History UsefulNotes / RobertFKennedy

Whereas John was (initially) hesitant and silent on several issues, Bobby was famously passionate and outspoken from the beginning. At a time when the Democratic Party still drew most of its support from the DeepSouth, Bobby expressed enthusiastic support for the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement, sending U.S. Marshals and the National Guard to help activists on several occasions and even bailing Martin Luther King, Jr. out of jail at one point. Organized crime and corrupt unions were two of his main targets as Attorney General, particularly the corrupt Teamsters union led by Jimmy Hoffa. (Several people close to the two assert that he told his brother to cut his family's ties with TheMafia.) During several periods of UsefulNotes/ColdWar tension, John constantly sought out Bobby's advice. It was after Bobby suggested a naval quarantine of Cuba during the UsefulNotes/CubanMissileCrisis that John stopped considering an invasion. At the 1964 Democratic National Convention, Bobby delivered a very moving dedication to his departed brother; he was close to tears the entire time. After Bobby left his Cabinet position, Congress passed a law preventing any future Presidents from [[{{Nepotism}} nominating close relatives to high-ranking government offices]]. Bobby himself, along with his youngest brother Edward M. Kennedy, voted in favor of the law.

He remained just as vocal when he became a Senator following John's assassination. Notably, he was among the first to speak out against President UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson's escalation of UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar and he held firm in his support for the Civil Rights Movement. During a visit to UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica in 1966, Bobby delivered a speech that was highly critical of [[UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra the apartheid regime]], which makes him very well liked over there to this day. He also became the first person to climb Mount Kennedy, which was named in John's honor.

Whereas John was (initially) hesitant and silent on several issues, Bobby was famously passionate and outspoken from the beginning. At a time when the Democratic Party still drew most of its support from the DeepSouth, Bobby expressed enthusiastic support for the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement, sending U.S. Marshals and the National Guard to help activists on several occasions and even bailing Martin Luther King, Jr. out of jail at one point. Organized crime and corrupt unions were two of his main targets as Attorney General, particularly the corrupt Teamsters union led by Jimmy Hoffa. (Several people close to the two assert that he told his brother to cut his family's ties with TheMafia.) During several periods of UsefulNotes/ColdWar tension, John constantly sought out Bobby's advice. It was after Bobby suggested a naval quarantine of Cuba during the UsefulNotes/CubanMissileCrisis that John stopped considering an invasion. At the 1964 Democratic National Convention, Bobby delivered a very moving dedication to his departed brother; he was close to tears the entire time. After Bobby left his Cabinet position, Congress passed a law preventing any future Presidents from [[{{Nepotism}} nominating close relatives to high-ranking government offices]]. Bobby, himself along with his youngest brother Edward M. Kennedy(Ted Kennedy) voted in favor of the law.

When Johnson announced in early 1968 that he would not seek another term as President, Bobby threw in his name for the Democratic primary at the last minute. He ran on a platform of more help for the Civil Rights Movement, more aid to the impoverished, and, most famously, an end to the unpopular war in Vietnam. Despite its late start, the RFK campaign did fantastically well, with his active on-the-streets campaigning endearing him to many voters. When he heard just before a campaign rally that King had recently been assassinated, he delivered a largely improvised speech that remains his best moment. Two months later, Robert was himself assassinated. This came on night after he won the UsefulNotes/{{California}} primary and thus looked as though he stood a chance of winning the Democratic nomination. The convicted killer was Sirhan B. Sirhan, a Palestinian man who passionately opposed Kennedy's support of UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}. For what it is worth, Sirhan is still alive. Like the [[WhoShotJFK assassination of his older brother]], there are many conspiracy theories about his death and the mysterious circumstances around it.

Like John, Bobby is a very beloved figure for many people who lived through the turmoil of TheSixties. Arguably even more so than his brother, Bobby had the ability to inspire hope during what he described as "interesting times." Even a lot of cynics who don't buy into the Camelot mythology surrounding his brother have very positive things to say about Bobby. Ever since his death, there has been endless WhatCouldHaveBeen discussion surrounding him and his possible presidency.

* Creator/MartinSheen is the only actor to play both Kennedy brothers. He played John in ''Kennedy'' (a 1983 miniseries) and Robert in ''The Missiles of October'' (a 1974 made-for-TV play).

* He, of course, is one of the main characters in ''The Kennedys'', a 2011 miniseries. Bobby is actually viewed with a lot more sympathy than his brother, surprisingly. Creator/BarryPepper won an Emmy for playing him.

* Creator/ClintEastwood's ''Film/JEdgar'' (2011) has a little bit of him. It is an accurate depiction of how much Hoover despised Bobby, too.
* In the 2016 film ''Film/{{Jackie}}'', which focuses on Jacqueline Kennedy in the aftermath of her husband's assassination, Bobby is portrayed by Creator/PeterSarsgaard.

