Mary Richardson Kennedy

Mary Kathleen Kennedy (née Richardson, October 4, 1959 – May 16, 2012) was an American interior designer, architect, and philanthropist. She was a proponent of green building and was a co-founder of the Food Allergy Initiative, the largest fund for food allergy research in the United States. Her 2010 legal separation from her husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was highly publicized. Her subsequent suicide in 2012 also received national media attention.

Mary Richardson Kennedy
Born
Mary Kathleen Richardson

(1959-10-04)October 4, 1959
Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedMay 16, 2012(2012-05-16) (aged 52)
Bedford, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationThe Putney School
Rhode Island School of Design
Alma materBrown University
Occupationinterior designer, architect, philanthropist
Spouse(s)
Children4
RelativesKyra Kennedy (daughter)
FamilyKennedy family

Early life

Mary Kathleen Richardson was born on October 4, 1959 and was raised in Bayonne, New Jersey. Her father, John F. Richardson, was an attorney and a professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, who died when she was 12 years old.[1] Kennedy's mother was Nancy Higgins, a public school English teacher.[1][2] Kennedy had four sisters and two brothers.[2]

She attended The Putney School, where she became friends and roommates with Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy. She later roomed with Kerry Kennedy in college and served as her maid of honor at her wedding in 1990 to Andrew Cuomo.[3][1]

Education

Kennedy graduated from Brown University and studied architectural design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).[4]

Her close friend Kerry Kennedy stated that Mary spent a semester working for the artist Andy Warhol in 1980. While Edward Kennedy was running for president, Mary Kennedy, then age 20, had raised donations of artwork from Warhol and other prominent artists in his network, including Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein, and Schnabel.[4]

Career

After studying architecture at RISD, Kennedy lived in SoHo, Manhattan, in the 1980s, and was active in the bohemian culture.[5]

In 1993, Kennedy worked for the firm Parrish Hadley Design as an architectural designer.[1] She was involved in the renovation of the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, the official residence of the Vice President of the United States.[6] Her work involved green building practices and was certified through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.[7] Following flood damage to her home in 2003, Kennedy oversaw a massive salvage job and green rebuild project known as the Kennedy Green House Project.[7]

In 1998 she co-founded the Food Allergy Initiative, the largest private fund for food allergy research in the United States.[6]

Personal life

Kennedy married Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the brother of Kerry Kennedy, on April 15, 1994, aboard a research vessel on the Hudson River. They had four children: John Conor Richardson Kennedy, Kyra LeMoyne Kennedy, William Finbar Kennedy, and Aidan Caohman Vieques Kennedy.[8] She was the stepmother of Robert Francis Kennedy III and Kathleen Alexandra Kennedy, her husband's two children from his previous marriage to Emily Ruth Black.[9]

On May 12, 2010, Kennedy's husband filed for divorce. Three days later she was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.[1] She reportedly struggled with alcoholism and substance abuse.[9] A court ordered that full temporary custody of her children be granted to her estranged husband.[10]

Death

On May 16, 2012, Kennedy was found dead at her home in Bedford, New York.[11][12] Her death was ruled as a suicide by hanging.[13] An autopsy report revealed that she had antidepressants in her blood system.[14] Her funeral, organized by the Kennedy family, was held at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Bedford, New York.[15][16] On May 21, 2012 a memorial service organized by the Richardson family was held at the Standard Hotel in Manhattan.[17] A legal battle between her husband and her brother, Thomas W. Richardson, ensued over which family should have control over her remains.[17] The incident has been cited as another example of the Kennedy curse.

References
  1. Collins, Nancy (16 May 2013). "New Questions Arise About Mary Richardson Kennedy's Suicide". Thedailybeast.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  2. "John F. Richardson, Taught at Stevens". The New York Times. 1971-12-08. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  3. Curtis, Wayne (9 March 2019). "Why Aren't There More Classic Irish Whiskey Cocktails?". Thedailybeast.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  4. Kennedy, Kerry (22 May 2012). "Ode to My Best Friend -- Mary Richardson Kennedy". Huff Post. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  5. Leamer, Laurence (2012-06-11). "The Last Days of Mary Kennedy". Newsweek. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  6. "Mary Kennedy: 'Green' designer, wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr". CNN. June 12, 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  7. Hickman, Matt (May 18, 2012). "Mary Richardson Kennedy leaves legacy of green design". MNN - Mother Nature Network. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  8. "Mary Kennedy's death still puzzles friends". USA TODAY. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  9. "Mary Richardson Kennedy, Stepmonster?". Psychology Today. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  10. EDT, Laurence Leamer On 6/11/12 at 1:00 AM (11 June 2012). "Behind Mary Kennedy's Long Meltdown". Newsweek.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  11. Flegenheimer, Matt; Rashbaum, William K. (16 May 2012). "Mary Kennedy, Estranged Wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Is Found Dead". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  12. Ed Payne. "Mary Kennedy's family blasts stories on her death". Cnn.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  13. "What Drove Her to Suicide? Mary Kennedy: 1959-2012". People.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  14. "Antidepressants in RFK Jr. wife's system". Mprnews.org. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  15. Mongelli, Lorena (20 May 2012). "RFK Jr. rejects blame during eulogy at wife Mary Richardson Kennedy's funeral". Nypost.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  16. "Mary Richardson Kennedy's funeral". Cbsnews.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  17. Leland, John (21 May 2012). "3rd Ceremony Held for Wife of Robert Kennedy Jr". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
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