Kathleen Agnes "Kick" Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington (February 20, 1920 – May 13, 1948), born
Kathleen Agnes Kennedy, was the fourth child and second daughter of
Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Sr. was a prominent American businessman, investor, and government official....
and Rose Kennedy. She was a sister of future
U.S. PresidentThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and widow of the heir to the
Dukedom of DevonshireDuke of Devonshire is a title in the peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century, and have been rivalled in political influence perhaps only...
.
Biography
When President
Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
appointed Joseph Kennedy ambassador to the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, his daughter Kathleen (nicknamed "Kick" by her family) spent a year and a half living in
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. She was educated in London at
Queen's CollegeQueen's College is an independent school for girls aged 11–18. It is located in central London at numbers 43-49, Harley Street. Founded in 1848 by F. D. Maurice, Professor of English Literature and History at King's College London along with a committee of patrons, the College was the first...
.
Kennedy worked at
Cissy PattersonEleanor Josephine Medill "Cissy" Patterson was an American journalist and newspaper editor, publisher and owner...
's newspaper, the
Washington Times-HeraldThe Washington Times-Herald was an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C.. It was created by Cissy Patterson, when she bought the Herald and the Times from William Randolph Hearst, and merged them. The result was a '24 hour' newspaper, with 10 editions per day, from morning to...
in 1940, writing a column titled, "Did you happen to see . . . ?". In 1943, she returned to England to work in a centre for servicemen set up by the Red Cross. Despite the opposition of her
CatholicThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
mother, Kennedy married William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, an Anglican and the eldest son and heir of the
10th Duke of DevonshireEdward William Spencer Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, KG, MBE, TD , known as Marquess of Hartington , was the head of the Devonshire branch of the Cavendish family...
, on May 6, 1944. Her eldest brother
Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Jr. was an American bomber pilot during World War II. He was the eldest of nine children born to Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr., and Rose Elizabeth Kennedy....
was the only member of the Kennedy family to attend the ceremony. Four months after their marriage, her husband was killed in action while serving in
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Her husband's younger brother
Lord Andrew CavendishAndrew Robert Buxton Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire KG, MC, PC , styled Lord Andrew Cavendish until 1944 and Marquess of Hartington from 1944 to 1950, was a British Conservative politician...
, married to
Deborah MitfordDeborah Vivien Cavendish, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire DCVO , née The Hon. Deborah Freeman-Mitford is the youngest and last surviving of the six noted Mitford sisters whose political affiliations and marriages were a prominent feature of English culture in the 1930s and 1940s...
of the famous
Mitford sistersThe Mitford family is a minor aristocratic English family that traces its origins in Northumberland back to the time of the Norman conquest. In the Middle Ages they had been Border Reivers based in Redesdale. The main family line had seats at Mitford Castle, Mitford Old Manor House and from 1828...
, became the heir to the dukedom.
Popular on the London social circuit and admired by many for her high spirits, Cavendish eventually became romantically involved with
Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 8th Earl FitzwilliamWilliam Henry Lawrence Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 8th Earl Fitzwilliam, DSO , styled Viscount Milton before 1943, was a British soldier and aristocrat.-Biography:...
. The couple planned to wed after Fitzwilliam's divorce, however, while on a trip to the south of France, Fitzwilliam and Cavendish were killed as the result of an airplane crash in
Saint-Bauzile, ArdècheSaint-Bauzile is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
,
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Only Cavendish's father represented the Kennedy-Cavendish family at her funeral. Her mother did not attend and, allegedly, discouraged Cavendish's siblings from attending as well.
Kathleen Cavendish is buried in the Cavendish family plot at Saint Peter's Church in
EdensorEdensor is a village in Derbyshire, England. It is the closest village to Chatsworth House and much of it belongs to the Dukes of Devonshire. Originally the village was close to the River Derwent immediately below Chatsworth, but the Dukes had it moved out of sight over a hill, apart from one...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, near
ChatsworthChatsworth is a civil parish in Derbyshire, England, within the area of the Derbyshire Dales and the Peak District National Park.The population is largely in and around Chatsworth House and is considered to be too low to justify a parish council...
in
DerbyshireDerbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. The gymnasium at
Manhattanville CollegeManhattanville College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, located in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 it was known initially as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart...
is named in her honor.
Titles from birth
- Miss Kathleen Kennedy (1920–1944)
- Marchioness of Hartington (May 1944–September 1944)
- Dowager Marchioness of Hartington (September 1944–1948)
External links