2020)}} {{Use American English|date=May 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Jean Kennedy Smith |image = Jean Kennedy c1953.jpg |caption = Smith in 1953 |office = United States Ambassador to Ireland |president = Bill Clinton |term_start = June 24, 1993 |term_end = September 17, 1998 |predecessor = William H. G. FitzGerald |successor = Mike Sullivan |birth_name = Jean Ann Kennedy |birth_date = February 20, 1928 |birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|06|17|1928|02|20}} |death_place = New York City, U.S. |party = Democratic |spouse = {{marriage|Stephen Edward Smith|1956|1990|end=died}} |children = 4, including William |parents = Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.<br />Rose Fitzgerald |relatives = Kennedy family |education = Manhattanville College (BA) }} '''Jean Ann Kennedy Smith''' (née '''Kennedy'''; February 20, 1928 – June 17, 2020) was an American diplomat, activist, humanitarian, and author who served as United States Ambassador to Ireland from 1993 to 1998. A member of the Kennedy family, Kennedy was the eighth of nine children (and youngest daughter) born to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy. Her siblings included President of the United States John F. Kennedy, United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York, United States Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, Rosemary Kennedy, and Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
As Ambassador to Ireland, Smith was instrumental in the Northern Ireland peace process as President Bill Clinton's representative in Dublin. She successfully urged President Clinton to grant a controversial visa to Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams; Adams's ensuing trip to the United States helped lead to an Irish Republican Army ceasefire. Smith was later reprimanded by Secretary of State Warren Christopher for retaliating against two employees who disagreed with her stance on the Adams visa. Smith stepped down from her ambassador position shortly after the signing of the historic Good Friday Agreement in 1998. President of Ireland Mary McAleese conferred honorary Irish citizenship on Smith in 1998 in recognition of her service to the country.
Smith was the founder of VSA Kennedy Center (previously Very Special Arts), an internationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to creating a society where people with disabilities can engage with the arts. In 2011, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, by President Barack Obama for her work with VSA and with people with disabilities.
==Early years== Jean Ann Kennedy was born on February 20, 1928, at St. Margaret's Center for Women and Children in the Dorchester section of Boston, Massachusetts, on her elder sister Kathleen Kennedy Cavendish's eighth birthday.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/431150181|title="Joe" Kennedy Father 8th Time|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=February 21, 1928|access-date=June 14, 2022}}</ref><ref name=jfklibrary/><ref name="romano">{{cite news | url=https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/irish-america-hall-of-fame-jean-kennedy-smith-117752328-237375001 | last=Romano | first=Kristin | title=Irish America Hall of Fame: Jean Kennedy Smith | work=IrishCentral | date=March 10, 2011}}</ref> Kennedy was the eighth of nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy.<ref name="upi.com">{{cite news | url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/12/10/William-Smith-Low-key-Kennedy-heir/9499692341200/ | title=William Smith: Low-key Kennedy heir | first=John R. | last=Hicks| work=United Press International | date=December 10, 1991}}</ref> Her other siblings were Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President and Senator John F. Kennedy, Rose Marie Kennedy, Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Patricia Kennedy Lawford, and U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Her younger brother was U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy.<ref name="guard" />
Kennedy has been described as the shyest and most guarded of the Kennedy children. She attended Manhattanville College (at the time a Society of the Sacred Heart school, and still located in Purchase, New York), where she befriended future sisters-in-law Ethel Kennedy (who married Kennedy's older brother Robert in 1950) and Joan Bennett Kennedy (who married Kennedy's younger brother Ted in 1958).<ref name=lastkennedy>{{cite news | url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TedKennedy/jean-kennedy-smith-kennedy/story?id=8421544 | title=The Last Kennedy: A Closer Look at Jean Kennedy Smith | first=Troy| last=McMullen| work=ABC News | date=August 26, 2009}}</ref> Kennedy graduated from Manhattanville in 1949.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aol.com/entertainment/jean-kennedy-smith-last-surviving-141210216.html|title=Jean Kennedy Smith, Last Surviving JFK Sibling, Dies at 92|website=AOL|date=June 18, 2020}}</ref> thumb|Jean Kennedy with her siblings at the wedding of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier, 1953
