Chapter One: Poverty to Privilege
Patrick Kennedy had just experienced another disappointing crop season, and felt despondent. Fellow Limerickians had been enthusiastically lighting out for the United States or Canada. Preferring to stay with the known, eternal Britain, he moved to London to work as a peddler. On Sept. 4, 1849 he married Mary Willoughby, a Catholic merchant's daughter. Their son Patrick Joseph was born on Nov. 5, 1853.
"Life is joyless and earnest. Our only hope is that P.J. can make something of himself."
- Mary to Patrick, 1860
From the age of ten, P.J. went to watch the great Tory MP Benjamin Disraeli during his many public appearances and outdoor debates. The man who had toppled Peel from No. 10 was about to reside there himself, but P.J. was more interested in the "electric speechifying" as one of his descendants would later term it.
"Met a girl named Elizabeth Warfield- she's a merchant's daughter also. Among others things, her father works in Tory backrooms. Most interestingly enough, she accepted a date next Saturday."
P.J.'s diary, Oct. 6, 1874
UK general election, Nov. 7, 1874
652 Commons seats
Conservative: 363 seats (+92)
Liberal: 229 seats
Home Rule: 60 seats
Incumbent PM: William Gladstone (Lib)
Subsequent PM: Benjamin Disraeli (Tory)
P.J. acquired two pubs from his uncle, and began to prosper economically, socially and even politically, having now joined the local Conservative Association. Life went on in earnest, and Patrick died of typhoid fever in 1875. Empire was approaching its zenith, such as when Prime Minister Disraeli conferred the title of Empress of India on Queen Victoria. Imperial glory and war fever in the Crimea concealed mounting discontent at home. Disraeli's focus on foreign affairs in Afghanistan and Russia diverted attention from his domestic policy, which was later characterized as a "constant outflanking of the Liberals" and "turning the center blue undetected".
"Been finding a lot of anti-Tory sentiment around the constituency lately. Even more vilification of the PM. Worst cartoon was one depicting him as Shylock strangling Baby Brittania, ironic since he's done so much for the Imperial Cause. Have no illusions about the election, it will be a horrible massacre and maybe the end of Disraeli's career."
P.J's diary
On Oct. 7, 1880 Britons went to the polls to judge Prime Minister Disraeli's Tories. And judge they did...
UK general election, 1880
Liberal: 349 seats (+113), 55%
Conservative: 240 seats
Home Rule: 63 seats
Incumbent PM: Benjamin Disraeli (Tory)
Subsequent PM: William Gladstone (Lib)
EX-PM DISRAELI DEAD, QUEEN ORDERS STATE FUNERAL
Political life continued during Gladstone's Second Ministry, but there were important developments in Ireland. After the 1885 election, Gladstone formed a minority government with Irish support, but tensions over Home Rule sparked a snap election the following year. A record that would last for over a century began on May 6, 1886...
UK general election, 1886
Conservative/ Liberal Unionist: 397 seats (+147), 53.3%
Liberal: 188 seats
Irish Parliamentary: 85 seats
Incumbent PM: William Gladstone (Lib)
Subsequent PM: Lord Salisbury (Tory)
On Sept. 5, 1888, Elizabeth Kennedy gave birth to her only son, Joseph Patrick. Joe proved to be an exceptionally talented and intelligent child, so much so that in 1900, he was sent to Harrow. The end of the Boer War marked the zenith of Empire, as did one of the longest and most interesting Prime Ministerships in British history. On July 10, 1902 Lord Salisbury resigned as Prime Minister, as the newly minted widow and increasingly frail 72 year old handed over No. 10 and the Tory leadership to his nephew Arthur Balfour. Britons would undergo yet another blow to the national consciousness on Oct. 9, when...
QUEEN DEAD AT 83, EDWARD TO BE CROWNED IN APRIL
"Harrow is certainly harrowing. Been beaten twice but always on the honour roll. Perhaps controlled rabble-rousing isn't as bad as it has been made out."
- Joe Kennedy's diary, Jan. 20, 1903
Meanwhile, in London, Prime Minister Balfour was having to deal with an increasingly divided Conservative party. The fault line was the same that had toppled Peel nearly seventy years earlier, the question of free trade. Increasing tension between the militant free-traders and protectionists, and Balfour's careful neutrality, sapped his authority both as Prime Minister and party leader. On the Opposition benches, the Liberals gained momentum and unity under Henry Campbell-Bannerman. Conservatives, including P.J. Kennedy, worried about the Tories having received too wide a mandate in the 1900 election, with over 400 MPs, which to quote Sir John A. Macdonald "could corrupt a committee of archangels." After Joe was sent to Oxford in September 1905, the tension was reaching a boiling point. On Nov. 30...
