Stephen Edward Smith

Stephen Edward Smith
Smith in 1963
Personal details
Born September 24, 1926
Bayport, New York
Died August 19, 1990(1990-08-19) (aged 63)
Manhattan, New York[1]
Spouse(s)
Jean Ann Kennedy
(m. 1956; his death 1990)
Children
Alma mater Georgetown
Military service
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Air Force
Years of service 1951–1952
Rank First lieutenant
Battles/wars Korean War

Stephen Edward Smith (September 24, 1926 – August 19, 1990) was the husband of Jean Ann Kennedy. He was a financial analyst and political strategist in the 1960 United States presidential campaign of his brother-in-law John F. Kennedy.[1]

Early life

Smith was born in Bayport, Long Island, New York, and grew up in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. He attended Georgetown University, graduating in 1948 with a bachelor's degree in history. He served during the Korean War as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force from 1951–1952.[1]

Career

Smith joined his family's business, Cleary Brothers Inc., which operated tugs and barges on New York's upstate canals and in New York Harbor. He then headed the Park Agency Inc., in Manhattan, where he managed $300 million in Kennedy family investments.

After his father-in-law Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. suffered a stroke on December 19, 1961, Smith managed the family's fortune out of a New York City office building. He was responsible for overseeing the trusts that benefited him and his family as well as the other children and grandchildren of Joe and Rose Kennedy.

Kennedy campaigns

Smith played an active role in JFK's 1960 campaign, and was working as Kennedy's campaign manager for re-election at the time of President Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963.[2] Smith served as Robert F. Kennedy's campaign manager during his 1968 presidential run. In the fall of 1979, as polls showed that Senator Ted Kennedy could easily defeat President Jimmy Carter in the Democratic primaries, Kennedy announced his candidacy and made Smith his campaign manager. Kennedy lost to Carter and chose to not run again.

Personal life

Smith and Jean Ann Kennedy were married May 19, 1956, at which point he became the brother-in-law of future President John F. Kennedy. Stephen and Jean had two biological sons and later adopted two daughters:

  • Stephen Edward Smith, Jr. (b. 1957)
  • William Kennedy Smith (b. 1960)
  • Amanda Mary Smith (b. 1967)
  • Kym Maria Smith (b. 1972)

A longtime smoker, Smith died at his home in Manhattan at the age of 63, after a brief battle with lung cancer.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McQuiston, John T. (August 20, 1990), Stephen Smith, 62, Businessman And an Adviser to the Kennedys, New York, NY: New York Times, p. Section B page 10 of the New York edition.
  2. "Kennedy Brother-in-Law To Try to Unify Party". The New York Times. January 17, 1963. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
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