After investigating Shane Kato Crews, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy became a viral topic, prompting further speculation about the senator’s alleged familial ties to John F. Kennedy. On Wednesday, March 22, Magistrate Judge Kato Crews of Colorado testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Members of Congress from both parties questioned the qualifications of President Joseph Biden’s choices.
The number of Biden’s announced nominations to the federal judiciary increased last month to 161. This is a subset of broader efforts to increase diversity in the US judicial system. On Wednesday, cameras caught Kennedy and Kato Crews having a heated discussion that has now gone viral.
This has piqued the public’s interest in the Republican senator, with some asking if and how he is related to one of the most prominent families in American history.
Is Senator John Kennedy Related to JFK?
There is no familial connection between Republican Senator John Kennedy and former President John F. Kennedy (JFK). The two political figures share a last name but are not related. The senator from Louisiana typically adds his middle name, Neely, to his given name to set himself apart.
Although Kennedy’s birthplace was Centreville, Mississippi, he spent his formative years in Zachary, Louisiana. The city of Baton Rouge is close by. He was elected to represent Louisiana in 2017. Kennedy’s parents’ names remain a mystery since the politician has been cagey about sharing any information about his personal life.
People’s assumption that Sen. Kennedy is related to the 35th President of the United States is not surprising. Jake Auchincloss and Joseph Kennedy III are only two of the Kennedys’ many blood or marriage-related political kin.
How Kennedy Stepped Into His Political Role? John Kennedy’s detractors claim that sharing a last name with JFK helped him. But Kennedy worked hard from a young age on and had a genuine interest in politics and the law. Kennedy received his Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, economics, and political science from the illustrious Vanderbilt University in 1973.
While at Vanderbilt, Kennedy served as president of his senior class. He graduated from the University of Oxford with a Juris Doctorate in 1977 and then went on to get a bachelor’s degree in civil law. After completing his degree at Oxford in 1979, Kennedy moved back to his native Louisiana.
John F. Kennedy entered the private sector and eventually became a partner at the Chaffe McCall legal firm. In 1990, after serving as the governor of Louisiana, Buddy Roemer named Kennedy to the position of secretary in his cabinet. Roemer appointed him secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue six years later.
After being elected state treasurer in 1999, Kennedy took office in 2000. Kennedy has been Louisiana’s junior U.S. senator since 2017. Senator Kennedy has been a key figure in recent year’s worth of investigations. For instance, he was in charge when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees about data protection.
The viral moment was sparked by Kennedy’s line of inquiry at the hearing, in which he criticized Zuckerberg by saying, “Your user agreement sucks!”
You may be curious about John Neely Kennedy’s family after learning that he is not related to either John F. Kennedy or Robert F. Kennedy. Although the Republican senator rarely appears in public without his wife Rebecca, or “Becky,” he generally does not put his family in the spotlight.
If you are interested in learning more, you can do so by reading the articles that we have published about the following celebrities:
- Who is Kari Lake? How did He Get into Politics?
- Gianno Caldwell Criticises Restaurant’s Political Expulsion: We’re Targets
Becky Kennedy, like her husband, is a native of Louisiana; she was born on March 26, 1952, in New Orleans. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida and went on to law school at Tulane. Becky is a licensed legal practitioner in the state of Louisiana. She’s been with her politician husband for nearly twenty years.
James Kennedy is Becky and John Neely Kennedy’s only child together. His preferred name is Preston, his middle name.