Victoria Reggie Kennedy
Encyclopedia
Victoria Reggie "Vicki" Kennedy (born February 26, 1954) is an American lawyer and the widow of U.S. Senator
Ted Kennedy
.
, Louisiana
to Louisiana judge and banker Edmund M. Reggie and Doris Ann (née Boustany), a Democratic national committeewoman. She is of Lebanese descent, as all her grandparents were Maronites
from Lebanon
, who immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Louisiana. Her grandparents became important players in the local Roman Catholic church, and later their children became involved in business and politics.
Reggie's immediate family was wealthy because of money from her mother's family's interest in the Bunny Bread baking concern in New Orleans, Louisiana
. She was raised in a family that was constantly involved in politics and campaigns. At the 1956 Democratic National Convention
, her father helped deliver his state for John F. Kennedy
's unsuccessful bid for the vice-presidential nomination. Over time, John Kennedy developed a close social relationship with the family. Her mother cast the only Louisiana delegate vote for Ted Kennedy at the 1980 Democratic National Convention
, although State Senator Tony Guarisco may have also been recruited to vote for Kennedy.
Reggie attended parochial school
s growing up and was a straight-A student. She attended Newcomb College
at Tulane University
in New Orleans, where she graduated with a bachelor of arts
in English, magna cum laude, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was president of the Kappa Alpha Theta
sorority. She then received her Juris Doctor
degree, summa cum laude in 1979 from Tulane University Law School
. There she was a member of Tulane Law Review
. Her education at Tulane, along with twenty years of other Tulane tuition for her brothers and sisters, was paid for by scholarships awarded by a political ally of her father.
for Judge Robert Arthur Sprecher
at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
in Chicago. As an attorney, she specialized in bank law. She met her first husband, Grier C. Raclin, a telecommunication
s attorney (who later became a senior executive at Charter Communications
in St. Louis
, Missouri
), when they clerked together at the Everett McKinley Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago. Their 1981 church wedding was in Crowley and "feted 400 guests with a week's worth of parties."
Following marriage, the couple moved to Washington, D.C.
, where she practiced banking and savings and loan
law and restructuring and bankruptcy
law for Keck, Mahin & Cate
. She was made partner there, and was known to be "charismatic and hard-driving" and a tough negotiator in settlement talks and "as a real star" for her ability to work on complicated financial transactions.
Reggie and Raclin have two children: Curran (born 1982) and Caroline (born 1985). They were divorced in 1990.Blumenfeld, Laura. (1992-03-20, page b.01). "Victoria Reggie, Ready for Teddy; Her Friends and Family Agree. She's Perfect for Him", The Washington Post
, . Upon her divorce, she was left to juggle her career as a lawyer with her role as a single mother of two young children.
, Virginia
. His political career had suffered from a long period of womanizing, drinking, and adverse publicity, and she is credited with stabilizing his personal life and helping him resume a productive career in the Senate. Kennedy was devoted to her two children.
In Kennedy's 1994 senatorial re-election campaign
against Mitt Romney
, she was credited by The New York Times
with "giving him a political advantage in a difficult contest." For a Boston
, Massachusetts
, reception she organized, 1,200 influential New England
women met five of Kennedy's Senate colleagues. In his campaigns and his senatorial work, she became his principal assistant and closest political advisor. By 1997, she no longer practiced law. She came to the aid of the greater Kennedy family following the 1999 plane crash that took the life of John F. Kennedy, Jr.
She is president and co-founder of Common Sense about Kids and Guns, an advocacy group begun in 1999 which seeks to reduce gun deaths and injuries to children in the U.S. She is a member of the board of trustees of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, and has served on the board of Stop Handgun Violence
in Boston. She is a board member of Catholic Democrats
and authored the preface for their 2009 book, The Catholic Case for Obama. She was named a trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 4, 2009.
Senator Kennedy died on August 25, 2009. Throughout four days of his lying in state, a funeral service and quiet burial, his widow maintained a public face of composure, dignity, and gratitude to staffers and citizens who lined the streets and waited at the Capitol to pay their respects.
Upon his death some thought that she would be appointed by Governor Deval Patrick
to take the Senator's seat until the special election could take place, but she declined and the governor instead appointed long-time Kennedy associate Paul G. Kirk. Some Democratic officials hoped she would agree to run for Senate to finish out her husband's term, but she declined again and instead endorsed Martha Coakley
for the special election to fill the vacant seat. Coakley was defeated by Scott Brown
. A year later speculation continued as some noted Democrats saw her as their best chance to take back Senator Kennedy's seat from Brown and the Republicans in the 2012 election.
Since the Senator's death, Kennedy has spoken at graduation ceremonies and
received honorary degrees from UMass Boston, Lesley University
, and the University of Maryland
in the Spring of 2010. She also surprised the 95 members of the graduating class of Harwich High School
on Cape Cod by accepting their invitation to speak at their June 2010 graduation.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
.