==Career==
===Political involvement=== Kennedy (known as Jean Kennedy Smith following her 1956 marriage to Stephen Edward Smith) was intricately involved with the political career of her older brother John. She worked on his 1946 congressional campaign in Boston, his 1952 U.S. Senate campaign in Massachusetts, and, ultimately, his presidential campaign in 1960. She and her siblings helped John knock on doors in primary states such as West Virginia and Wisconsin, and on the campaign trail played the role of sister more than volunteer, citing her parents' family lesson of "working together for something".<ref>{{cite news | last=Plitt | first=Todd | url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-09-26-jfk-jean-kennedy-smith_N.htm | title=JFK's Sister Jean Kennedy Smith Reflects] | work=USA Today | date=September 26, 2010}}</ref>
===Very Special Arts=== In 1974, Smith founded Very Special Arts,<ref name="irishcentral.com">{{cite news | url=https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/jean-kennedy-smith-to-write-new-book-on-jfk-and-her-famous-family | title=Jean Kennedy Smith to write new book on JFK and her famous family | first=James | last=O'Shea | work=IrishCentral | date=March 20, 2016}}</ref> now known as the Department of VSA and Accessibility at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. VSA provides arts and education programming for youth and adults with disabilities. As of 2011, VSA's programs reportedly served "some 276,000 students in 43 states and 52 countries".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/cuts-leave-vsa-arts-programs-for-the-disabled-in-limbo/2011/07/28/gIQArlU8uI_story.html | title=Cuts leave VSA arts programs for the disabled in limbo | first=Joe | last=Heim | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=August 4, 2011}}</ref> Smith traveled extensively throughout the world on behalf of VSA to advocate for greater inclusion in the arts for people with disabilities. Her book, ''Chronicles of Courage: Very Special Artists,'' co-written with George Plimpton, was published by Random House in April 1993.<ref name=jfklibrary>{{cite web | url=https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/the-kennedy-family/jean-kennedy-smith | title=Jean Kennedy Smith | date=November 3, 2021 | publisher=John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum}}</ref>
===U.S. Ambassador to Ireland=== In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Smith the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.afsa.org/appointments-william-j-clinton | title=Appointments – William J. Clinton | publisher=American Foreign Service Association}}</ref> The appointment continued a legacy of diplomacy begun by Smith's father, Joseph Kennedy, who was the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom during the administration of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.deseretnews.com/top/1870/1/1937-2-Joseph-Kennedy-Sr-is-appointed-ambassador-to-the-United-Kingdom-Defining-moments-from-John.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421210005/https://www.deseretnews.com/top/1870/1/1937-2-Joseph-Kennedy-Sr-is-appointed-ambassador-to-the-United-Kingdom-Defining-moments-from-John.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 21, 2019 | title=Defining moments from John F. Kennedy's life | work=Deseret News | first=Freeman | last=Stevenson | date=September 26, 2013}}</ref> As ambassador, Smith played a significant role in the Northern Ireland peace process.<ref name="pivotal" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-independent.com/news/obituaries/jean-kennedy-smith-dead-ambassador-northern-ireland-peace-a9581051.html|title=Jean Kennedy Smith: US ambassador and architect of peace in Northern Ireland|date=June 24, 2020|website=The Independent|last=Bzdek|first=Vincent}}</ref>