When Johnson announced in early 1968 that he would not seek another term as President, Bobby threw in his name for the Democratic primary at the last minute. He ran on a platform of more help for the Civil Rights Movement, more aid to the impoverished, and, most famously, an end to the unpopular war in Vietnam. Despite its late start, the RFK campaign did fantastically well, with his active on-the-streets campaigning endearing him to many voters. When he heard just before a campaign rally that King had recently been assassinated, he delivered a largely improvised speech that remains his Crowning SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome, and a [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]]. Two months later, Robert was himself assassinated. This came on night after he won the UsefulNotes/{{California}} primary and thus looked as though he stood a chance of winning the Democratic nomination. The convicted killer was Sirhan B. Sirhan, a Palestinian man who passionately opposed Kennedy's support of UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}. For what it is worth, Sirhan is still alive. Like the [[WhoShotJFK assassination of his older brother]], there are many conspiracy theories about his death and the mysterious circumstances around it.

He was known for being closer to his still enigmatic brother John than perhaps anyone else. He helped organized JFK's campaigns for the Senate and White House. John was willing to share with Bobby things that he kept hidden from most other people, and he almost always sided with his brother during debates within his administration. After John died, Bobby took care of his sister-in-law Jackie and her children, leading many people to speculate that they had an affair. People also think that, like his brother, he had an affair with Creator/MarilynMonroe.

Whereas John was (initially) hesitant and silent on several issues, Bobby was famously passionate and outspoken from the beginning. At a time when the Democratic Party still drew most of its support from the DeepSouth, Bobby expressed enthusiastic support for the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement, sending U.S. Marshals and the National Guard to help activists on several occasions and even bailing Martin Luther King, Jr. out of jail at one point. Organized crime and corrupt unions were two of his main targets as Attorney General, particularly the corrupt Teamsters union led by Jimmy Hoffa. (Several people close to the two assert that he told his brother to cut his family's ties with TheMafia.) During several periods of UsefulNotes/ColdWar tension, John constantly sought out Bobby's advice. It was after Bobby suggested a naval quarantine of Cuba during the UsefulNotes/CubanMissileCrisis that John stopped considering an invasion. At the 1964 Democratic National Convention, Bobby delivered a very moving dedication to his departed brother; he was close to tears the entire time. After Bobby left his Cabinet position, Congress passed a law preventing any future Presidents from [[{{Nepotism}} nominating close relatives to high-ranking government offices]].

* The made-for-TV movie ''RFK'' (2002) is about him from the time of John's assassination to Bobby's own. Bobby is played by Linus Roache.

* In the 2016 film ''Jackie'', which focuses on Jacqueline Kennedy in the aftermath of her husband's assassination, Bobby is portrayed by Creator/PeterSarsgaard.

* The made-for-TV movie ''RFK'' (2002) is about him from the time of John's assassination to Bobby's own.

* A scene with him is in Creator/DannyDeVito's ''Hoffa'' (1992). It's a depiction of Bobby's famous showdown with Jimmy Hoffa on the Senate floor.

Whereas John was (initially) hesitant and silent on several issues, Bobby was famously passionate and outspoken from the beginning. At a time when the Democratic Party still drew most of its support from the DeepSouth, Bobby expressed enthusiastic support for the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement, sending U.S. Marshals and the National Guard to help activists on several occasions and even bailing Martin Luther King, Jr. out of jail at one point. Organized crime and corrupt unions were two of his main targets as Attorney General, particularly the corrupt Teamsters union led by Jimmy Hoffa. (Several people close to the two assert that he told his brother to cut his family's ties with TheMafia.) During several periods of UsefulNotes/ColdWar tension, John constantly sought out Bobby's advice. It was after Bobby suggested a naval quarantine of Cuba during the CubanMissileCrisis that John stopped considering an invasion. At the 1964 Democratic National Convention, Bobby delivered a very moving dedication to his departed brother; he was close to tears the entire time. After Bobby left his Cabinet position, Congress passed a law preventing any future Presidents from [[{{Nepotism}} nominating close relatives to high-ranking government offices]].

''"But we have to make an effort in the United States. We have to make an effort to understand, to get beyond, or go beyond these rather difficult times."''

When Johnson announced in early 1968 that he would not seek another term as President, Bobby threw in his name for the Democratic primary at the last minute. He ran on a platform of more help for the Civil Rights Movement, more aid to the impoverished, and, most famously, an end to the unpopular war in Vietnam. Despite its late start, the RFK campaign did fantastically well, with his active on-the-streets campaigning endearing him to many voters. When he heard just before a campaign rally that King had recently been assassinated, he delivered a largely improvised speech that remains his Crowning SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome, and a [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]]. Two months later, Robert was himself assassinated. This came on night after he won the UsefulNotes/{{California}} primary and thus looked as though he stood a chance of winning the Democratic nomination. The convicted killer was Sirhan B. Sirhan, a Palestinian man who passionately opposed Kennedy's support of UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}. For what it is worth, Sirhan is still alive. Like the [[WhoShotJFK assassination of his older brother]], there are many conspiracy theories about his death and the mysterious circumstances around it. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment We will say no more on this topic.]]

