Born on November 20, 1925, Robert F. Kennedy served as his brother John’s presidential campaign manager, as Attorney General of the United States, as the U.S. Senator representing the state of New York and as the presumed candidate candidate for the Office of the President of the United States for the Democratic National Committee.
An icon of modern American liberalism, he was best known for his support for African-American Civil Rights Movement and his crusade against organized crime and the mafia during his tenure as Attorney General.
After defeating Senator Eugene McCarthy in the California presidential primary, Kennedy addressed supporters at the ballroom for The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968.
Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, a 24-year-0ld Palestinian, in a crowed kitchen pathway although he had been warned to avoid the kitchen by his personal bodyguard, FBI agent Bill Barry. Struck three times with bullets fired from a .22-caliber revolver, he was first rushed to Los Angeles’ Central Receiving Hospital and later to the Good Samaritan Hospital where he died early the next morning.
When questioned later, Sirhan Sirhan explained the shooting saying that he felt betrayed by Kennedy’s support for Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 which had begun exactly one year before the assassination.
Sirhan Sirhan is currently serving a life sentence at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California.
CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller’s father was a doctor who tried to save Kennedy. She shares his story below:
- Source Links – August 29, 2020
- About Pat Warde: Eulogy Tribute by Eleanor Hughes – April 1, 2019
- Editorial Note – January 15, 2019
You must be logged in to post a comment Login