Marriage and family
Robert Kennedy and Ethel Skakel became engaged in February 1950 and were married on June 17, 1950, in a Catholic ceremony at the St. Mary Church in Greenwich, Connecticut. The Boston Globe noted that the marriage "unites two large fortunes".
After Robert graduated from law school at the University of Virginia, the family settled in the Washington, D.C., area, and Robert went to work for the Justice Department. In 1952, Ethel and Robert moved into a rooming house in Boston, Massachusetts, and she helped contribute to her brother-in-law John's Senate campaign by organizing "tea parties" for potential voters. Several months after the birth of Ethel's fourth child, her parents were both killed in a plane crash in Union City, Oklahoma, on October 3, 1955.
In 1956, the Kennedys purchased Hickory Hill from Robert's brother John and his wife, Jacqueline. The estate was situated on six acres in McLean, Virginia, (west of Washington, D.C.) with a 13-bedroom mansion. Robert and Ethel held many gatherings at their home and were known for their impressive and eclectic guest lists. Ethel sold Hickory Hill for $8.25 million in December 2009. The couple also owned a home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod.
In 1960, Ethel's brother-in-law John won the presidential election, at which time he appointed Robert to the post of attorney general. Two years later, President Kennedy assigned Ethel and Robert to tour 14 countries on a 28-day goodwill trip. Though the trip was said to be informal, the host countries viewed Robert and Ethel as stand-ins for the President and the First Lady.
On November 22, 1963, Ethel learned of John's assassination from her husband. She had answered the phone, identified the caller as Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director J. Edgar Hoover, and handed the phone to Robert, who then informed her of the shooting. Hoover had never called the Attorney General's home before.
In 1964, Ethel supported her husband while he campaigned for and won a seat in the United States Senate, representing New York. During the campaign, Robert was accused of "carpetbagging", and Ethel made light of the criticism by suggesting the slogan, "There is only so much you can do for Massachusetts."
Ethel urged her husband to enter the Democratic primary for the 1968 presidential election. Biographer Evan Thomas portrayed her as Robert's "most consistent advocate of a race for the White House".
