02520cam a2200349 i 4500 549093523 TxAuBib 20220308120000.0 220207s2022||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u bl2022007151 9780358437697 HRD 28.00 0358437695 HRD 28.00 TxAuBib rda Thompson, Neal. The first Kennedys [BOOK] : the humble roots of an American dynasty / Neal Thompson. Boston : Mariner Books, [2022] xiv, 336 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-323) and index. Their Irish ancestry was a hallmark of the Kennedys’ initial political profile, as JFK leveraged his working-class roots to connect with blue-collar voters. Today, we remember this iconic American family as the vanguard of wealth, power, and style rather than as the descendants of poor immigrants. Here at last, we meet the first American Kennedys, Patrick and Bridget, who arrived as many thousands of others did following the Great Famine—penniless and hungry. Less than a decade after their marriage in Boston, Patrick’s sudden death left Bridget to raise their children single-handedly. Her rise from housemaid to shop owner in the face of rampant poverty and discrimination kept her family intact, allowing her only son P.J. to become a successful saloon owner and businessman. P.J. went on to become the first American Kennedy elected to public office—the first of many. Based on genealogical breakthroughs and previously unreleased records, this is the first book to explore the inspiring story of the poor Irish refugee couple who escaped famine, created a life together in a city hostile to Irish, immigrants, and Catholics, and launched the Kennedy dynasty in America. Provided by publisher. 20220308. Kennedy family. Kennedy, Patrick. Kennedy, Bridget Murphy 1825?-1888. Immigrants United States Biography. Irish United States Biography. United States Emigration and immigration History 19th century. Ireland Emigration and immigration History 19th century. Biographies.