!!!Kennedy provides examples of:
* AbandonedArea: The hotel where he was shot became this.
* ArchNemesis: Jimmy Hoffa, J. Edgar Hoover and Lyndon Johnson, at different points.
* BigFancyHouse: He had an enormous one with ''thirteen bedrooms''.
* BrokenBird: Those close to him suggest that King's death hurt him very, very much, and that it might have changed him profoundly.
* UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories: So, so many. Just like his brother. Notably, people think either LBJ, the FBI, the Mob, or the military-industrial complex orchestrated Bobby's assassination. Not coincidentally, people also accuse all those parties of killing John.
* CrusadingLawyer: While he didn't live to see it, the changes and strengthening of the Justice Department under his watch eventually led to the destruction of a significant portion of the American Mafia.
* {{Curse}}: After his own assassination, many people speculated that there was a curse on the Kennedy family. Other deaths within the family added more fuel to the fire.
* {{Determinator}}: A defining part of his personality.
* DecapitatedArmy: A political example. His promising presidential campaign was cut short after a great victory by his sudden assassination. After his death, many of his supporters supported Eugene [=McCarthy=] before UsefulNotes/HubertHumphrey was nominated. His 1968 campaign remains the only one where the candidate was killed while campaigning.
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: He's this in South Africa for being one of the first major political figures in the West to speak out very directly against the apartheid government.
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Most people forget "Bobby Kennedy, [[RedScare McCarthyite]] political enforcer." It was also so early and insignificant that, even during his lifetime, people tended to overlook it. His aggressive personality and tendency to hold grudges are also ignored by many admirers.
* HopeSpot: He was briefly this in 1968 before his assassination.
%%* IncorruptiblePurePureness
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He had a legendarily ferocious temper, alienating many in the Democratic establishment, including Lyndon Johnson, but he was also one of America's most genuinely righteous political leaders, and the country suffered a tremendous loss with his assassination.
* LeaveMeAlone: After delivering his 1964 Democratic Convention speech, he went alone to a corner of the building and cried for several minutes.
* LetsHaveAnotherBaby: The guy fathered '''eleven children''' with his wife Ethel. To put that in perspective, John was a famous sex machine and he could only have four with Jackie.
* NeverLiveItDown: His 1967 debate with UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Bobby had originally declined to run for President in 1968 only to change his mind gradually following [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive The Tet Offensive]]. He then decided to convince the only challenger to incumbent President Johnson, Minnesota Senator Eugene [=McCarthy=],[[note]]We can assure you, ''he'' wasn't related to Joseph [=McCarthy=], the Wisconsin senator who led the anti-Communist witch-hunts of TheFifties.[[/note]] to drop out before the New Hampshire primary; only for Kennedy (on the advice of South Dakota Senator George [=McGovern=][[note]]He would run as a surrogate after Bobby was assassinated before going to become the Democratic Presidential nominee in 1972.[[/note]]) to wait until '''after''' the primary (in which [=McCarthy=] finished at a surprisingly close second to LBJ). In doing so; Bobby would end up doing the thing he wanted to avoid by persuading [=McCarthy=] to drop out: splitting the antiwar vote in the Democratic primaries, with many [=McCarthy=] supporters viewing RFK as an opportunist at best, and the two campaigns would be bitter rivals from that point forward.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: While he is still pretty famous, Bobby remains largely in the shadow of his brother. This was even true during his lifetime. Both of them, however, are still much more famous than their younger brother, Ted. [[note]] And Ted's lack of popularity might have something to do with the Chappaquiddick incident. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment And that is all there is to say about that.]] [[/note]]
* ThePowerOfFriendship[=/=]ThePowerOfLove: Few men who have walked the Earth believed in these as much as he did.
* RousingSpeech: He was just as good at this as his brother John. Special mention goes to his speech about King's assassination. While riots broke out in most African American neighborhoods across the country, there wasn't one in UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}, where he gave the speech, which most people credit to Bobby. Amazingly, almost all of it was improvised. Watch it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6mxL2cqxrA here]].
* ShrinkingViolet: Bobby was initially very, very shy, but he slowly started to assert himself more.
* SiblingTeam: With John.
%%* TheSixties
* SlobsVersusSnobs: Like most of the other Kennedys, he disliked Lyndon Johnson strongly. Conspiracy theorists have not ignored this.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: How many, if not most, people see him.
* UnacceptableTargets: To this day, some people won't accept a single negative thing to be said about the man.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: People have been debating for years what would have happened if had won the nomination and gone on to beat UsefulNotes/RichardNixon in the 1968 election. This is plausible, too, since, even five years after the fact, people still were mourning John's death.
** Historians are divided as to whether Kennedy could have won the Democratic nomination. Back in 1968, only 13 states held primaries; the majority of delegates were chosen by state conventions and the nomination tended to be decided on the convention floor. Kennedy's victory in the California primary ensured that the convention would have been a two-way fight between Kennedy and UsefulNotes/HubertHumphrey. Humphrey hadn't even contested the primaries, but he had the backing of the party establishment, and thus Kennedy would have faced an uphill battle to win over most delegates at the convention.
%%* WideEyedIdealist
%%* TheWoobie: UpToEleven!
* UsefulNotes/WorldWarII: He was in the Naval Reserve during the last years of the war.

----
!!!Kennedy in fiction:

* OvershadowedByAwesome: While he is still pretty famous, Bobby remains largely in the shadow of his brother. This was even true during his lifetime. Both of them, however, are still much more famous than their younger brother, Ted.

When Johnson announced in early 1968 that he would not seek another term as President, Bobby threw in his name for the Democratic primary at the last minute. He ran on a platform of more help for the Civil Rights Movement, more aid to the impoverished, and, most famously, an end to the unpopular war in Vietnam. Despite its late start, the RFK campaign did fantastically well, with his active on-the-streets campaigning endearing him to many voters. When he heard just before a campaign rally that King had recently been assassinated, he delivered a largely improvised speech that remains his Crowning SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome, and a [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]]. Two months later, the night he won the UsefulNotes/{{California}} primary and it looked like he was going to win the Democratic nomination, Robert was himself assassinated. The convicted killer was Sirhan B. Sirhan, a Palestinian man who passionately opposed Kennedy's support of UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}. For what it is worth, Sirhan is still alive. Like the [[WhoShotJFK assassination of his older brother]], there are many conspiracy theories about his death and the mysterious circumstances around it. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment We will say no more on this topic.]]

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: People have been debating for years what would have happened if he had lived to beat UsefulNotes/RichardNixon in the 1968 election. It probably would have happened, too, since, even five years after the fact, people still were mourning John's death.

* ArchNemesis: Jimmy Hoffa, J. Edgar Hoover and Lyndon Johnson could all qualify at different points.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Most people forget "Bobby Kennedy, [[RedScare McCarthyite]] political enforcer." It was also so early and insignificant that, even during his lifetime, people tended to overlook it.

Whereas John was (initially) hesitant and silent on several issues, Bobby was famously passionate and outspoken from the beginning. At a time when the base of the Democratic Party was still the DeepSouth, Bobby was vocal in his support for the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement, sending U.S. Marshals and the National Guard to help activists on several occasions and even bailing Martin Luther King, Jr. out of jail at one point. Organized crime and corrupt unions were two of his main targets as Attorney General, particularly the corrupt Teamsters union led by Jimmy Hoffa. (Several people close to the two assert that he told his brother to cut off his family's ties with TheMafia.) During several periods of UsefulNotes/ColdWar tension, John constantly sought out Bobby's advice. It was after Bobby suggested a naval quarantine of Cuba during the CubanMissileCrisis that John stopped considering an invasion. At the 1964 Democratic National Convention, Bobby delivered a very moving dedication to his departed brother; he was close to tears the entire time. After Bobby left his Cabinet position, Congress passed a law preventing any future Presidents from [[{{Nepotism}} nominating close relatives to high-ranking government offices]].

He remained just as vocal when he became a Senator following John's assassination. Notably, he was among the first to speak out against President UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson's escalation of UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar and he held firm in his support for the Civil Rights Movement. Visiting UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica in 1966, Bobby delivered a speech that was highly critical of [[UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra the apartheid regime]], which makes him very well liked over there to this day. He also became the first person to climb Mount Kennedy, which was named in John's honor.

When Johnson announced in early 1968 that he would not seek another term as President, Bobby threw in his name for the Democratic primary at the last minute. He ran on a platform of more help for the Civil Rights Movement, more aid to the impoverished, and, most famously, an end to the unpopular war in Vietnam. Despite its late start, the RFK campaign did fantastically well, with his active on-the-streets campaigning endearing him to many voters. When he heard just before a campaign rally that King was assassinated, he delivered a largely improvised speech that remains his [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments Crowning Moment of Awesome]], and a [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]]. Two months later, the night he won the UsefulNotes/{{California}} primary and it looked like he was going to win the Democratic nomination, Robert was assassinated. The convicted killer was Sirhan B. Sirhan, a Palestinian man who passionately opposed Kennedy's support of UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}. For what it is worth, Sirhan is still alive. Like the [[WhoShotJFK assassination of his older brother]], there are many conspiracy theories about his death and the mysterious circumstances around it. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment We will say no more on this topic.]]

* UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories: So, so many. Just like his brother. Notably, people think either LBJ, the FBI, the Mob, or the military-industrial complex orchestrated Bobby's assassination. Not coincidentally, people also accuse all those parties of killing John.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Bobby had originally declined to run for President in 1968 only to change his mind gradually following [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive The Tet Offensive]]. He then decided to convince the only challenger to incumbent President Johnson, Minnesota Senator Eugene [=McCarthy=],[[note]]We can assure you, ''he'' wasn't related to Joseph [=McCarthy=], the Wisconsin senator who led the anti-Communist witch-hunts.[[/note]] to drop out before the New Hampshire primary; only for Kennedy (on the advice of South Dakota Senator George [=McGovern=][[note]]He would run as a surrogate after Bobby was assassinated before going to become the Democratic Presidential nominee in 1972.[[/note]]) to wait until '''after''' the primary (in which [=McCarthy=] finished at a surprisingly close second to LBJ). In doing so; Bobby would end up doing the thing he wanted to avoid by persuading [=McCarthy=] to drop out: splitting the antiwar vote in the Democratic primaries, with many [=McCarthy=] supporters viewing RFK as an opportunist at best, and the two campaigns would be bitter rivals from that point forward.

* RousingSpeech: He was just as good at this as his brother John. Special mention goes to his speech about King's assassination. That night, riots broke out in most African American neighborhoods, there wasn't one in UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}, where he gave the speech, which most people credit to Bobby. Amazingly, almost all of it was improvised. Watch it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6mxL2cqxrA here]].

* Bobby is one of the leads in ''Film/ThirteenDays'', where he is played by Steven Culp.

* Creator/ClintEastwood's ''Film/JEdgar'' has a little bit of him. It is an accurate depiction of how much Hoover despised Bobby, too.

Whereas John was (initially) hesitant and silent on several issues, Bobby was famously passionate and outspoken from the beginning. At a time when the base of the Democratic Party was still the DeepSouth, Bobby was vocal in his support for the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement, sending U.S. Marshals and the National Guard to help activists on several occasions and even bailing Martin Luther King, Jr. out of jail at one point. Organized crime and corrupt unions were two of his main targets as Attorney General, particularly the corrupt Teamsters union led by Jimmy Hoffa. (Several people close to the two assert that he told his brother to cut off his family's ties with TheMafia.) During several periods of UsefulNotes/ColdWar tension, John constantly sought out Bobby's advise. It was after Bobby suggested a naval quarantine of Cuba during the CubanMissileCrisis that John stopped considering an invasion. At the 1964 Democratic National Convention, Bobby delivered a very moving dedication to his departed brother; he was close to tears the entire time. After Bobby left his Cabinet position, Congress passed a law preventing any future Presidents from [[{{Nepotism}} nominating close relatives to high-ranking government offices]].

When Johnson announced in early 1968 that he would not seek another term as President, Bobby threw in his name for the Democratic primary at the last minute. He ran on a platform of more help for the Civil Rights Movement, more aid to the impoverished, and, most famously, an end to the unpopular war in Vietnam. Despite its late start, the RFK campaign did fantastically well, with his active on-the-streets campaigning endearing him to many voters. When he heard just before a campaign rally that King was assassinated, he delivered a largely improvised speech that remains his [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments Crowning Moment of Awesome]], and a [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]]. Two months later, the night he won the UsefulNotes/{{California}} primary and it looked like he was going to win the Democratic nomination, Robert was assassinated. The man convicted for killing him was Sirhan B. Sirhan, a Palestinian who passionately opposed Kennedy's support of UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}. For what it is worth, Sirhan is still alive. Like the [[WhoShotJFK assassination of his older brother]], there are many conspiracy theories about his death and the mysterious circumstances around it. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment We will say no more on this topic.]]

->''"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope."''

->''"But we have to make an effort in the United States. We have to make an effort to understand, to get beyond, or go beyond these rather difficult times."''

'''Robert Francis Kennedy''' (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as '''Bobby Kennedy''' or '''RFK''', was the younger brother of U.S. President UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy. A politician in his own right, Kennedy was his brother's Attorney General (1961–64) and then a Senator from New York (1965–68). In 1968, while he was campaigning for the Democratic ticket in that year's presidential race, he was assassinated.

He was known for being probably the closest person to his still enigmatic brother John. He helped organized JFK's campaigns for the Senate and for the White House. John was willing to share with Bobby things that he kept hidden from most other people, and he almost always sided with his brother during debates within his administration. After John died, Bobby took care of his sister-in-law Jackie and her children, leading many people to speculate that they had an affair. People also think that, like his brother, he had an affair with Creator/MarilynMonroe.

