Joseph P. Kennedy : the mogul, the mob, the statesman, and the making of an American myth / Ted Schwarz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schwarz, Ted, 1945-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kennedy, Joseph P. (Joseph Patrick), 1888-1969.

Kennedy, Joseph P.

Kennedy family.

Ambassadors--United States--Biography.

Ambassadors.

United States.

Politicians--United States--Biography.

Politicians.

Businessmen--United States--Biography.

Businessmen.

Irish Americans--Biography.

Irish Americans.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

vii, 472 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley & Sons, [2003]

Summary:

How far would the brash and ambitious young son of an Irish Catholic saloonkeeper go to prove himself the equal of Boston's disdainful Protestant elite? Joe Kennedy's ruthless and relentless quest for money, power, and above all, social status, began in his early childhood and continued through the final days of his life. This unflinching portrait of the man who sired three of America's most important twentieth-century political figures introduces a wealth of new information about Kennedy's questionable financial practices, his Hollywood exploits, his tenure as ambassador to Great Britain, and his very risky relationship with organized crime. Author Ted Schwarz reveals that, long before his family's name became synonymous with wealth, glamour, political idealism, and agonizing personal tragedy, Joe Kennedy was on the move. From baseball scams he concocted as an adolescent to his cynical manipulation of Franklin Roosevelt's son, Kennedy showed few scruples when it came to getting ahead in the world. Even his long and successful courtship of Rose Fitzgerald, daughter of Boston's first Irish mayor, was calculated to advance his career and improve his standing in the community.

Drawing on previously untapped sources, including interviews with Meyer Lansky's accountant, who knew Joe in Miami, and the files of a private investigator who worked both for and against the Kennedy family for many years, Schwarz provides a rare peek into Joseph Kennedy's most secret activities and most public accomplishments. He discloses how Joe prevented Rose from being humiliated by his very public affair with screen siren Gloria Swanson, what made him think that he could safely do business with Al Capone, and much more.

Schwarz also assesses Kennedy's accomplishments and failures in business and politics, including the creation of the vertical merger, his transformation of the Hollywood studio into a product business manufacturer, and his dismal performance as Ambassador to Britain. Complete with fascinating portraits of Joe's father, P.J. Kennedy, Mayor John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, and a huge supporting cast of politicians, movie stars, gangsters, con artists, and captains of industry, Joseph P. Kennedy tells a classic American tale of ambition, greed, triumph, and tragedy. It is must-reading for Kennedy buffs, biography lovers, business readers, and anyone interested in the complex and controversial story behind the patriarch of America's most loved, most hated, and most talked-about family.

Contents:

1 Mr. Ambassador 1

2 Coming to America 7

3 The Barkeep 24

4 The Barkeep's Boy and the Politician's Daughter 37

5 Scandal and Marriage 65

6 The Adventure Begins 76

7 Adjusting to Peacetime 88

8 Hollywood Beckons 103

9 Going Hollywood 113

10 Seduced and Betrayed 134

11 After Hollywood 172

12 The Outsider Comes In 190

13 The Consultant 208

14 Of Family and Ambition 213

15 "The Ambassador" 233

16 The War Years 264

17 Adrift 322

18 The Race for the Senate 343

19 Joe and Jacqueline 362

20 The Run for President 384

21 The View from the Top Is Always Down 420

22 And Then There Was ... 426.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 458-462) and index.

ISBN:

0471176818

OCLC:

51447253