Early life and education
The second of six children, she was born Victoria Anne Reggie in CrowleyCrowley, Louisiana
Crowley is a city in and the parish seat of Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 14,225 at the 2000 census. The city is noted for its annual International Rice Festival. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of America", because at one time it was a major center for...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
to Louisiana judge and banker Edmund M. Reggie and Doris Ann (née Boustany), a Democratic national committeewoman. She is of Lebanese descent, as all her grandparents were Maronites
Maronites
Maronites , is an ethnoreligious group in the Middle East that have been historically tied with Lebanon. They derive their name from the Syriac saint Mar Maron whose followers moved to Mount Lebanon from northern Syria establishing the Maronite Church....
from Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, who immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Louisiana. Her grandparents became important players in the local Roman Catholic church, and later their children became involved in business and politics.
Reggie's immediate family was wealthy because of money from her mother's family's interest in the Bunny Bread baking concern in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. She was raised in a family that was constantly involved in politics and campaigns. At the 1956 Democratic National Convention
1956 Democratic National Convention
The 1956 National Convention of the Democratic Party nominated former Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois for President and Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee for Vice President. It was held in the International Amphitheatre on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois August 13–17 1956. Unsuccessful...
, her father helped deliver his state for John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John 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....
's unsuccessful bid for the vice-presidential nomination. Over time, John Kennedy developed a close social relationship with the family. Her mother cast the only Louisiana delegate vote for Ted Kennedy at the 1980 Democratic National Convention
1980 Democratic National Convention
The 1980 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party nominated President Jimmy Carter for President and Vice President Walter Mondale for Vice President...
, although State Senator Tony Guarisco may have also been recruited to vote for Kennedy.
Reggie attended parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
s growing up and was a straight-A student. She attended Newcomb College
H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College
H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, or Newcomb College, was the coordinate women's college of Tulane University located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was founded by Josephine Louise Newcomb in 1886 in memory of her daughter....
at Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in New Orleans, where she graduated with a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in English, magna cum laude, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was president of the Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...
sorority. She then received her Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree, summa cum laude in 1979 from Tulane University Law School
Tulane University Law School
Tulane University Law School is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States....
. There she was a member of Tulane Law Review
Tulane Law Review
The Tulane Law Review, a publication of the Tulane University Law School, was founded in 1916, and is currently published six times annually. The Law Review has an international circulation and is one of few American law reviews carried by law libraries in the United Kingdom.-History:The Law Review...
. Her education at Tulane, along with twenty years of other Tulane tuition for her brothers and sisters, was paid for by scholarships awarded by a political ally of her father.
First marriage
After law school, Reggie clerkedClerkship
Clerkship may refer to:Medicine* Clinical clerkship - a period of medical education in which students – practice medicine under the supervision of a health practitioner....
for Judge Robert Arthur Sprecher
Robert Arthur Sprecher
Robert Arthur Sprecher was a United States federal judge.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Sprecher received an A.A. from Central YMCA College in 1936, a B.S. from Northwestern University in 1938, and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law in 1941. He was in private practice in Chicago,...
at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:* Central District of Illinois* Northern District of Illinois...
in Chicago. As an attorney, she specialized in bank law. She met her first husband, Grier C. Raclin, a telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s attorney (who later became a senior executive at Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
), when they clerked together at the Everett McKinley Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago. Their 1981 church wedding was in Crowley and "feted 400 guests with a week's worth of parties."
Following marriage, the couple moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, where she practiced banking and savings and loan
Savings and loan association
A savings and loan association , also known as a thrift, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans...
law and restructuring and bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
law for Keck, Mahin & Cate
Keck, Mahin & Cate
Keck, Mahin & Cate was a law firm based in Chicago, Illinois that was founded in 1886 and stopped operations in 1997.The firm worked in general practice, banking and bankruptcy law, corporate finances, mergers and acquisitions, and the like. By 1985, it employed 95 lawyers.The firm had branches in...
. She was made partner there, and was known to be "charismatic and hard-driving" and a tough negotiator in settlement talks and "as a real star" for her ability to work on complicated financial transactions.
Reggie and Raclin have two children: Curran (born 1982) and Caroline (born 1985). They were divorced in 1990.Blumenfeld, Laura. (1992-03-20, page b.01). "Victoria Reggie, Ready for Teddy; Her Friends and Family Agree. She's Perfect for Him", The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, . Upon her divorce, she was left to juggle her career as a lawyer with her role as a single mother of two young children.