PM RESIGNS, SEEKS TO RENEW MANDATE
"Balfour has tried to blackmail the Tories into giving a vote of confidence in his leadership. He and Peel have the same quality, namely using fists when a loaded .45 would achieve the desired results, as Salisbury had in abundance."
-Diary of Joe Kennedy, Nov. 30, 1905
The following day, Campbell-Bannerman was sworn in as Prime Minister of a minority government, and King Edward dissolved Parliament for a Feb. 4, 1906 election. Since preferential tariffs were the first step down the free-trade road, many working class voters saw the issue as being over food prices. One young free-trader who saw the necessity of party reform was the young Winston Churchill, who secretly gathered like-minded backbench Tories to discuss the issue.
UK general election, 1906
670 Commons seats
Liberal: 401 seats (+217)
Conservative: 155 seats
Irish Parliamentary: 82 seats
Labour: 28 seats
Incumbent PM: Arthur Balfour (Tory)
Subsequent PM: Henry Campbell-Bannerman (Lib)
"CB might've wiped the floor with us, but I don't think all is lost. All those radical reforms he's proposing, by next time we'll be smelling like roses. We really should find someone other than Balfour as the leader."
Joe Kennedy's diary, Mar. 10, 1906
As Joe prepared to leave Oxford in the spring of 1908...
June 5, 1908
PM DEAD, ASQUITH SWORN IN
Britons did not know what to make of their new Prime Minister, though as Chancellor of the Exchequer and effective Deputy Prime Minister, he had been one of the most visible members of the Liberal Cabinet. A self-confessed policy wonk, Asquith began to ram through many measures which would simply be known as the "Liberal reforms", though not all would survive upcoming events. One of the men to watch was the "Welsh wizard" David Lloyd George, now the dauphin of the Liberal Party.
Joe left Oxford in June 1908 and immediately began to involve himself in business affairs. One fast new friend was the Canadian-born press baron Max Aitken, also deeply involved in Conservative politics. Joe was on his way to wealth and prominence, and while in search of a wife, politics intervened once again. Under Balfour's direction, the heavily Conservative Lords vetoed many Liberal bills, substituting "principled opposition to radicalism with spiteful nays on first reading!" as Winston Churchill would declare in an Oldham constituency meeting. Balfour began to hear rumbles of royal displeasure, and thereafter toned it down. Before the results were apparent, Prime Minister Asquith dissolved Parliament barely halfway through its term on the "People's Budget".
"I was right, Max was so impressed that I won the bet with him."
- Joe Kennedy's diary, Jan. 17, 1910
UK general election, Jan. 1910
Liberal: 275 seats (-126)
Conservative: 271 seats
Irish Parliamentary: 74 seats
Labour: 42 seats
Incumbent PM: H.H. Asquith (Lib)
Britons, it seemed, could not decide on the government they wanted. Tories had firmly decided they no longer wanted Arthur Balfour as leader, but due to the "standing alert" of a minority Parliament, a bloody coup would be foolish. Winston Churchill had already decided on the man he would support, whom many fellow backbenchers liked and admired.
UK general election, Dec. 7-15, 1910, 670 Commons seats
Liberal: 277 seats (+2)
Conservative: 269 seats
Irish Parliamentary: 81 seats
Labour: 42 seats
Incumbent PM: H.H. Asquith (Lib)
Sept. 10, 1911- TORIES, UNIONISTS MERGE, CHAMBERLAIN NEW LEADER
Aug. 27, 1914- EUROPE ABLAZE, ENTENTE, CP AT WAR
Joe Kennedy obtained a deferment from military service, and was on the verge of making his first million pounds in the London stock market, when on Oct. 10, 1914 he married Dame Jennifer Ryerson, becoming Sir Joseph Kennedy. On Dec. 3, 1915, his first son, Joe Jr. was born. Before any more children came along, the United States went "Back to the Future" as the saying went. On Nov. 7, 1916...
(R) Theodore Roosevelt/ Charles E. Hughes- 318 ECV, 54.7%
(D): Woodrow Wilson/ Thomas R. Marshall- 213 ECV, 43.3%
Incumbent President: Woodrow Wilson (D)
President-elect: Theodore Roosevelt (R)
On Nov. 20, 1916 Wilson appointed Roosevelt Secretary of State while he and Marshall resigned, allowing Roosevelt to reenter the White House nearly four months ahead of schedule.
