Who is Robert Francis Kennedy? Biography, Age & Wikipedia

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., born January 17, 1954, in Washington, D.C., has been named the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under the second administration of President Donald Trump, beginning in 2025.

A prominent environmental lawyer and member of the famous Kennedy political family, Kennedy has also become a leading figure among vaccine skeptics.

Despite initially running for the Democratic nomination in the 2024 presidential election, he switched to an independent bid, only to suspend his campaign in August 2024 and later endorse Trump, who won the election.

Early Life and Education

Kennedy is the third of 11 children born to Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy. His father served as U.S. attorney general under President John F. Kennedy and later as a U.S. senator from New York.

His mother, from a wealthy coal industry family, became a passionate human rights advocate after her husband’s assassination in 1968.

Kennedy attended various boarding schools during his youth and struggled with drug addiction following his father’s death.

After being expelled from two schools and arrested for marijuana possession at 16, he attended Harvard University, earning a degree in American history and literature in 1976. He also studied at the London School of Economics.

In 1981, he earned a law degree from the University of Virginia and worked as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan.

Despite a setback in 1982, when he failed the bar exam and was arrested for heroin possession, he later passed the exam and was admitted to the New York state bar in 1985.

Environmental Advocacy

Kennedy’s commitment to environmental issues grew during his probation period, when he volunteered for the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association (now Riverkeeper).

He later became Riverkeeper’s chief prosecutor and senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. In 1987, he received a master’s degree in environmental law from Pace University and co-founded an environmental litigation clinic.

He gained prominence for his role in the 1997 New York City Watershed Memorandum of Agreement, which protected New York City’s drinking water, and for co-authoring The Riverkeepers, published that same year. Kennedy also founded the Waterkeeper Alliance, a global clean water advocacy organization.

Kennedy became a leading environmental and human rights advocate in the 2000s, participating in protests, including a 2001 demonstration on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, against U.S. Navy bombing exercises.

He authored the book Crimes Against Nature in 2004, which criticized the environmental policies of the George W. Bush administration.

He also gained attention for representing Indigenous groups in environmental legal battles, including lawsuits against the Keystone XL pipeline.

Kennedy secured landmark legal victories, including large settlements in cases involving toxic dumping by DuPont and Monsanto. He also worked with Indigenous groups on conservation efforts.

Controversies and Vaccine Skepticism

Kennedy has attracted significant controversy for his views on vaccines, which have led to clashes with fellow activists and members of his own family.

In 2005, he published an article linking vaccines with autism, despite extensive evidence to the contrary.

His stance drew significant backlash, including retractions from publications like Salon, which criticized him for spreading debunked claims.

In 2016, Kennedy became the board chair for the World Mercury Project, an organization promoting the debunked autism-vaccine link, which later rebranded as Children’s Health Defense.

He continued to write books promoting his anti-vaccine views, such as Thimerosal: Let The Science Speak (2014) and A Letter to Liberals (2022).

Kennedy’s anti-vaccine stance gained further attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he promoted misinformation about the vaccines and associated conspiracy theories.

In 2021, he published The Real Anthony Fauci, which criticized health officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci and organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

His social media accounts were temporarily suspended for spreading vaccine misinformation.

2024 Presidential Bid and Shift to Independent Candidacy

In April 2023, Kennedy launched his presidential campaign for the Democratic nomination, but support waned after controversial comments.

He faced criticism for suggesting that COVID-19 was engineered to target certain ethnic groups and later downplayed his remarks. By mid-2023, his campaign garnered more support from Republicans than Democrats, and Kennedy ultimately announced in July that he would run as an independent.

However, Kennedy’s independent bid struggled due to logistical and financial challenges. A scandal over a decade-old incident, where he left a dead bear cub in Central Park, further damaged his campaign. In August 2024, he suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Trump.

Health Secretary Appointment

After Trump’s victory in November 2024, he nominated Kennedy to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy’s confirmation hearings were contentious, with some of his family members, including cousin Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, publicly opposing his nomination.

Despite his controversial views on vaccines, Kennedy pledged not to discourage vaccination and shifted his stance on abortion rights to align with Trump’s anti-abortion policy.

On February 13, 2025, the Senate confirmed Kennedy as Secretary of Health and Human Services by a narrow vote of 52–48. As part of his new role, Kennedy has advocated for reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods and harmful additives.

Personal Life

Kennedy has been married three times and has six children. He first married Emily Black in 1982, and they had two children before divorcing in 1994.

He married Mary Kathleen Richardson shortly after, and they had three children before divorcing in 2010. Richardson tragically took her own life in 2012.

In 2014, Kennedy married actor Cheryl Hines, though she has distanced herself from some of his more controversial views.

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