Presidential House Visit: John F. Kennedy Birthplace

Although it does not bear her name, the John F. Kennedy National Historic Site in Brookline, Massachusetts is more of a tribute to Rose Kennedy and her young family than it is to our 35th president. The Kennedys lived in the house for only six years, during which time John was born, but they sold it in 1920. The house had changed hands several times when Rose bought it back in 1966 after her son had been assassinated. She restored it herself according to her memories and gave it to the park service fully decorated and renovated to the way it was in 1917.

Or at least the way she wanted it to be. The house is beautiful, surprisingly modest, and happy, but it’s hard to not feel a sense of looming tragedy. By the time Rose repurchased the house, everyone who had lived in it was either dead or unable to help her with the project: Joe Jr. had died in the war in 1944, Rosemary was incapacitated due to a botched lobotomy, Joe Sr. had suffered a debilitating stroke in 1961, and John had been assassinated in 1963. Rose was the only one left, so the house acts as a memorial to her family in a simpler, happier time.

For all the effort that went into presenting the house as a cozy, cheerful home, there are still signs of the dysfunction the Kennedys became infamous for. For example, the master bedroom contained two twin beds, which I initially thought could not have been the true state of things, except the park ranger told me they really did sleep in separate beds. Given the number of children they had, it seems it didn’t make much difference, but it still seemed slightly odd to me. The park ranger told a story about how after Jean, their eighth child, was born, Joe gave Rose her choice of three diamond bracelets as a gift. When a friend asked what he would give her to top himself if they had another child, he replied with “a sock in the eye.” Charming.

Another park ranger story involved Rose leaving on a trip when the future president was about seven years old. As Rose was saying goodbye to her children, Jack turned to her and said, “A fine mother you are to leave us!” His mother, racked with guilt, returned several minutes later to check on her children, who were playing happily despite her absence. Apparently, little Jack knew exactly where to strike to create the most damage.

Edward Kennedy described the atmosphere as one of “spirited competitiveness,” but I would describe it more as “ruthless ambition.” The kind of success the Kennedys had would not have been possible if they were not ambitious and willing to use almost any means necessary to achieve their goals. Perhaps the greatest rivalry in the family was between Joe and John; Joe was always physically stronger than his younger brother, but John used his cunning to outwit his older brother. Perhaps it’s just because I have an usually good older brother, but I found their relationship appalling. My brother would never have purposefully hurt me, physically or emotionally, so the constant fighting between the two oldest Kennedy brothers disturbed me more than it should have, since they were most likely acting like normal little boys.

I think the trouble I have with Kennedy is that I view him less as a president and more as a celebrity. Bits of family gossip are more memorable to me than John Kennedy’s political record, so I find it hard to separate him from his glamorous family. This was partially intentional; the Kennedys had strong ties to Hollywood and Rose raised them to live public lives, just as she had as the daughter of the mayor of Boston. Seeing the Kennedy Birthplace, untainted as it is by the later tragedies and scandals the family faced, made me wonder how their life would I have been different if the “spirited competitiveness” had been toned down a bit. Fame and power are heady things, but they can take away as much as they can give.

I got the sense that Rose understood that when she returned to her modest starter home. The house has an aura of bittersweet nostalgia, helplessly aware of the troubles to come, but hopeful for a better future. “We were very happy here,” the voice of Rose Kennedy says in a recording played at the end of the tour of the house, and you get the sense they were never quite so happy again.