To be continued...
Patrick Kennedy had just experienced another disappointing crop season, and felt despondent. Fellow Limerickians had been enthusiastically lighting out for the United States or Canada. Preferring to stay with the known, eternal Britain, he moved to London to work as a peddler. On Sept. 4, 1849 he married Mary Willoughby, a Catholic merchant's daughter. Their son Patrick Joseph was born on Nov. 5, 1853.
"Life is joyless and earnest. Our only hope is that P.J. can make something of himself."
- Mary to Patrick, 1860
From the age of ten, P.J. went to watch the great Tory MP Benjamin Disraeli during his many public appearances and outdoor debates. The man who had toppled Peel from No. 10 was about to reside there himself, but P.J. was more interested in the "electric speechifying" as one of his descendants would later term it.
"Met a girl named Elizabeth Warfield- she's a merchant's daughter also. Among others things, her father works in Tory backrooms. Most interestingly enough, she accepted a date next Saturday."
P.J.'s diary, Oct. 6, 1874
UK general election, Nov. 7, 1874
652 Commons seats
Conservative: 363 seats (+92)
Liberal: 229 seats
Home Rule: 60 seats
Incumbent PM: William Gladstone (Lib)
Subsequent PM: Benjamin Disraeli (Tory)
P.J. acquired two pubs from his uncle, and began to prosper economically, socially and even politically, having now joined the local Conservative Association. Life went on in earnest, and Patrick died of typhoid fever in 1875. Empire was approaching its zenith, such as when Prime Minister Disraeli conferred the title of Empress of India on Queen Victoria. Imperial glory and war fever in the Crimea concealed mounting discontent at home. Disraeli's focus on foreign affairs in Afghanistan and Russia diverted attention from his domestic policy, which was later characterized as a "constant outflanking of the Liberals" and "turning the center blue undetected".
"Been finding a lot of anti-Tory sentiment around the constituency lately. Even more vilification of the PM. Worst cartoon was one depicting him as Shylock strangling Baby Brittania, ironic since he's done so much for the Imperial Cause. Have no illusions about the election, it will be a horrible massacre and maybe the end of Disraeli's career."
P.J's diary
On Oct. 7, 1880 Britons went to the polls to judge Prime Minister Disraeli's Tories. And judge they did...
UK general election, 1880
Liberal: 349 seats (+113), 55%
Conservative: 240 seats
Home Rule: 63 seats
Incumbent PM: Benjamin Disraeli (Tory)
Subsequent PM: William Gladstone (Lib)
EX-PM DISRAELI DEAD, QUEEN ORDERS STATE FUNERAL
Political life continued during Gladstone's Second Ministry, but there were important developments in Ireland. After the 1885 election, Gladstone formed a minority government with Irish support, but tensions over Home Rule sparked a snap election the following year. A record that would last for over a century began on May 6, 1886...
UK general election, 1886
Conservative/ Liberal Unionist: 397 seats (+147), 53.3%
Liberal: 188 seats
Irish Parliamentary: 85 seats
Incumbent PM: William Gladstone (Lib)
Subsequent PM: Lord Salisbury (Tory)
On Sept. 5, 1888, Elizabeth Kennedy gave birth to her only son, Joseph Patrick. Joe proved to be an exceptionally talented and intelligent child, so much so that in 1900, he was sent to Harrow. The end of the Boer War marked the zenith of Empire, as did one of the longest and most interesting Prime Ministerships in British history. On July 10, 1902 Lord Salisbury resigned as Prime Minister, as the newly minted widow and increasingly frail 72 year old handed over No. 10 and the Tory leadership to his nephew Arthur Balfour. Britons would undergo yet another blow to the national consciousness on Oct. 9, when...
QUEEN DEAD AT 83, EDWARD TO BE CROWNED IN APRIL
"Harrow is certainly harrowing. Been beaten twice but always on the honour roll. Perhaps controlled rabble-rousing isn't as bad as it has been made out."
- Joe Kennedy's diary, Jan. 20, 1903
Meanwhile, in London, Prime Minister Balfour was having to deal with an increasingly divided Conservative party. The fault line was the same that had toppled Peel nearly seventy years earlier, the question of free trade. Increasing tension between the militant free-traders and protectionists, and Balfour's careful neutrality, sapped his authority both as Prime Minister and party leader. On the Opposition benches, the Liberals gained momentum and unity under Henry Campbell-Bannerman. Conservatives, including P.J. Kennedy, worried about the Tories having received too wide a mandate in the 1900 election, with over 400 MPs, which to quote Sir John A. Macdonald "could corrupt a committee of archangels." After Joe was sent to Oxford in September 1905, the tension was reaching a boiling point. On Nov. 30...
