Similarly to the Kardashians, the Kennedys were the well-known family of the sixties. However, the affairs created by the Kennedy men became the focal point of their fame. Specifically, Ted Kennedy; “On July 18, 1969, Ted Kennedy plunged off the bridge on the island of Chappaquiddick. Kennedy survived the crashed, but Mary Jo Kopechne, the young passenger, did not” (Pruitt, pg 1). Since the incident, various conspiracy theories have emerged:
- Was there a third person in the car?
- Was Ted Kennedy under the influence?
- Could Ted Kennedy save Mary Jo Kopechne?
Let’s explore the conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Mary Jo Kopechne.
Who is Edward Kennedy? More famously known as Ted Kennedy, the youngest member of the Kennedy family, was a skillful student. Unlike his elder siblings, "Ted preferred sports to academics and lagged behind his brothers and sisters in school performance" ("Ted Kennedy." 1). As a child, "Kennedy moved between homes resulting in attending ten schools before graduating from Milton Academy" (History 1). During his time in Milton Academy, Kennedy "immersed himself in athletics, drama, debate and the glee club" ("Ted Kennedy." 1). He followed his brother's, John F. Kennedy, footsteps and "enrolled at Harvard University. He immersed himself into the football team where his performance attracted the interest of the Green Bay Packers" ("Ted Kennedy." 1). Although Kennedy had a rocky start by being expelled from Harvard University, he graduated from "Harvard University and later earned his degree in law from the University of Virginia School of Law" (Pruitt 1). Ted Kennedy was a gifted man who worked hard to become a prosperous student.
In addition to his talent, Kennedy was an accomplished senator. Kennedy became a prominent member and is famously known as the "Lion of the Senate” (Glass 1). Senator Kennedy managed to pass many bills to benefit all classes and ethnicities. For example, Senator Kennedy fought to guarantee that all Americans have equal access to health care. A direct result of, "Sen. Kennedy’s vision as a 34-year-old, first-term senator, 20 million low-income Americans receive access to quality primary care at 1,200 community health centers across all 50 states and U.S. territories" (Real Clear Politics 1). Kennedy's idea was to make health care accessible to everyone instead of a privilege. Furthermore, Senator Kennedy created a "federal initiative patterned on volunteer programs in several states to feed the elderly, either with meals delivered to their homes or in group settings" (1). Kennedy was a prominent figure in "establishing the Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program," which is typically known as WIC (1). Through Senator Kennedy's skills and accomplishments, he managed to prove he is a formidable force in American politics.
Also, Ted Kennedy is a benevolent fellow. Senator Kennedy understood the Civil Rights were important and played a major role in every battle in Congress. After the passing of President John F. Kennedy, “Senator Kennedy took the senate floor and gave his maiden speech” (Real Clear Politics 1). In his speech, Kennedy stated
My brother was the first President of the United States to state publicly that segregation was morally wrong. His heart and his soul are in this bill. If his life and death had a meaning, it was that we should not hate but love one another; we should use our powers not to create conditions' of oppression that lead to violence, but conditions of freedom that lead to peace. It is in that spirit that I hope the Senate will pass this bill ("Maiden Speech of Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA)." 1)
Ultimately, through his passionate plea, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed. Kennedy later heavily immersed himself with African American organizations, "lowered the voting age from 21 to 18,” passed amendments to extend the Fair Housing Act of 1968, "to prohibit discrimination towards people with disabilities in the sale or rental of housing" (Real Clear Politics 1). His liberal belief created a legacy that will be honored, respected and matched by others.
The first conspiracy theory suggests that there was a third person in the car besides Ted Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne. Since the Kennedy men were notorious for their affairs, leaving with a woman was not uncommon; “Kennedy drove off with Rosemary Keough, one of six unmarried female campaign workers at a party hosted by Kennedy and his cousin, Joseph Gargan. Kopechne was passed out in the back seat, and neither Kennedy nor Keough knew she was there.” (Friss 1). Deputy Sheriff Huck Look stopped Kennedy on his way out of the party and noticed a woman in the front seat of the car. After the accident occurred, "Mary Jo’s lack of any injuries shows she couldn’t have been in the front seat," otherwise she would have collided with the glass from the front of the vehicle (1). Kopechne would have to be lying down in the back seat where she was later discovered, "and a handbag of a second woman was found in the sunken car" (1). Author, Sarah Pruitt, addresses, “her hands gripped the back of the front seat.” Further insinuating that there was a third person in the car, whether it was Rosemary Keough or not. However, no reports were made of any other individual at the scene.