Whereas John was (initially) hesitant and silent on several issues, Bobby was famous for being passionate and outspoken from the beginning. At a time when the base of the Democratic Party was still the DeepSouth, Bobby was vocal in his support for the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement, sending Marshals and the National Guards to help activists on several occasions and even bailing Martin Luther King, Jr. out of jail at one point. Organized crime and corrupt unions were two of his main targets as Attorney General, particularly the corrupt Teamsters union led by Jimmy Hoffa. (Several people close to the two assert that he told his brother to cut off his family's ties with TheMafia.) During several periods of UsefulNotes/ColdWar tension, John constantly sought out Bobby's advise. It was after Bobby suggested a naval quarantine of Cuba during the CubanMissileCrisis that John stopped considering an invasion. At the 1964 Democratic convention, Bobby delivered a very moving dedication to his departed brother; he was close to tears the entire time. After Bobby left his Cabinet position, Congress passed a law preventing any future Presidents from nominating close relatives to high-ranking government offices.

He remained just as vocal as ever when he became a Senator following John's assassination. Notably, he was among the first to speak out against President UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson's escalation of UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar and he held firm in his support for the Civil Rights Movement. Visiting UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica in 1966, Bobby delivered a speech that was highly critical of [[UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra the apartheid regime]], which makes him very well-liked over there to this day. He also became the first person to climb Mount Kennedy, which was named in honor of John.

When Johnson announced in early 1968 that he would not seek another term as President, Bobby threw in his name for the Democratic primaries at the last minute. He ran on a platform of more help for the Civil Rights Movement, more aid to the impoverished, and, most famously, an end to the unpopular war in Vietnam. Despite its late start, the RFK campaign did fantastically well, with his active on-the-streets campaigning endearing him to many voters. When he heard just before a campaign rally that King was assassinated, he delivered a largely improvised speech that remains his [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments Crowning Moment of Awesome]], and a [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]]. Two months later, the night he won the UsefulNotes/{{California}} primary and it looked like he was going to win the Democratic nomination, Robert was assassinated. The man convicted for killing him was Sirhan B. Sirhan, a Palestinian who passionately opposed Kennedy's support of UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}. Sirhan is still alive, for what it is worth. Like the [[WhoShotJFK assassination of his older brother]], there are many conspiracy theories about his death and the mysterious circumstances around it. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment That is all we will say.]]

* BigFancyHouse: He had an enormous one with ''13 bedrooms''.
* BrokenBird: Those close to him suggest that King's death hurt him very, very much, and that he was possibly going through some changes because of it.

* ConspiracyTheories: So, so many. Just like his brother. Notably, people think it was either Johnson, the FBI, the Mob, or the military-industrial complex who were behind Bobby's assassination. Not coincidentally, people also blame all of those things for John's death.
* {{Determinator}}: A defining part of his personality.

* LeaveMeAlone: After delivering his speech at the 1964 Democratic convention, he went alone to a corner of the building and cried for several minutes.
* LetsHaveAnotherBaby: The guy fathered '''eleven children''' with his wife. To put that in perspective, John was a famous sex machine and he could only have four with Jackie.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Bobby had originally declined to run for President in 1968 only to change his mind gradually following [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive The Tet Offensive]]. He then decided to convince the only challenger to incumbent [[UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson President Johnson]], Minnesota Senator Eugene [=McCarthy=],[[note]]We can assure you, ''he'' wasn't related to Joseph [=McCarthy=], the Wisconsin senator who led the anti-Communist witch-hunts.[[/note]] to drop out before the New Hampshire primary; only for Kennedy (on the advice of South Dakota Senator George [=McGovern=][[note]]He would run as a surrogate after Bobby was assassinated before going to become the Democratic Presidential nominee in 1972.[[/note]]) to wait until '''after''' the primary (which [=McCarthy=] finished at a surprisingly close second to LBJ). In doing so; Bobby would end up doing the thing he wanted to avoid by persuading [=McCarthy=] to drop out: splitting the antiwar vote in the Democratic primaries, with many [=McCarthy=] supporters viewing RFK as an opportunist at best, and the two campaigns would be bitter rivals from that point forward.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: While he is still pretty famous, Bobby remains largely in the shadow of his brother. This was even true during his lifetime. But both of them are still way more famous than their younger brother, Ted.

* RousingSpeech: He was just as good at this as his brother. Special mention goes to his speech about King's assassination. That night, riots broke out in most African American neighborhoods, there wasn't one in UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}, where he gave the speech, which most people credit to Bobby. Amazingly, almost all of it was improvised. Watch it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6mxL2cqxrA here]].

* SlobsVersusSnobs: Like most of the other Kennedys, he was known to dislike Johnson strongly. Conspiracy theorists have not ignored this.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: How many -- hell, most -- people see him.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: People have been debating for years what would have happened if he had lived to win the 1968 election over UsefulNotes/RichardNixon. It probably would have happened, too, since people still were mourning John's death five years later.