PM RESIGNS, SEEKS TO RENEW MANDATE
"Balfour has tried to blackmail the Tories into giving a vote of confidence in his leadership. He and Peel have the same quality, namely using fists when a loaded .45 would achieve the desired results, as Salisbury had in abundance."
-Diary of Joe Kennedy, Nov. 30, 1905
The following day, Campbell-Bannerman was sworn in as Prime Minister of a minority government, and King Edward dissolved Parliament for a Feb. 4, 1906 election. Since preferential tariffs were the first step down the free-trade road, many working class voters saw the issue as being over food prices. One young free-trader who saw the necessity of party reform was the young Winston Churchill, who secretly gathered like-minded backbench Tories to discuss the issue.
UK general election, 1906
670 Commons seats
Liberal: 401 seats (+217)
Conservative: 155 seats
Irish Parliamentary: 82 seats
Labour: 28 seats
Incumbent PM: Arthur Balfour (Tory)
Subsequent PM: Henry Campbell-Bannerman (Lib)
"CB might've wiped the floor with us, but I don't think all is lost. All those radical reforms he's proposing, by next time we'll be smelling like roses. We really should find someone other than Balfour as the leader."
Joe Kennedy's diary, Mar. 10, 1906
As Joe prepared to leave Oxford in the spring of 1908...
June 5, 1908
PM DEAD, ASQUITH SWORN IN
Britons did not know what to make of their new Prime Minister, though as Chancellor of the Exchequer and effective Deputy Prime Minister, he had been one of the most visible members of the Liberal Cabinet. A self-confessed policy wonk, Asquith began to ram through many measures which would simply be known as the "Liberal reforms", though not all would survive upcoming events. One of the men to watch was the "Welsh wizard" David Lloyd George, now the dauphin of the Liberal Party.
Joe left Oxford in June 1908 and immediately began to involve himself in business affairs. One fast new friend was the Canadian-born press baron Max Aitken, also deeply involved in Conservative politics. Joe was on his way to wealth and prominence, and while in search of a wife, politics intervened once again. Under Balfour's direction, the heavily Conservative Lords vetoed many Liberal bills, substituting "principled opposition to radicalism with spiteful nays on first reading!" as Winston Churchill would declare in an Oldham constituency meeting. Balfour began to hear rumbles of royal displeasure, and thereafter toned it down. Before the results were apparent, Prime Minister Asquith dissolved Parliament barely halfway through its term on the "People's Budget".
"I was right, Max was so impressed that I won the bet with him."
- Joe Kennedy's diary, Jan. 17, 1910
UK general election, Jan. 1910
Liberal: 275 seats (-126)
Conservative: 271 seats
Irish Parliamentary: 74 seats
Labour: 42 seats
Incumbent PM: H.H. Asquith (Lib)
Britons, it seemed, could not decide on the government they wanted. Tories had firmly decided they no longer wanted Arthur Balfour as leader, but due to the "standing alert" of a minority Parliament, a bloody coup would be foolish. Winston Churchill had already decided on the man he would support, whom many fellow backbenchers liked and admired.
UK general election, Dec. 7-15, 1910, 670 Commons seats
Liberal: 277 seats (+2)
Conservative: 269 seats
Irish Parliamentary: 81 seats
Labour: 42 seats
Incumbent PM: H.H. Asquith (Lib)
Sept. 10, 1911- TORIES, UNIONISTS MERGE, CHAMBERLAIN NEW LEADER
Aug. 27, 1914- EUROPE ABLAZE, ENTENTE, CP AT WAR
Joe Kennedy obtained a deferment from military service, and was on the verge of making his first million pounds in the London stock market, when on Oct. 10, 1914 he married Dame Jennifer Ryerson, becoming Sir Joseph Kennedy. On Dec. 3, 1915, his first son, Joe Jr. was born. Before any more children came along, the United States went "Back to the Future" as the saying went. On Nov. 7, 1916...
(R) Theodore Roosevelt/ Charles E. Hughes- 318 ECV, 54.7%
(D): Woodrow Wilson/ Thomas R. Marshall- 213 ECV, 43.3%
Incumbent President: Woodrow Wilson (D)
President-elect: Theodore Roosevelt (R)
On Nov. 20, 1916 Wilson appointed Roosevelt Secretary of State while he and Marshall resigned, allowing Roosevelt to reenter the White House nearly four months ahead of schedule.
To be continued...
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