Ambrose Patrick Kennedy (December 1, 1875 – March 10, 1967) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

Early life

Kennedy was born in

Blackstone, Massachusetts Blackstone is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,208 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Providence metropolitan area. History This region was first inhabited by the Nipmuc. Blackstone was sett ...

on December 1, 1875, the son of Patrick Kennedy and Mary ( McCormick) Kennedy. He attended the Blackstone public schools and St. Hyacinthe's College, Province of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He graduated from

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by educators Benedict Joseph Fenwick and Thomas F. Mulledy in 1843 under the auspices of the Society of Jesus. ...

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

, in 1897. He graduated from the

Boston University Law School The Boston University School of Law (BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a Private university, private research university in Boston. Established in 1872, it is the third-oldest law school in New England, after Harvard Law School and ...

in 1906.

Career

He served as

principal Principal may refer to: Title or rank * Principal (academia), the chief executive of a university ** Principal (education), the head of a school * Principal (civil service) or principal officer, the senior management level in the UK Civil Ser ...

of the Blackstone High School from 1898 to 1904 and as

superintendent of schools In the American education system, a superintendent or superintendent of schools is an administrator or manager in charge of a number of public schools or a school district, a local government body overseeing public schools. All school principal ...

1906 to 1908. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

the same year and commenced practice in

Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsoc ...

. He served as '' aide-de-camp'' on the personal staff of Gov. Aram J. Pothier with the rank of

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

from 1909 to 1913.

Political career

From 1911 to 1913, he was a member of the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is ...

, serving as speaker in 1912. Kennedy was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-third and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1913 until March 3, 1923. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1922 and was succeeded in office by Jeremiah E. O'Connell. He resumed the practice of law.

Personal life

On September 1, 1909 at

Middleborough, Massachusetts Middleborough is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,405 as of 2023. The census-designated place of Middleborough Center, Massachusetts, Middleborough Center corresponds to the main village and commercia ...

, Kennedy was married to teacher Anastacia Genevieve Leahy (1880–1968), a daughter of Michael A. Leahy and Julia M. O'Hara. Together, they had four children including: Ambrose, born 1911; James, born 1913; John, born 1916; and George, born 1920. He died in

, March 10, 1967. He was interred in St. Paul's Cemetery, Blackstone, Massachusetts.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Ambrose 1875 births 1967 deaths Speakers of the Rhode Island House of Representatives People from Blackstone, Massachusetts College of the Holy Cross alumni Republican Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives American school administrators Boston University School of Law alumni Rhode Island lawyers American expatriates in Canada People using the U.S. civilian title colonel Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island People from Massachusetts 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly