John Francis Fitzgerald

John Francis Fitzgerald, the namesake of his grandson John F. Kennedy, was a popular Boston politician who was one of the taproots of a political dynasty via his daughter Rose Kennedy. Rose married Joseph P. Kennedy, the son of his one-time rival and later political ally Patrick Joseph "P. J." Kennedy, a saloon-keeper who became a force in Boston politics. Born in Boston on February 11, 1863, his parents were Irish Catholic immigrants. After graduating from Boston Latin School, he attended Boston College; he then matriculated at Harvard Medical School, intent on fulfilling his late mother's wish that he become a physician. After a year of study, he quit medical school after his father passed away in 1885. An active member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed a clerk at the Customs House in Boston. The fabled "Honey Fitz" served three terms as mayor of Boston and two stints in the U.S. House of Representatives. His popularity was long-lasting and he helped his grandson Jack in his successful 1946 campaign for Congress from Massachusetts' 11th district. Honey Fitz died on October 2, 1950 at the age of 87.