Joseph Patrick Kennedy III is an American politician and diplomat born on October 4, 1980. He is a member of the Democratic Party and has held various positions throughout his career.
Kennedy served as the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district from 2013 to 2021. Prior to his election to Congress, he worked as an assistant district attorney in the Cape and Islands and Middlesex County, Massachusetts, offices.
A member of the Kennedy family, Joseph is a son of U.S. Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II, a grandson of U.S. Senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, a grandnephew of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, and a great-grandson of U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.
He was raised in Boston with his twin brother, Matthew Rauch Kennedy. Kennedy graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor's degree and later earned a Juris Doctor at Harvard Law School in 2009.
In 2012, Kennedy resigned from his role as assistant district attorney to run for the U.S. House of Representatives seat held by the retiring Barney Frank. He was sworn into office in January 2013 and sat on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Kennedy ran for re-election in 2020 but was unsuccessful. He then founded Project Groundwork, a non-profit organization focused on boosting local community organizing efforts throughout the United States.
After leaving office, Kennedy joined several advisory boards and began appearing as a political commentator for CNN. He was appointed to the President's Commission on White House Fellowships in June 2021.
In December 2022, Kennedy was named the United States Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs by President Biden.