* Creator/MartinSheen is the only person to play both Kennedy brothers. He played John in ''Kennedy'' (a 1983 miniseries) and Robert in ''The Missiles of October'' (a 1974 made-for-TV play).
* The made-for-TV ''RFK'' (2002) is about him from the time of John's assassination to Bobby's own.
* He, of course, is one of the main characters in ''The Kennedys'', a 2011 miniseries. Bobby is actually viewed with a lot more sympathy than his brother, surprisingly. Barry Pepper won an Emmy for playing him.

* Creator/ClintEastwood's ''Film/JEdgar'' has a little bit of him. Accurately depicts how much Hoover despised Bobby, too.

'''Robert F. Kennedy''' (November 20, 1925 -- June 6, 1968), also known as '''Bobby Kennedy''' or '''RFK''', was the younger brother of President UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy. A politician in his own right, Kennedy was his brother's Attorney General (1961-64) and then a Senator from New York (1965-68). In 1968, while he was campaigning for the Democratic ticket in that year's presidential race, he was assassinated.

Whereas John was (initially) hesitant and silent on several issues, Bobby was famous for being passionate and outspoken from the beginning. At a time when the base of the Democratic Party was still the DeepSouth, Bobby was vocal in his support for the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement, sending Marshals and the National Guards to help activists on several occasions and even bailing Martin Luther King, Jr. out of jail at one point. Organized crime and corrupt unions were two of his main targets as Attorney General, particularly the corrupt Teamsters union led by Jimmy Hoffa. (Several people close to the two assert that he told his brother to cut off his family's ties with the mafia.) During several periods of UsefulNotes/ColdWar tension, John constantly sought out Bobby's advise. It was after Bobby suggested a naval quarantine of Cuba during the CubanMissileCrisis that John stopped considering an invasion. At the 1964 Democratic convention, Bobby delivered a very moving dedication to his departed brother; he was close to tears the entire time. After Bobby left his Cabinet position, Congress passed a law preventing any future Presidents from nominating close relatives to high-ranking government offices.

He remained just as vocal as ever when he became a Senator following John's assassination. Notably, he was among the first to speak out against President UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson's escalation of UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar and he was still firm in his support for the Civil Rights Movement. Visiting UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica in 1966, Bobby delivered a speech that was highly critical of [[UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra the apartheid regime]], which makes him very well-liked over there to this day. He also became the first person to climb Mount Kennedy, which was named in honor of John.

When Johnson announced in early 1968 that he would not seek another term as President, Bobby threw in his name for the Democratic primaries at the last minute. He ran on a platform of more help for the Civil Rights Movement, more aid to the impoverished, and, most famously, an end to the unpopular war in Vietnam. Despite its late start, the RFK campaign did fantastically well, with his active on-the-streets campaigning endearing him to many voters. When he heard just before a campaign rally that King was assassinated, he delivered a largely improvised speech that remains his CrowningMomentOfAwesome, and a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming. Two months later, the night he won a primary in California and it looked like he was going to win the Democratic ticket, Bobby was assassinated. The man convicted for killing him was Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian who passionately opposed Kennedy's support of UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}. Sirhan is still alive, for what it is worth. Like the [[WhoShotJFK assassination of his brother]], there are many conspiracy theories about his death and the mysterious circumstances around it. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment That is all we will say.]]

Like John, Bobby is a very beloved figure for many people who lived through the turmoil TheSixties. Arguably even more so than his brother, Bobby had the ability to inspire hope during what he described as "interesting times." Even a lot of cynics who don't buy into the Camelot mythology surrounding his brother have very positive things to say about Bobby. Ever since his death, there has been endless WhatCouldHaveBeen discussion surrounding him and his possible presidency.

* BrokenBird: Those close to him suggest that King 's death hurt him very, very much, and that he was possibly going through some changes because of it.
* CrusadingLawyer: While he didn't live to see it, the changes and strengthening of the justice department under his watch eventually led to the destruction of a significant portion of the American Mafia.