Marriage to Ted Kennedy
While the Kennedy and Reggie families were friends for many years, Vicki remembers (but Senator Kennedy did not) their first meeting when Vicki was a summer intern in his Senate office's mailroom the year following her college graduation. They began dating after meeting again in June 1991 at a party celebrating her parents' 40th wedding anniversary. Ted Kennedy said of this meeting, "I had known Vicki before, but this was the first time I think I really saw her." The relationship became serious in September 1991. They were engaged in March 1992, and married July 3, 1992, in a civil ceremony at his home in McLeanMcLean, Virginia
McLean is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. The community had a total population of 48,115 as of the 2010 census....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. His political career had suffered from a long period of womanizing, drinking, and adverse publicity, and she is credited with stabilizing his personal life and helping him resume a productive career in the Senate. Kennedy was devoted to her two children.
In Kennedy's 1994 senatorial re-election campaign
United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 1994
The 1994 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 8, 1994. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy won re-election.- Candidates :* Mitt Romney, CEO of Bain Capital and son of former Michigan Governor George W...
against Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
, she was credited by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
with "giving him a political advantage in a difficult contest." For a Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, reception she organized, 1,200 influential New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
women met five of Kennedy's Senate colleagues. In his campaigns and his senatorial work, she became his principal assistant and closest political advisor. By 1997, she no longer practiced law. She came to the aid of the greater Kennedy family following the 1999 plane crash that took the life of John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. , often referred to as John F. Kennedy, Jr., JFK Jr., John Jr. or John-John, was an American socialite, magazine publisher, lawyer, and pilot. The elder son of U.S. President John F...
She is president and co-founder of Common Sense about Kids and Guns, an advocacy group begun in 1999 which seeks to reduce gun deaths and injuries to children in the U.S. She is a member of the board of trustees of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, and has served on the board of Stop Handgun Violence
Stop Handgun Violence
Stop Handgun Violence is a Boston, Massachusetts-based 501 non-profit organization that works to reduce and prevent injuries and deaths caused by firearms in the United States...
in Boston. She is a board member of Catholic Democrats
Catholic Democrats
Catholic Democrats is a national not-for-profit organization of Catholics, based in Boston, USA. The Catholic Democrats have members in all 50 American states and Puerto Rico, with active local chapters in numerous states...
and authored the preface for their 2009 book, The Catholic Case for Obama. She was named a trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 4, 2009.
Illness and death of Ted Kennedy
Following her husband's May 2008 diagnosis of brain cancer, she became his primary caregiver, dealing with the Kennedy clan along with Ted's political connections. She assisted him in planning his course of treatment.Senator Kennedy died on August 25, 2009. Throughout four days of his lying in state, a funeral service and quiet burial, his widow maintained a public face of composure, dignity, and gratitude to staffers and citizens who lined the streets and waited at the Capitol to pay their respects.
Recent activities
Reports indicated that the Senator expressed the wish that his wife would succeed him in office, and speculation towards that possibility continued during his illness.Upon his death some thought that she would be appointed by Governor Deval Patrick
Deval Patrick
Deval Laurdine Patrick is the 71st and current Governor of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, Patrick served as an Assistant United States Attorney General under President Bill Clinton...
to take the Senator's seat until the special election could take place, but she declined and the governor instead appointed long-time Kennedy associate Paul G. Kirk. Some Democratic officials hoped she would agree to run for Senate to finish out her husband's term, but she declined again and instead endorsed Martha Coakley
Martha Coakley
Martha Mary Coakley is the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to serving as Attorney General, she was District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1999 to 2007....
for the special election to fill the vacant seat. Coakley was defeated by Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
. A year later speculation continued as some noted Democrats saw her as their best chance to take back Senator Kennedy's seat from Brown and the Republicans in the 2012 election.
Since the Senator's death, Kennedy has spoken at graduation ceremonies and
received honorary degrees from UMass Boston, Lesley University
Lesley University
Lesley University is a private, coeducational university in Boston, Massachusetts and Cambridge, Massachusetts.The university is a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and New England Collegiate Conference.-History:The...
, and the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
in the Spring of 2010. She also surprised the 95 members of the graduating class of Harwich High School
Harwich High School
Harwich High School is a public high school located in Harwich, MA. The school colors are Gold and Blue and their team is the Rough Riders. Harwich High School is the third smallest public high school school on Cape Cod.-Overview:...
on Cape Cod by accepting their invitation to speak at their June 2010 graduation.
External links
- "Victoria Reggie Kennedy", her biography at Common Sense about Kids and Guns
- "Victoria Reggie and Ted Kennedy Marriage Profile", (undated) by Sheri Stritof and Bob Stritof at About.comAbout.comAbout.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
- reggiefamilyarchives.com Judge Edmund M. ReggieEdmund ReggieEdmund M. Reggie, Sr. , is a Democratic politician and former city judge from Louisiana. Reggie is originally from the rice-growing city of Crowley, the seat of Acadia Parish, but resides in Lafayette. He still claims that he maintains the record of being the youngest person to serve as a judge in...
Family Archives