In January 1994, President Clinton granted a U.S. visa to Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams.<ref name="hall">{{cite web| url = https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/irish-america-hall-of-fame-jean-kennedy-smith-117752328-237375001| title = Irish America Hall of Fame: Jean Kennedy Smith| date = June 19, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/02/world/president-overruled-officials-in-granting-a-visa-to-adams.html|title=President Overruled Officials In Granting a Visa to Adams|website=The New York Times|last=Apple Jr. |first=R.W. |date=February 2, 1994}}</ref> Smith played a major part in persuading Clinton to take this action,<ref name="guard">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/19/jean-kennedy-smith-obituary|title=Jean Kennedy Smith obituary|first=Michael|last=Carlson|work=The Guardian |date=June 19, 2020}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/news/503354-jean-kennedy-smith-last-surviving-jfk-sibling-dies-at-92/|title=Jean Kennedy Smith, last surviving JFK sibling, dies at 92|website=thehill.com|last=Klar|first=Rebecca|date=June 18, 2020}}</ref> and she was criticized for her stance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/nation-world/1998/01/21/kennedy-defends-aunt-ambassador-to/50585192007/|title=Kennedy defends aunt, ambassador to Ireland|website=New Bedford Standard-Times|date=January 20, 1998}}</ref><ref name="auto"/> The visa was opposed by Great Britain, which considered Adams a terrorist due to his links to the Irish Republican Army.<ref name="auto"/> In her brother Ted's memoir, he said, "Jean was convinced that Adams no longer believed that continuing the armed struggle was the way to achieve the IRA's objective of a united Ireland", and added that it took "only a couple of hours' conversation with Jean...to discover what was the most important thing on her mind – the opportunity for a breakthrough in the Northern Ireland stalemate".<ref>Kennedy, Edward M. True Compass: A Memoir. New York: Twelve, 2009. Print.</ref> Adams later stated that his 1994 trip to the United States--made possible by the visa--was a key step in the Northern Ireland peace process that led to the Irish Republican Army ceasefire in August 1994.<ref name="pivotal">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-47072146|title=Gerry Adams: New York in 1994 visit 'pivotal to peace'|date=February 1, 2019|via=www.bbc.com|last=Simpson|first=Mark}}</ref>
In March 1996, Smith was reprimanded by U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher for retaliating against two Foreign Service Officers at the Embassy of the United States in Dublin who had objected to her recommendation to the U.S. government to grant Adams the visa and had sent in a "Dissent Channel" message.<ref>{{cite news | last=Engleberg | first=Stephen | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/08/world/us-says-envoy-to-ireland-wrongly-punished-2-colleagues.html | title=U.S. Says Envoy to Ireland Wrongly Punished 2 Colleagues | work=The New York Times | date=March 8, 1996 | url-access=subscription}}</ref> The ''Foreign Service Journal'' called the U.S. State Department's report on the matter "scathingly critical".<ref>Gilbert, Richard (July 1996). [http://www.afsa.org/fsj/July/julfocus.cfm "Dissent in Dublin – For 2 FSOs, Cable Drew Retribution And Frustration"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927041339/http://www.afsa.org/fsj/July/julfocus.cfm |date=September 27, 2007 }}. ''Foreign Service Journal''. Accessed August 25, 2009.</ref>
Smith's management of the embassy came under criticism by the ''Boston Herald'' in December 1996, when she reportedly pressured embassy staff to spend taxpayer money to refurbish her residence in Dublin.<ref>''Boston Herald'' Abstract (Undated) (full article requires purchase). Battenfeld, Joe (December 19, 1996). [https://web.archive.org/web/20121022104346/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/17354833.html?dids=17354833:17354833&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+19,+1996&author=Joe+Battenfeld&pub=Boston+Herald&edition=&startpage=001&desc=Queen+Jean+-+Kennedy+sis+spends+bundle+to+redecorate+embassy+home "Queen Jean – Kennedy Sis Spends Bundle to Redecorate Embassy Home"]. ''Boston Herald''. Accessed September 1, 2009. </ref><ref>''Boston Herald'' Abstract (Undated) (full article requires purchase). Battenfeld, Joe (December 20, 1996). [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/17355175.html?dids=17355175:17355175&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+20%2C+1996&author=JOE+BATTENFELD&pub=Boston+Herald&edition=&startpage=004&desc=Jean+K+rug+plan+floored+aides+Ambassador+ordered+carpet+via+family+associate "Jean K Rug Plan Floored Aides – Ambassador Ordered Carpet ''via'' Family Associate"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022104358/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/17355175.html?dids=17355175:17355175&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+20,+1996&author=JOE+BATTENFELD&pub=Boston+Herald&edition=&startpage=004&desc=Jean+K+rug+plan+floored+aides+Ambassador+ordered+carpet+via+family+associate |date=October 22, 2012 }}, ''Boston Herald''. Accessed September 1, 2009.