Kenneth O'Donnell
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Patrick O'Donnell (March 4, 1924September 9, 1977), known as Kenny, was a top aide to U.S. President John F. Kennedy
and part of the group of Kennedys' close advisors called the "Irish Mafia". He served as organizer and director of Kennedy's presidential campaign schedule in 1960, as Kennedy's special assistant and appointments secretary 1961–1963, as Lyndon Johnson's Presidential Aide 1963–1965, and as campaign manager for Robert Kennedy in the 1968 presidential election campaign and, after Kennedy's assassination, for Hubert Humphrey
.
, O'Donnell's first and middle names were legally switched in the 1960s. His father, Cleo O'Donnell, was the football coach for the Holy Cross Crusaders football team
for two decades and later athletics director for all sports activities at the College of the Holy Cross
. O'Donnell had an older brother, Cleo, who was a football star at Harvard
during the 1940s.
During World War II
O'Donnell served in the US Army Air Corps
(1942–1945). After completing his service in the AAC, he studied at Harvard College
1946–1949. It was at Harvard that O'Donnell met Robert Kennedy, where they were roommates as well as teammates on the Harvard football team; O'Donnell became team captain in 1948. O'Donnell and Robert Kennedy remained close friends until Kennedy's assassination in 1968.
While at Harvard, O'Donnell married his wife, Helen, in 1947. They had five children, among them entrepreneur Kevin M. O'Donnell
– in 1950 – and writer Helen O'Donnell – in 1962. Following graduation from Harvard, O'Donnell attended law school at Boston College
from 1950–51. He later worked as a salesman for the Hollingsworth Paper Company and then the Whitney Corporation, both in Boston, from 1951–52. O'Donnell later worked in public relations
from 1952–57.
. O'Donnell then went on to serve as JFK’s unpaid political observer in Massachusetts, until he in 1957 was employed as assistant counsel of the 1957–59 Senate Labor Rackets Committee
by Robert Kennedy, who had been appointed chief counsel of the committee.
In 1958, O'Donnell became a member of JFK’s staff, and in 1960 he was the organizer and director of John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign schedule. The following year he became Kennedy's special assistant and Appointments Secretary. In this role he functioned in many ways as Kennedy's Chief of Staff
, a position that Kennedy never filled during his tenure in the White House.
O'Donnell unofficially advised Kennedy during the planning for the Bay of Pigs invasion
as well as during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis
, and was an early critic of the Vietnam War, advising Kennedy to bring an end to America's involvement in the conflict.
O'Donnell arranged JFK's trip to Dallas in November 1963, and was in a car just behind the president's when Kennedy was assassinated
. It was an enormous blow to O'Donnell, who long blamed himself for the death of the president.
After having served as a Presidential Aide to Lyndon Johnson until 1965, O'Donnell tried to win the Democratic nomination for the election for Massachusetts Governor in 1966, losing by only 64,000 votes to Edward McCormack, which was much less than the polls had predicted. In 1968, he served as campaign manager for Robert Kennedy, when Kennedy challenged President Johnson for renomination.
Following Robert Kennedy's assassination in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, which was an even worse blow to O'Donnell than the assassination of JFK five years earlier, he joined, as did many others in Kennedy's campaign, Hubert Humphrey's presidential campaign
, serving as campaign manager for Humphrey as well.
In 1970, he made another attempt to win the Democratic nomination for the election for Massachusetts Governor, but finished fourth in a primary field of four Democrats, with just 9 percent of the vote.
The combination of personal electoral disappointments and the assassinations of his two best friends drove him to increasing levels of alcoholism
. He died in September 1977, just months after his wife Helen.
writes:
(who served as special counsel to President Kennedy) claims that O'Donnell polarized the JFK staff into the professional "politicians" and the academicians (such as Sorensen and Arthur Schlesinger
). Sorensen also claims that O'Donnell's antipathy towards himself ran so deep that he in 1976/77 worked to derail Sorensen's nomination as Director of Central Intelligence for Jimmy Carter
.
co-authored "Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye": Memories of John Fitzgerald Kennedy (Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1972). ISBN 0316716251
In 1998, his daughter, freelance writer Helen O’Donnell, wrote a biography about her father and his close friendship with Bobby Kennedy: A Common Good: The Friendship of Robert F. Kennedy and Kenneth P. O'Donnell.
