Joseph Everett Kennedy (October 8, 1930 – June 19, 1997) was a

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

State Senator born in

Claxton, Georgia Claxton is a city in Evans County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,746 at the 2010 census, up from 2,276 in 2000. It is the county seat of Evans County. History The town had its visionary, W.R. Hendricks. In May 1890 there were only a ...

, United States.

Biography

Personal life

Kennedy attended Claxton schools and graduated from

Claxton High School Claxton High School is a public high school located in Claxton, Georgia, United States. It is a part of the Evans County School District. The current principal is Dr. Paul Mizell. Between 1975 and 1979, students at the school under the direction o ...

in 1947. After graduation he attended

Georgia Military College Georgia Military College (GMC) is a public military junior college in Milledgeville, Georgia. It is divided into the junior college, a military junior college program, high school, middle school, and elementary school. It was originally known as M ...

where he graduated in 1949. Following his time at GMC, Kennedy became a 2nd lieutenant in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. He was the recipient of the

Korean Service Medal The Korean Service Medal (KSM) is a military award for service in the United States Armed Forces and was established November 8, 1950 by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary US military award for s ...

United Nations Medal A United Nations Medal is an international decoration An international decoration is a military award which is not bestowed by a particular country, but rather by an international organization such as the United Nations or NATO. Such awards ar ...

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, and two

Battle Stars A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

. On December 25, 1953, Joseph Kennedy married Lalah Kennedy of

Tattnall County Tattnall County is a county located in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,520. The county seat is Reidsville. Tattnall County was created on December 5, 1801, from part of Montgomery ...

. Kennedy would later be heavily influenced by his father-in-law, the Honorable J. Cliff Kennedy, who was involved in the government of the State of Georgia. Kennedy became very involved in his community. He was a member of the Claxton Jaycees and the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. He was a

Shriner Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

of the Alee Temple Lodge of

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

and the Director of the Tippins Bank and Trust Company of Claxton as well as the Director of the Evans County Chamber of Commerce.

Georgia Senator

In 1966 Joe Kennedy was elected to the Senate's Fourth District, where he served for twenty-four years. During his time in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, he was Chairman of the Senate Offender Rehabilitation Committee for 12 years and was appointed to the Criminal Justice Improvement Council in 1981. He was a member of the Appropriations Committee, serving on the Continuation Subcommittee and the Conference Committee on Appropriations; the senator was also a part of the Agricultural Committee. Senator Kennedy attained his highest rank in the senate during the Governorship of

Joe Frank Harris Joe Frank Harris (born February 16, 1936) is an American businessman and Democratic politician who served as the 78th Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1983 to 1991. Early life and career Harris was born in the Atco Mill Village o ...

when he served as President Pro Tempore of the Senate from 1983 to 1991. He was given the job of executive assistant to the commissioner of the Department of Corrections in 1991; from 1991 to 1994 he directed an inmate labor program which put inmates to work on public building projects. During his life, both prior to and during his service as a senator, Kennedy received many awards. He was the Jaycees' Young Man of the Year (1962); was given the Legislative Award from the

Georgia Municipal Association Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to th ...

(1985). He was the Legislator of the Year from the

Georgia Recreation and Parks Society Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to th ...

and the

Georgia Association of Retarded Citizens Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to th ...

(1983). The

Hospital Corporation of America HCA Healthcare is an American for-profit operator of health care facilities that was founded in 1968. It is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and, as of May 2020, owns and operates 186 hospitals and approximately 2,000 sites of care, including sur ...

and the

Georgia Rehabilitation Association Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to th ...

, among many other organizations, recognized him for his hard work during his tenure as senator. Senator Joe Kennedy was instrumental in helping to create

Ogeechee Technical College Ogeechee Technical College (OTC) is a Public college, public technical college in Statesboro, Georgia. It is part of the Technical College System of Georgia. OTC serves Bulloch County, Georgia, Bulloch, Evans County, Georgia, Evans, Screven County ...

References

Georgia Southern University Library's Joe Kennedy Papers

USG: Meeting Minutes - March 1999
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Joe 1930 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American politicians Georgia (U.S. state) state senators United States Army officers United States Army personnel of the Korean War People from Claxton, Georgia

Biography

Personal life

Georgia Senator

See also

References