</ref> Smith was also alleged to have violated U.S. conflict-of-interest laws. The United States Department of Justice issued a press release on September 22, 2000, announcing that she had paid $5,000 in a civil settlement to resolve the allegations.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2000/September/558crm.htm | title=Department of Justice and Former Ambassador Settle Allegations of Conflict of Interest Violation | publisher=United States Department of Justice | date=September 22, 2000}}</ref>
As a demonstration of her ecumenical views, on at least one occasion, Smith--a Roman Catholic--received communion in a cathedral of the Church of Ireland, an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/us-ambassador-takes-communion-in-christ-church-as-private-citizen-1.139691 | title=US ambassador takes Communion in Christ Church 'as private citizen' | first=Patsy | last=McGarry | newspaper=The Irish Times | date=December 22, 1997}}</ref>
President of Ireland Mary McAleese conferred honorary Irish citizenship on Smith in 1998, in recognition of her service to the country.<ref name="romano" /> During a ceremony, McAleese praised Smith's "fixedness of purpose". Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern told Smith, "You have helped bring about a better life for everyone throughout Ireland."<ref name="irishcentral.com"/>
On July 4, 1998, about three months after the historic Good Friday Agreement of April 10, 1998, Smith retired as ambassador to Ireland.<ref name=IT1998-07-04a>{{cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/a-job-well-done-1.169851 | title=A Job Well Done | work=Irish Times | date=July 4, 1998}}</ref>
==Awards and later work== [[File:Medal of Freedom Ceremony (5448739597).jpg|thumb|President Barack Obama bestowing Kennedy with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011]]
A humanitarian,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53095039|title=Jean Kennedy Smith: Last JFK sibling and US envoy dies aged 92|date=June 18, 2020|via=www.bbc.com}}</ref> Smith won several awards for her work in Ireland and in the disability community. She was awarded honorary citizenship by the Government of Ireland in 1998.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/kennedy-smith-given-honorary-citizenship-1.177237 | title=Kennedy Smith given honorary citizenship | first=Maol Muire| last=Tynan | newspaper=The Irish Times | date=July 27, 1998}}</ref> In 2007, Smith received the Gold Medal Award from the Éire Society of Boston<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.eiresociety.org/event/goldmedaldinner/2007/ | title=Gold Medal Dinner & Award Ceremony Honoring Former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Ms. Jean Kennedy Smith; Gold Medal Dinner & Award Ceremony – May 3, 2007 at the Park Plaza, Boston | publisher=Eire Society of Boston | access-date=July 28, 2019 | archive-date=May 18, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518150905/http://www.eiresociety.org/event/goldmedaldinner/2007/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> for her peace efforts in Northern Ireland and for her humanitarian work with disabled children. In 2009, Smith and Ted Kennedy were honored with the Tipperary Peace Prize for their support of the peace process in Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.irishcentral.com/news/kennedy-family-honored-with-irish-peace-award-96790454-237700831 | title=Kennedy family honored with Irish peace award | first=Cathy| last=Hayes | work=IrishCentral | date=June 21, 2010}}</ref>
In February 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Smith the Presidential Medal of Freedom,<ref>{{cite news| title= President Obama Names Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients | url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2010/11/17/president-obama-names-presidential-medal-freedom-recipients | via= National Archives | work= whitehouse.gov |date=February 15, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Obama Honors Buffett, George H.W. Bush With Medal of Freedom | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-15/obama-honors-buffett-george-h-w-bush-with-medal-of-freedom.html| first=Julianna | last=Goldman | work=Bloomberg News | date=February 15, 2011}}</ref> the nation's highest civilian honor, for her work with people with disabilities.
