Stock Photo - Jan. 01, 1982 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - File Photo: circa 1982. TED KENNEDY. The Kennedy family is a prominent Irish-American family in American politics and government descending from the marriage of JOSEPH P. KENNEDY and ROSE FITZGERALD KENNEDY. The predominantly Democratic family is known for its US-style political liberalism. The best known Kennedy is the late President of the United States John F. Kennedy. The Kennedys are often compared to the Adams, Bush, and Taft families as among the most influential American political families. The Kennedy, Bush, and Adams families all have strong roots in the New England region of the United States of America. The Kennedy Compound is located in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Some commentators in the early 1960s made predictions that President John F. Kennedy would be first of a dynasty in the White House. But these predictions were not borne out, and the idea largely dropped off the public's radar after Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 and Senator Edward 'Ted' Kennedy was involved in a drunk-driving incident (in which a passenger in his car was killed) in 1969. However, a number of Kennedy family members have held high office since then. The Kennedy family has had a long history of tragic, untimely deaths. Most famously, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Previously, his older brother Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. was killed (in a plane explosion) on a special mission toward occupied Europe in World War II. His brother, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968, while campaigning for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. Prior to that, the late president's sister Kathleen was killed in a plane crash. Much later, in the 80s and 90s, 2 of Robert Kennedy's 11 children, Michael Kennedy and David Kennedy, as well as JFK's only surviving son, John F. Kennedy Jr., would each pass away at relatively young ages.(Credit Image: © Keystone Press Agency/Keystone USA via ZUMAPRESS.com)