With "too much pent-up energy" for a desk job and a desire to explore the world while giving back, he joined the Peace Corps, founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. He spent more than two years in the Dominican Republic. "I wouldn't trade it for anything. It was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had," says Kennedy, settling down for a cup of coffee late Friday after a hectic day in court.
Joseph P. Kennedy III, who served in the Peace Corps and has degrees from Stanford and Harvard universities, is an assistant district attorney for the Cape and Islands
Not your average Joe (Kennedy)
Caption: Joseph P. Kennedy III, who served in the Peace Corps and has degrees from Stanford and Harvard universities, is an assistant district attorney for the Cape and Islands. "I've moved down here to try to be a member of the community, to try to serve the community in a way that I think that I can," he said.Cape Cod Times/Steve Heaslip
By Stephanie Vosk
svosk@capecodonline.com
February 28, 2010
At more than 6 feet tall with blue eyes and red hair, the low man on the totem pole at the District Attorney's Office in Barnstable is often told he resembles Conan O'Brien. When he reveals he's actually a Kennedy, he'll get the requisite, "Oh, yeah, you look like one."
Joseph P. Kennedy III's features and attitude are a throwback to his grandfather, Robert F. Kennedy, and his great-uncles, John and Ted. Soft-spoken before the bench, he'll grin widely and toss his head back in laughter while chatting with courthouse colleagues.
In the six months since Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's death, the 29-year-old son of former U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II has stepped into the role of public servant for the people of Cape Cod.
"I've moved down here to try to be a member of the community, to try to serve the community in a way that I think that I can," said Kennedy, an assistant district attorney.
With rumors swirling that he may this year make a bid for Congress if U.S. Rep. William Delahunt takes a pass, the only firm goal Kennedy admits having is to move up the chain at the DA's office, to eventually try Superior Court cases.
"I think that we've got a great congressman. I've fully supported him in the past and I fully support him now," Kennedy says. "What I'm really focused on at the moment is my job."
From Peace Corps to the Cape
Born in Brighton and raised primarily there and in Marshfield, Kennedy and his twin brother spent summers on the Cape, but never lived here full time.
The brothers attended Stanford University, where Joe graduated in 2003 with a degree in management, science and engineering. The following year, the twins went their separate ways.
With "too much pent-up energy" for a desk job and a desire to explore the world while giving back, he joined the Peace Corps, founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. He spent more than two years in the Dominican Republic.
"I wouldn't trade it for anything. It was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had," says Kennedy, settling down for a cup of coffee late Friday after a hectic day in court.
After returning in April 2006, Joe promptly joined his brother, Matt, as co-chair of Sen. Kennedy's re-election campaign.
Soon after, both twins enrolled at Harvard. Joe attended law school while Matt pursued a business degree.
While at Harvard, Kennedy quickly struck up a relationship with Professor Elizabeth Warren. "Joe worked as hard as anyone at the law school, and harder than most," Warren said.
Kennedy introduced Warren to Delahunt, a long-time family friend. Two legislative proposals on consumer protection issues resulted from the trio's collaboration, said Mark Forest, Delahunt's top aide.
"His input and contributions to the work of the congressman have been very important," Forest said of Kennedy.
After his second year of law school, in the summer of 2008, Kennedy worked as an intern at the Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office. Last September, feeling the draw to the Cape that generations of his family have experienced, he joined the office full time.
"Joe is a bright young lawyer who's learning quickly and is well on his way to becoming a good prosecutor," First Assistant District Attorney Michael Trudeau said.
"All of a sudden, he's blossomed in the real world," Joseph Kennedy II said of his son. "I think it's almost like he's found a calling. He just lights up when he talks about his work."
Though he's not exactly single, Kennedy is somewhat living the bachelor life, renting a small condo in Centerville. "The refrigerator hasn't seen a gallon of milk in a long time," he admits.
By 8 a.m. each morning, he rolls into the office in his big red pick-up truck - a hand-me-down from his father - ignoring the frequent jabs about his Betty Boop mud flaps. The truck was a gift to his father from his stepmother, he insists.
'Genuine and sincere'
As the new guy, it's up to him to drag stacks of files across the parking lot, to rotate among the district courts, to follow the lead of his senior colleagues.
It's a job that, so far, he's relishing.
"Joe is somebody who has opportunities elsewhere and it's nice to see that rather than relying on family connections, he's come here to put in hard work," said Brian Mannal, a local lawyer who knows Kennedy through the Cape's Democratic committees and his work in the courts.
Plus, it doesn't hurt that he's "so damn likeable," Mannal said.
"He's a great listener," said Patrick Princi, head of the Barnstable Democratic Town Committee, who watches Kennedy circle the room at local events and spend half-hour blocks deep in conversation.
"He doesn't seem to have any feeling of entitlement or anything else," Princi said. "He's very genuine and sincere."
Despite his age, Kennedy is "serious-minded, very mature," and has a "solid work ethic," said Paul Kirk, who filled the late Kennedy's Senate seat for five months before Scott Brown's election.
"His work in the District Attorney's Office is important public service," said Kirk, a long-time friend of the Kennedy family.
That, to Joe, is what it's all about. He trumpets the Kennedy mantra - to whom much is given, much is required - but he does seem to take it to heart.
"Public service is just such a big part of what my uncle represented," he says, ticking off a list of family members who are giving back in their own ways and insisting he is not filling the senator's void.
But the budding lawyer is filling the role of family representative at events across the state. "It comes with the territory a bit," he says.
Though he offers that "politics is one of the highest forms of public service," he's not yet saying it's for him.
But he's not saying it isn't, either.
Growing up, Kennedy says he never really felt the pressure to enter the family business. On the contrary, his childhood goals included becoming a marine biologist and scaling Mount Everest.
In a family that has experienced both the "huge and unbelievable benefit that public life provides" and the downsides of political positions, the decision to campaign has always been left to the individual, Joe's father said.
"If Joe chooses to run for public office, then Beth (his wife) and I would do everything we could to try to help. But if he decides what he really wants to do is work as a prosecutor, then I would be so proud of him," his father said. "Ultimately, to me, what's important is that Joe does what makes him happy."
