Stephen Edward Smith
Encyclopedia
Stephen Edward Smith 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
.
, 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 (history). He served, during the Korean War
, as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force
from 1951–1952.
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.
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 (JFK). Smith managed the family's fortune out of a New York City Office building. Smith 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.
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. Smith served as Robert Kennedy's (RFK) campaign manager during his abbreviated 1968 presidential run. In the fall of 1979, as polls showed that Senator Edward Kennedy
could easily defeat President Jimmy Carter
in the Democratic primaries, Kennedy announced his candidacy and made Smith his campaign manager. Many of Kennedy's younger campaign workers considered Smith to be a has-been who did not understand modern campaign advertising, strategy, or fund raising. Kennedy lost to Carter and chose to not run again.
Smith was known as a tough, aggressive and sometimes abrasive operator in both the financial and political worlds. Some creditors who were owed money by the three Kennedy campaigns were allegedly offered twenty cents on the dollar, with the rate soon to decline if they didn't settle. In particular, the RFK campaign of 1968 ended with a $5 million debt ($30,000,000 in 2007 dollars). The Kennedy family agreed to help pay the debts, which took years to settle.
A longtime smoker, Smith died at his home in Manhattan in 1990, after a brief battle with lung cancer
at the age of 62.
Financial analyst
A financial analyst, securities analyst, research analyst, equity analyst, or investment analyst is a person who performs financial analysis for external or internal clients as a core part of the job.-Job:...
and political strategist in the 1960 United States Presidential campaign of his brother-in-law, John F. Kennedy
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....
.
Biography
Smith was born in BayportBayport, New York
Bayport is the name of a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, U.S. on Long Island. The population was 8,662 at the 2000 census.Bayport is in the southeast part of the Town of Islip.-Geography:...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and grew up in the Bay Ridge
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. It is bounded by Sunset Park on the north, Seventh Avenue and Dyker Heights on the east, The Narrows Strait, which partially houses the Belt Parkway, on the west and 86th Street and Fort Hamilton on...
section of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. He attended Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, graduating in 1948 with a bachelor's degree (history). He served, during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
from 1951–1952.
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.
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 (JFK). Smith managed the family's fortune out of a New York City Office building. Smith 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.
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. Smith served as Robert Kennedy's (RFK) campaign manager during his abbreviated 1968 presidential run. In the fall of 1979, as polls showed that Senator Edward Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
could easily defeat President 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...
in the Democratic primaries, Kennedy announced his candidacy and made Smith his campaign manager. Many of Kennedy's younger campaign workers considered Smith to be a has-been who did not understand modern campaign advertising, strategy, or fund raising. Kennedy lost to Carter and chose to not run again.
Smith was known as a tough, aggressive and sometimes abrasive operator in both the financial and political worlds. Some creditors who were owed money by the three Kennedy campaigns were allegedly offered twenty cents on the dollar, with the rate soon to decline if they didn't settle. In particular, the RFK campaign of 1968 ended with a $5 million debt ($30,000,000 in 2007 dollars). The Kennedy family agreed to help pay the debts, which took years to settle.
A longtime smoker, Smith died at his home in Manhattan in 1990, after a brief battle with lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
at the age of 62.