The second conspiracy proposes that Ted Kennedy was under the influence. After concluding a survey of twenty-five individuals, twenty-two out of the total agreed with the idea of Kennedy potentially being under the influence. Kennedy left the party cottage with Mary Jo at 11:50 P.M. (Pruitt 1). Since the two were leaving a party, one could believe Kennedy could have been intoxicated. After the accident occurred, Kennedy returned to the cottage and enlisted the help of his cousin, Joseph Gargan, and aide, Paul Markham. The three returned to the bridge and attempted to save Kopechne. Unsuccessfully, Kennedy returned to his hotel and collapsed at around 2:00 A.M. (Pruitt 1). One can theorize that Kennedy decided to go back to prevent any evidence that could link him to the death of Kopechne. That could potentially further "derail Ted Kennedy's presidential ambitions for good” (Pruitt 1). Finally, he contacted the local police at “10:00 A.M on the morning of July 19” (Pruitt 1). Roughly after “12 hours,” Kennedy could be considered undetected through a breathalyzer test ("How Long Does Alcohol Stay in Your System: Blood, Urine & Breath?"). It could be possible that Kennedy waited so long to contact the police so he wouldn't be guilty for a DUI, driving under the influence. Since, the police were unable to test Kennedy's blood alcohol level at the time of the accident, and they had no other evidence of illegal activity, Kennedy was not taken to prison (Pruitt 1). In a speech, later that week:
Kennedy maintained he had not driven drunk, and that there was “no truth, no truth whatever to the widely circulated suspicions of immoral conduct that have been leveled at my behavior and [Kopechne’s] regarding that evening.” Kennedy attributed his actions after the accident to injury (he suffered a concussion), shock and confusion. (Pruitt 1)
In the speech, Kennedy claims that he had not “driven drunk” which argues the conspiracy claiming he was under the influence during the fatal accident. However, he does admit the death of Kopechne was due to his sinful behavior.
The third conspiracy suggests that Ted Kennedy could have saved Mary Jo Kopechne. Typically, the first question the public asks is, "How did Kennedy manage to survive the fatal accident?" If both Kennedy and Kopechne were in the front seat, then how come Kopechne didn't survive? According to Sarah Pruitt, "Kopechne likely did not die instantaneously, but her final moments remain a mystery.” After the accident, Kennedy managed to swim to shore. However, he could have heard Kopechne begging for help if she was presumed not dead instantaneously. Instead of going back into the water to save Kopechne, Kennedy rushes back to the party cottage and enlist Joseph Gargan and Paul Markham. The three men race to the bridge and attempt to save Mary Jo Kopechne. The three are unsuccessful in saving poor Kopechne. Many working the "case suspected she could have been saved if Kennedy had gone for help earlier" (Pruitt 1). Further contributing that Kennedy could have potentially saved Kopechne's life.
However, "James E.T. Lange and Katherine DeWitt Jr., authors of Chappaquiddick: The Real Story—maintain that the cold temperature of the water and the condition of the car made it unlikely she survived for an extended period of time" (Pruitt 1). In addition, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in 1970, "concluded that as there was no evidence any air remained in the submerged car, it wouldn’t seek or allow any testimony about how long she may have lived, as “this could only be conjecture and purely speculative" (Pruitt 1). The statements proposed by the authors and the Supreme Judicial Court would hinder the idea of Kopechne chances of surviving after the car flipped.
On the night of July 18, 1969, on the small island of Chappaquiddick, twenty-eight-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne lost her life. The aftermath of her death pointed to these three conspiracies:
- Was there a third person in the car?
- Was Ted Kennedy under the influence?
- Could Ted Kennedy save Mary Jo Kopechne?
Even today, fifty years after the beautiful blonde met her demise, the unresolved mystery of her death continues to bewilder family, colleagues, and conspiracy theorists. Unfortunately, no concrete evidence has been found to solve this case.
Page Break
Works Cited
"How Long Does Alcohol Stay in Your System: Blood, Urine & Breath?" American Addiction Centers, 18 June 2019, americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/how-long-in-system.
"Maiden Speech of Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA)." U.S. Senate, 9 Apr. 2019, www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/image/CivilRightsFilibuster_MaidenSpeechTedKennedy.htm.
"Ted Kennedy." Biography, 21 Aug. 2018, www.biography.com/political-figure/ted-kennedy. Accessed 24 June 2019.
"Ted Kennedy." History, 21 Aug. 2018, www.history.com/topics/us-politics/ted-kennedy Accessed 24 June 2019.
Friss, G. New book questions Ted Kennedy's Chappaquiddick tragedy. Retrieved from https://www.capecodtimes.com/lifestyle/20161113/new-book-questions-ted-kennedys-chappaquiddick-tragedy
Glass, Andrew. "Ted Kennedy, ‘liberal Lion of the Senate,’ Dies at 77, Aug. 25, 2009." POLITICO, 25 Aug. 2017, www.politico.com/story/2017/08/25/teddy-kennedy-liberal-lion-of-the-senate-dies-at-77-aug-25-2009-241914.
Pruitt, S. (2018, September 4). Ted Kennedy's Chappaquiddick Incident: What Really Happened. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/ted-kennedy-chappaquiddick-incident-what-really-happened-fact
Real Clear Politics - Live Opinion, News, Analysis, Video and Polls, www.realclearpolitics.com/politics_nation/Kennedy%20Accomplishments.pdf. Accessed 24 June 2019.
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