Robert F. Kennedy
Robert "Bobby" Francis Kennedy (b. 20 November 1925 in Brookline, Massachusetts; d. 6 June 1968 in Los Angeles, California), also called RFK, was the United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964 and a US Senator from New York from 1965 until his assassination in 1968. Since 1950, he was married to Ethel Skakel (1928–2024) with whom he had 11 children.
Life
He was one of US President John F. Kennedy's younger brothers, and also one of his most trusted advisors and worked closely with the president during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He also made a significant contribution to the Black Civil Rights Movement. However, he also ordered the FBI to wiretap Martin Luther King Jr.
After his brother's assassination in late 1963, Kennedy continued as Attorney General under President Johnson for nine months. He resigned in September 1964 and was elected to the United States Senate from New York that November. He broke with Johnson over the Vietnam War, among other issues.
After Eugene McCarthy nearly defeated Johnson in the New Hampshire Primary in early 1968, Kennedy announced his own campaign for president, seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party.
Death
Kennedy defeated McCarthy in the critical California primary but was shot shortly after midnight on 5 June 1968, dying on 6 June 1968. On 9 June 1968, President Johnson declared an official day of national mourning in response to the public grief following Kennedy's death.
