Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (July 22, 1890 – January 22, 1995) married into the Kennedy family and became its matriarch in the 20th century, when its members helped shape American politics.

She was born Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, and died at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. She was the eldest child of John F. "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald (a prominent figure in Boston politics who served one term as a member of Congress and later became the city's mayor), and his wife, Mary Josephine Hannon.

The family lived for a time at 39 Welles Avenue in the Ashmont Hill section of Dorchester, Massachusetts, while she attended the local Girl's Latin School. The Victorian, mansard-style home, largest on the street, later burned down. A marker is there, at Welles Avenue and Harley Street, naming it "Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Square". The placement was celebrated by her son, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, in 1992, on Rose's 102nd birthday.

Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy studied at the convent school Kasteel Bloemendal in Vaals, Holland, and graduated from Dorchester High School in 1906. She attended the New England Conservatory in Boston, studying pianohttp://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0920652.html. Refused by her father permission to attend Wellesley College, Rose enrolled at the Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart (as it was known at that time). With her father she toured Europe in 1908. They also visited the newly built Panama Canal.

She married Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. on October 7, 1914, after a courtship of more than 7 years, and they lived at first in nearby Brookline, in a house that is now a national historic landmark. The Kennedys had the following nine children:

In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt named Joseph P. Kennedy Ambassador to the Court of St. James's, and the family stayed in England till World War II broke out. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. served with distinction in World War II and died flying a mission in Europe. John F. Kennedy, Naval veteran, Congressman and then Senator, was elected President of the United States in 1960, and assassinated in 1963. Rosemary Kennedy, the first daughter, was pronounced mentally handicapped (although this claim is disputed; it is more likely that she suffered from dyslexia and depression), and had a lobotomy performed at the behest of Joe Sr. Rose was not informed by her husband of the procedure beforehand and when it was botched and Rosemary's condition deteriorated she was placed in an asylum. Kathleen Kennedy worked for the American Red Cross in Britain, married William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, in 1944, and died in a plane crash in 1948. Eunice Kennedy married R. Sargent Shriver, Jr., and founded the Special Olympics. Patricia Kennedy was married to actor Peter Lawford. They later divorced. Robert F. Kennedy, Attorney General of the United States and Senator from New York, ran for president in 1968. He did much for the civil rights movement, for the farmworkers, and for the cause of justice. During his campaign, he was assassinated. Jean Kennedy married Stephen Smith, founded Very Special Arts, and was appointed as ambassador to Ireland by President Clinton. Edward Kennedy has served for many years as Senator from Massachusetts.

In 1951, she had the rare title of papal countess conferred on her by the Vatican (Pope Pius XII) in recognition of her "exemplary motherhood and many charitable works." She was only the sixth woman from the United States to have the title bestowed upon her by the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1984, at the age of 94, Rose Kennedy suffered a stroke, which left her confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

At her death from complications of pneumonia at the age of 104 on January 22,1995, Rose Kennedy was the longest-lived Presidential relative in history. She was also the oldest resident of Barnstable, Massachusetts (population: 55,000), where she was residing at the time of her death. She was well-known for her philanthropic efforts, as well as leading the Grandparents' Parade at age 90 at the Special Olympics. Her life and work with the Special Olympics are documented in the Oscar-nominated short documentary Rose Kennedy: A Life to Remember.

As of August 12 2007, only three of Joseph and Rose Kennedy's nine children are still alive. The only two surviving daughters are 86-year old Eunice Kennedy Shriver and 79-year old Jean Kennedy Smith, while the only surviving son is 75-year-old Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy.

Of the six deceased children of Joe and Rose Kennedy, the only two to die of natural causes to date are their daughters Rose Marie Kennedy and Patricia Kennedy Lawford. Rosemary (who was Joe and Rose's first daughter and third child) underwent a lobotomy in 1941 at the age of 23 after Joe Kennedy was informed that his daughter's mild mental complications could be cured by such an operation. Unfortunately, the lobotomy went wrong, and Rosemary was left with profound mental retardation. Rosemary was cared for at St. Coletta's institution [formerly known as St. Coletta's Institute for Backward Children] in Jefferson, Wisconsin from 1949 until her death of natural causes on January 7 2005 at the age of 86. Patricia (who was the fourth daughter and sixth child) died from complications due to pneumonia on September 17 2006 at the age of 82. The surviving children have grown particularly close as the years have passed.

Four of Joe and Rose Kennedys children might have died young in aircraft accidents and as the result of assassinations, but the longevity comes from Rose Kennedy's side of the family; at the time of her death in 1995, Rose was 104 years old. She inherited the longevity from both her parents: her father John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald died on October 2 1950 at age 87, while her mother Mary Josephine Hannon died on August 8 1964 at age 98. Many people speculate that if any of the surviving Kennedy siblings have inherited their mother's longevity, it will most likely be Eunice, who (at age 86) is noted for her excellent health.

Rosemary Kennedy, the third child born in the immediate Kennedy family, underwent a lobotomy in 1941 at age 23 after Joe Kennedy was informed that his daughter's mild mental complications could be cured by such an operation. However, the lobotomy resulted in profound mental retardation. Rosemary Kennedy was cared for at St. Coletta's in Wisconsin beginning in 1949. Due to the severity of her mental condition, Rosemary became largely detached from the Kennedy clan. However, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics and an advocate for people with disabilities on Rosemary's behalf, visited her frequently, and beginning in the 1970s Rosemary paid visits to her mother. On January 7, 2005, Rosemary Kennedy died at the age of 86, at the institution where she had spent the last fifty-five years. Hers was the first natural death among the children of Joe and Rose Kennedy. A true testament to the merging of the Kennedy siblings, at her side upon her death were her surviving sisters and her brother, Senator Ted Kennedy.

* The Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston, Massachusetts is named after her. * The Rose Kennedy Cocktail is a popular drink in bars in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. * Although she is listed as the oldest resident of Barnstable, Massachusetts, she was declared a legal resident of Florida upon her death to take advantage of Florida's more favorable estate tax laws. She had not left her Hyannis home for over a decade prior to her demise, but her heirs successfully argued that the Kennedy Estate in Palm Beach, Florida was her legal residence. * According to Michael J. Nelson of Mystery Science Theater 3000, when he apologized to her for jokes about her age, she replied he shouldn't apologize — she found her own longetivity funny as well.

* * * Boston Women's Historic Trail