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and part of the group of Kennedys' close advisors called the "Irish Mafia". He served as organizer and director of Kennedy's presidential campaign schedule in 1960, as Kennedy's special assistant and appointments secretary 1961–1963, as Lyndon Johnson's Presidential Aide 1963–1965, and as campaign manager for Robert Kennedy in the 1968 presidential election campaign and, after Kennedy's assassination, for Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
.
Early life and studies
Born Patrick Kenneth O'Donnell in Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, O'Donnell's first and middle names were legally switched in the 1960s. His father, Cleo O'Donnell, was the football coach for the Holy Cross Crusaders football team
Holy Cross Crusaders football
The Holy Cross Crusaders football team is the collegiate football program of the College of the Holy Cross. The team is a member of the Patriot League, an NCAA Division I conference that participates in the second-level Football Championship Subdivision, more commonly known as FCS or the...
for two decades and later athletics director for all sports activities at the College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
. O'Donnell had an older brother, Cleo, who was a football star at Harvard
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
during the 1940s.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
O'Donnell served in the US Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
(1942–1945). After completing his service in the AAC, he studied at Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
1946–1949. It was at Harvard that O'Donnell met Robert Kennedy, where they were roommates as well as teammates on the Harvard football team; O'Donnell became team captain in 1948. O'Donnell and Robert Kennedy remained close friends until Kennedy's assassination in 1968.
While at Harvard, O'Donnell married his wife, Helen, in 1947. They had five children, among them entrepreneur Kevin M. O'Donnell
Kevin M. O'Donnell
Kevin M. O'Donnell was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. O'Donnell, an Internet Pioneer and Film Entrepreneur is perhaps best known as Co-Founder of Earthlink ISP. O'Donnell is also the second oldest son of Kenneth O'Donnell, Special Assistant to President John F...
– in 1950 – and writer Helen O'Donnell – in 1962. Following graduation from Harvard, O'Donnell attended law school at Boston College
Boston College Law School
Boston College Law School is one of the six professional graduate schools at Boston College. Located approximately 1.5 miles from the main Boston College campus in Chestnut Hill, Boston College Law School is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts.With approximately 800 students and...
from 1950–51. He later worked as a salesman for the Hollingsworth Paper Company and then the Whitney Corporation, both in Boston, from 1951–52. O'Donnell later worked in public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
from 1952–57.
Political career
O'Donnell's friendship with Bobby Kennedy found him involved with the Kennedy family's political career already in 1946, when Bobby enlisted him to work for John F. Kennedy’s first congressional campaign, and in 1952 the two campaigned together to get JFK elected to the United States SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. O'Donnell then went on to serve as JFK’s unpaid political observer in Massachusetts, until he in 1957 was employed as assistant counsel of the 1957–59 Senate Labor Rackets Committee
United States Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor and Management
The United States Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor and Management was a select committee created by the United States Senate on January 30, 1957, and dissolved on March 31, 1960...
by Robert Kennedy, who had been appointed chief counsel of the committee.
In 1958, O'Donnell became a member of JFK’s staff, and in 1960 he was the organizer and director of John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign schedule. The following year he became Kennedy's special assistant and Appointments Secretary. In this role he functioned in many ways as Kennedy's Chief of Staff
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
, a position that Kennedy never filled during his tenure in the White House.
O'Donnell unofficially advised Kennedy during the planning for the Bay of Pigs invasion
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...
as well as during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
, and was an early critic of the Vietnam War, advising Kennedy to bring an end to America's involvement in the conflict.
O'Donnell arranged JFK's trip to Dallas in November 1963, and was in a car just behind the president's when Kennedy was assassinated
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
. It was an enormous blow to O'Donnell, who long blamed himself for the death of the president.
After having served as a Presidential Aide to Lyndon Johnson until 1965, O'Donnell tried to win the Democratic nomination for the election for Massachusetts Governor in 1966, losing by only 64,000 votes to Edward McCormack, which was much less than the polls had predicted. In 1968, he served as campaign manager for Robert Kennedy, when Kennedy challenged President Johnson for renomination.
