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Robert F. Kennedy is born.
Robert F. Kennedy was born November 20, 1925 to parents Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. He was the seventh of nine children. -
World War II
Robert F. Kennedy served in the U.S. Navy as an apprentice seaman. -
Graduated from Harvard
Robert F. Kennedy graduated from Harvard, the alma mater of his father and older brothers. -
Graduated from University of Virgina
Robert F. Kennedy graduated from the University of Virginia, law school. He shortly began working as a lawyer for the U.S. Department of Justice. -
Ethel Skakel
On June 17 of 1953, Robert F. Kennedy married Ethel Skakel at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenwich, Connecticut. They went on to live at an estate called Hickory Hill in McLean, Virginia. They had eleven children together. -
Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field
Robert F. Kennedy was appointed chief counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field. He investigated corruption in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, resulting in the arrest and conviction of their leader, James "Jimmy" Hoffa. -
JFK for President
Robert F. Kennedy left the committee in 1959 to manage his brothers successful presidential campaign. In 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected to be the President of the United States. -
64th Attorney General
Robert F. Kennedy was appointed as the 64th Attorney General of the United States by his brother, President John F. Kennedy. -
Advocate as an Attorney General
As the Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy adovcated for the rights of African American citizens. He sent 1000 troops to Oxford, Massachusetts to enforce the Supreme Court order that James Meredith be admitted to the University of Massachusetts as the first African American student. -
Campaign for a Senate seat.
Robert F. Kennedy resigned his position as Attorney General to pursue a campaign for the New York Senate seat. -
Robert F. Kennedy becomes a Senator.
Robert F. Kennedy won the election to become a Senator for New York. As a Senator, he championed civil rights and social justice issues. He traveled abroad to advocate for human rights, and spoke out against the Vietnam War. -
Campaign for President of the United States
At the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City, Robert F. Kennedy announced his bid as a Democratic candidate for the presidency. He is quoted as saying, "I do not run for the presidency merely to oppose any man, but to propose new policies. I run because I am convinced that this country is on a perilous course and because I have such strong feelings about what must be done, and I feel that I'm obliged to do all that I can." -
Winning the race - RFK wins California primary.
On June 4, 1968, Robery F. Kennedy won a major victory in his race for the presidency. He won the California primary. -
Robert F. Kennedy is shot.
On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy delivered a speech to celebrate the California primary win. He was shot moments after his speech, in a kitchen corridor outside the ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angelos. He died the next day of his injuries at age 42. -
Robert F. Kennedy's funeral
June 8, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy's funeral was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. The youngest Kennedy sibling, Edward "Ted" Kennedy gave a famous eulogy for his brother. He is quoted as saying Robert was "...a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it."
Robert F, Kennedy's coffin was taken by train from New York City to Washington D.C., arriving that night to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. -
Assassin of Robert F. Kennedy is convicted
Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, a Palestinian immigrant, was convicted of Robert F. Kennedy's murder and sentenced to death. Later, California outlawed the death penalty and his death sentence was commuted to life in prison.