* ConspiracyTheories: So, so many. Just like his brother. Notably, people think it was either Johnson, the FBI, the mafia, or the military-industrial complex who were behind Bobby's assassination. Not coincidentally, all of the things people think were behind John's death.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: No one remembers "Bobby Kennedy, [[RedScare McCarthyite]] political enforcer." It was also such a minor, early aspect of his career, that people, even while he was still alive, didn't bother with it.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Bobby had originally declined to run for President in 1968 only to change his mind gradually following [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive The Tet Offensive]]. He then decided to convince the only challenger to incumbent [[UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson President Johnson]]; Minnesota Senator Eugene [=McCarthy=], to drop out before the New Hampshire primary; only for Kennedy (on the advice of South Dakota Senator George [=McGovern=][[note]]who would run as a surrogate after Bobby was assassinated before going to become the Democratic Presidential nominee in 1972[[/note]]) to wait until '''after''' the primary (which [=McCarthy=] finished at a surprisingly close 2nd to LBJ). In doing so; Bobby would end up doing the thing he wanted to avoid by persuading [=McCarthy=] to drop out; namely splitting the anti-war vote in the Democratic primaries; with many [=McCarthy=] supporters viewing RFK as an opportunist at best, and the two campaigns would be bitter rivals from that point forward.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: While he is still pretty famous, Bobby remains largely in the shadow of his brother. This was even true during his lifetime. But both of them are still way more famous than their other brother, Ted.

* RousingSpeech: He was just as good at this as his brother. Special mention goes to his speech about King's assassination. That night, riots broke out in most African American neighborhoods, there wasn't one in Indianapolis, where he gave the speech, which most people credit to Bobby. Amazingly, almost all of it was improvised. Watch it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6mxL2cqxrA here]].

* SlobsVersusSnobs: Like most of the other Kennedys, he was known to strongly dislike Johnson. Conspiracy theorists have noted this.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: How many people - hell, most of them - see him.

* Creator/MartinSheen is the only person to play both of the famous Kennedys. He played John in ''Kennedy'' (a 1983 miniseries) and Bobby in ''The Missiles of October'' (a 1974 made-for-tv play).
* The made-for-tv ''RFK'' (2002) is about him from the time of John's assassination to Bobby's own.

* A scene with him is in Danny [=DeVito=]'s ''Hoffa'' (1992). It's a depiction of Bobby's famous showdown with Jimmy Hoffa on the Senate floor.
* Creator/ClintEastwood's movie ''Film/JEdgar'' has a little bit of him. Accurately depicts how much Hoover despised Bobby, too.

->''"But we have to make an effort in the United States. We have to make an effort to understand, to get beyond, or go beyond these [[TheSixties rather difficult times]]."''

* TheSixties

* WideEyedIdealist
* TheWoobie: UpToEleven!

* IncorruptiblePurePureness

* BrokenBird: Those close to him suggest that King
* CrusadingLawyer: While he didn't live to see it, the changes and strengthening of the justice department under his watch eventually led to the destruction of a significant portion of the American Mafia. 's death hurt him very, very much, and that he was possibly going through some changes because of it.

* CrusadingAttorney: While he didn't live to see it, the changes and strengthening of the justice department under his watch eventually led to the destruction of a significant portion of the American Mafia. 's death hurt him very, very much, and that he was possibly going through some changes because of it.

* BadassAttorney: While he didn't live to see it, the changes and strengthening of the justice department under his watch eventually led to the destruction of a significant portion of the American Mafia.

* BrokenBird: Those close to him suggest that King's death hurt him very, very much, and that he was possibly going through some changes because of it.

* Determinator: A defining part of his personality.

* NeverLiveItDown: His 1967 debate with Ronald Regan.

Whereas John was (initially) hesitant and silent on several issues, Bobby was famous for being passionate and outspoken from the beginning. At a time when the base of the Democratic Party was still the DeepSouth, Bobby was vocal in his support for the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement, sending Marshals and the National Guards to help activists on several occasions and even bailing Martin Luther King, Jr. out of jail at one point. Organized crime and corrupt unions were two of his main targets as Attorney General, particularly the corrupt Teamsters union led by Jimmy Hoffa. (Several people close to the two assert that he told his brother to cut off his family's ties with the mafia.) During several periods of ColdWar tension, John constantly sought out Bobby's advise. It was after Bobby suggested a naval quarantine of Cuba during the CubanMissileCrisis that John stopped considering an invasion. At the 1964 Democratic convention, Bobby delivered a very moving dedication to his departed brother; he was close to tears the entire time. After Bobby left his Cabinet position, Congress passed a law preventing any future Presidents from nominating close relatives to high-ranking government offices.

'''Robert F. Kennedy''' (1925-1968), also known as '''Bobby Kennedy''' or '''RFK''', was the younger brother of President UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy. A politician in his own right, Kennedy was his brother's Attorney General (1961-64) and then a Senator from New York (1965-68). In 1968, while he was campaigning for the Democratic ticket in that year's presidential race, he was assassinated.

* LetsHaveAnotherBaby: The guy fathered '''eleven children''' with his wife. To put that in perspective, John was a famous sex machine and he could only have four with Jackie.

* AbandonedArea: The hotel where he was shot became this.

* ConspiracyTheories: So, so many. Just like his brother. Notably, people think it was either Johnson, the FBI, the mafia, or the military-industrial complex who were behind Bobby's assassination. Not coincidentally, all of the things people think were behind John's death.