16 Facts About Rose Kennedy

Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald Kennedy was an American philanthropist, socialite, and matriarch of the Kennedy family.

Rose Kennedy was deeply embedded in the "lace curtain" Irish-American community in Boston.

In 1951, Rose Kennedy was ennobled by Pope Pius XII, becoming the sixth American woman to be granted the rank of Papal countess.

Rose Kennedy was the eldest of six children born to John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, at the time a member of the Boston Common Council, and the former Mary Josephine "Josie" Hannon.

Rose Kennedy studied at the Blumenthal Academy of the Sacred Heart in Vaals, Netherlands, and graduated from Dorchester High School in 1906.

Rose Kennedy attended the New England Conservatory in Boston, where she studied piano.

Rose Kennedy would go on to court Fitzgerald for more than seven years, much to her father's disapproval.

When Rose Kennedy was eight months pregnant with the couple's fourth child, Kathleen, she temporarily went back to her parents, returning to Joseph after her father told her divorce was not an option.

In turning a blind eye to her husband's affairs, Rose Kennedy depended heavily on medication.

Rose Kennedy didn't want to lose that family that she had created.

Rose Kennedy stated that she felt completely fulfilled as a full-time homemaker.

Rose Kennedy campaigned for her three sons, John, Robert, and Edward, from 1946 to 1976 in their political races for the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, and the presidency.

Pierre Salinger once noted that Rose Kennedy made prospective voters feel more important by preparing her remarks carefully and addressing them on intimate terms.

Rose Kennedy maintained her residence at the Rose Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port and was cared for by private nurses and staff.

Rose Kennedy turned 100 years old on July 22,1990.

Rose Kennedy died from complications from pneumonia in Hyannis Port on January 22,1995, aged 104.