On March 15, 2011, Smith was inducted into ''Irish America'' magazine's Irish America Hall of Fame.<ref name="romano" />
Smith was listed as Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith in the credits of the 2012 movie ''Lincoln'' for portraying a "woman shouter".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://observer.com/2012/11/lincoln-rex-reed-daniel-day-lewis-tommy-lee-jones/ | title=Arid Abe: Lincoln Is as Wooden as Washington's Teeth | first=Rex | last=Reed | work=The New York Observer | date=November 6, 2012}}</ref>
In October 2016, Smith published ''The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy'', a memoir of the Kennedy clan.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2016/10/23/books-new-and-noteworthy/91911848/ | title=Books: New and noteworthy | first=Jocelyn | last=McClurg | work=USA Today | date=October 23, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title=The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy | first=Jean | last=Kennedy Smith | publisher=HarperCollins | date=October 25, 2016}}</ref>
==Personal life== On May 19, 1956, Jean Kennedy married businessman Stephen Edward Smith in the Lady Chapel of St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York.<ref name="irishcentral.com"/> The Smiths maintained a lower profile than some other members of the extended Kennedy family. Stephen and Jean had two biological sons, Stephen Jr., and William, and later adopted two daughters, Amanda and Kym.<ref name="upi.com"/> In 1991, William Kennedy Smith was acquitted of rape at a trial that attracted extensive media coverage.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/12/us/smith-acquitted-of-rape-charge-after-brief-deliberation-by-jury.html?scp=5&sq=william%20kennedy%20smith&st=cse|title=Smith Acquitted of Rape Charge After Brief Deliberation by Jury|last=Margolick|first=David|date=12 December 1991|work=The New York Times|page=1|access-date=15 June 2010}}</ref>
Smith and her husband were present at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968 during the assassination of her older brother Robert F. Kennedy.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/reporter-covers-rfk-assassination-article-1.2237677 | title=Robert F. Kennedy's assassination: From ballroom to the hospital | first=Paul | last=Healy | work=New York Daily News | date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
Smith's elder sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver died on August 11, 2009. Smith did not attend Eunice's funeral on August 14, choosing to stay with their brother Ted, who was terminally ill; he died on August 25, leaving Smith as the last living child of Joseph and Rose Kennedy.<ref name=lastkennedy/> Smith attended Ted's funeral on August 29.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112374204 | title=Rain, Tears At Boston's Farewell To Kennedy | first=Robert | last=Smith | work=NPR | date=August 29, 2009}}</ref>
== Death == Smith died at her home in Manhattan on June 17, 2020, at the age of 92, two months after the death of her great-niece Maeve Kennedy McKean and her son Gideon. She was the last living, and the longest-lived, of the nine children of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jean Kennedy Smith, Kennedy sister and architect of peace in Northern Ireland, dies at 92|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/jean-kennedy-smith-kennedy-sister-and-architect-of-peace-in-northern-ireland-dies-at-92/2020/06/18/a236b0b0-b15a-11ea-8758-bfd1d045525a_story.html|first=Vincent P.|last=Bzdek |date=June 18, 2020|access-date=June 18, 2020|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0808651}} * [http://education.kennedy-center.org/education/vsa/jean_kennedy.cfm/ The Kennedy Center: U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy Smith] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116150126/https://education.kennedy-center.org/education/vsa/jean_kennedy.cfm/ |date=November 16, 2019 }} * {{C-SPAN|28240}}
{{S-start}} {{S-dip}} {{Succession box|title=United States Ambassador to Ireland|before=William H. G. FitzGerald||after=Michael J. Sullivan|years=1993–1998}} {{S-end}}
{{Kennedy family|state=collapsed}} {{US Ambassadors to Ireland}} {{John F. Kennedy}} {{Robert F. Kennedy}} {{Ted Kennedy}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Jean Kennedy}} Category:1928 births Category:2020 deaths Category:20th-century American diplomats Category:20th-century Roman Catholics Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers Category:21st-century American women writers Category:21st-century Roman Catholics Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Ireland Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American Roman Catholic writers Category:Women ambassadors of the United States Category:American women non-fiction writers Category:Catholics from Massachusetts Category:Clinton administration personnel Category:Convent of the Sacred Heart (NYC) alumni Jean Category:Manhattanville University alumni Category:Massachusetts Democrats Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Category:Schools of the Sacred Heart alumni Category:Writers from Boston Category:Writers from Brookline, Massachusetts