Following Robert Kennedy's assassination in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, which was an even worse blow to O'Donnell than the assassination of JFK five years earlier, he joined, as did many others in Kennedy's campaign, Hubert Humphrey's presidential campaign
Hubert Humphrey presidential campaign, 1968
The Hubert Humphrey presidential campaign of 1968 began when Vice President of the United States Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota decided to seek the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States following the announcement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that he would not seek the...
, serving as campaign manager for Humphrey as well.
In 1970, he made another attempt to win the Democratic nomination for the election for Massachusetts Governor, but finished fourth in a primary field of four Democrats, with just 9 percent of the vote.
The combination of personal electoral disappointments and the assassinations of his two best friends drove him to increasing levels of alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. He died in September 1977, just months after his wife Helen.
Praise
In his biography With Kennedy (1966), Pierre SalingerPierre Salinger
Pierre Emil George Salinger was a White House Press Secretary to U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson...
writes:
Criticism
In his autobiography Counselor, Ted SorensenTed Sorensen
Theodore Chaikin "Ted" Sorensen was an American presidential advisor, lawyer and writer, best known as President John F. Kennedy’s special counsel, adviser and legendary speechwriter. President Kennedy once called him his “intellectual blood bank.”-Early life:Sorensen was born in Nebraska, the son...
(who served as special counsel to President Kennedy) claims that O'Donnell polarized the JFK staff into the professional "politicians" and the academicians (such as Sorensen and Arthur Schlesinger
Arthur Schlesinger
Arthur Schlesinger may refer to:*Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr. , American historian and professor at Harvard University*Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. , his son, American historian, social critic and former John F. Kennedy associate...
). Sorensen also claims that O'Donnell's antipathy towards himself ran so deep that he in 1976/77 worked to derail Sorensen's nomination as Director of Central Intelligence for Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
.
Writing
O'Donnell and David PowersDavid Powers
David Francis Powers was Special Assistant and assistant Appointments Secretary to President of the United States John F. Kennedy. Powers served as Museum Curator of the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum from 1964 until his retirement in May 1994. Powers was a military veteran who had served in...
co-authored "Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye": Memories of John Fitzgerald Kennedy (Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1972). ISBN 0316716251
In 1998, his daughter, freelance writer Helen O’Donnell, wrote a biography about her father and his close friendship with Bobby Kennedy: A Common Good: The Friendship of Robert F. Kennedy and Kenneth P. O'Donnell.
Portrayal in media
- The Missiles of OctoberThe Missiles of OctoberThe Missiles of October is a 1974 docudrama made-for-television play about the Cuban missile crisis. The title evokes the book The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman about the missteps among the great powers and the failed chances to give an opponent a graceful way out, which led to the First...
(1974, TV): played by Stewart MossStewart MossStewart Moss is an American actor. He has appeared in such TV shows as Murder, She Wrote, Matlock, Riptide, Cagney and Lacey, Magnum, P.I., Barnaby Jones, The Rockford Files, Cannon, Kojak, Hogan's Heroes, Star Trek: The Original Series and Bonanza... - KennedyKennedy (TV Miniseries)Kennedy is a five-hour miniseries written by Reg Gadney and directed by Jim Goddard. The miniseries was produced by Central Independent Television and originally aired in the United States starting on 20 November 1983 around the time of the twentieth anniversary of the Kennedy assassination.The...
(1983, TV): played by Trey WilsonTrey WilsonDonald Yearnsley "Trey" Wilson III was an American character actor known for playing rural, authoritarian type characters, most notably in comedies such as Raising Arizona and Bull Durham.-Early life:... - JFKJFK (film)JFK is a 1991 American film directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and alleged subsequent cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison .Garrison filed charges against New Orleans businessman Clay...
(1991): played by David Benn - A Woman Named JackieA Woman Named JackieA Woman Named Jackie is a 1991 American made for television miniseries chronicling the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. It was based on C...
(1991):played by Clark GreggClark GreggRobert Clark Gregg is an American actor, screenwriter and director. He co-starred as Christine Campbell's ex-husband Richard in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, which debuted in March 2006 and concluded in May 2010... - Thirteen DaysThirteen Days (film)Thirteen Days is a 2000 docudrama directed by Roger Donaldson about the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, seen from the perspective of the US political leadership. Kevin Costner stars, with Bruce Greenwood featured as John F. Kennedy....
(2000): played by Kevin CostnerKevin CostnerKevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
. - Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (2000, TV): played by Brian Wrench