In Kennedy's younger years, his father dubbed him the "runt" of the family and wrote him off. Close family friend Lem Billings once remarked to Joe Sr. that he was "the most generous little boy", and Joe Sr. replied that he did not know where his son "got that". Billings commented that the only similarity between Robert and Joe Sr. was their eye color.[19] As Kennedy grew, his father worried that he was soft on others, conflicting with his ideology. In response, Kennedy developed a tough persona that masked his gentle personality, attempting to appease his father.[24] Biographer Judie Mills wrote that Joe Sr.'s lack of interest in Robert was evident by the length of time it took for him to decide to transfer him to Milton Academy. Both Joe, Jr. and John attended the exclusive Protestant prep school Choate from their freshman year, while Robert was already a junior by the time he was enrolled at Milton. Despite his father's disdain, Kennedy continued to seek his approval, requesting that Joe, Sr. write him a letter about his opinions on different political events and World War II.[22] As a child, Kennedy also strove to meet his mother's expectations, to become the most dutiful, religious, affectionate, and obedient of the Kennedy children, but a greater distance grew between him and his father.[7] Rose found his gentle personality endearing, though this was noted as having made him "invisible to his father".[22] She influenced him heavily and, like her, he became a devout Catholic, practicing his religion more seriously than the other boys in the family throughout his lifetime.[25] He impressed his parents as a child by taking on a newspaper route, seeking their approval and wishing to distinguish himself. However, he had the family chauffeur driving him in a Rolls-Royce so that he could make his deliveries. His mother discovered this and the deliveries ceased.[24] Joe Sr. was satisfied with Kennedy as an adult, believing him to have become "hard as nails", more like him than any of the other children, while his mother believed he exemplified all she had wanted in a child. Mills wrote, "His parents' conflicting views would be echoed in the opinions of millions of people throughout Bobby's life. Robert Kennedy was a ruthless opportunist who would stop at nothing to attain his ambitions. Robert Kennedy was America's most compassionate public figure, the only person who could save a divided country." In September 1946, Kennedy entered Harvard as a junior, having received credit for his time in the V-12 program.[35] He worked hard to make the Harvard varsity football team as an end, was a starter, and scored a touchdown in the first game of his senior year before breaking his leg in practice.[35] He earned his varsity letter when his coach sent him in for the last minutes of a game against Yale, wearing a cast.[36] His father spoke positively of him when he served as a blocking back and sometime receiver for the faster Dave Hackett. Joseph, Sr. attended some of Kennedy's practices and saw his son catch a touchdown pass in an early-season rout of Western Maryland. His teammates admired his physical courage. He was five feet ten and 155 pounds, which made him too small for college football. Despite this, he was a fearless hitter and once tackled a 230-pound fullback head-on. Wally Flynn, another player, looked up in the huddle after one play to see him crying after having broken his leg. Disregarding the injury, he kept playing.[37] Throughout 1946, Kennedy became active in his brother John's campaign for the U.S. Representative seat vacated by James Michael Curley, joining the campaign full-time after his naval discharge. Biographer Schlesinger wrote that the election served as an entry into politics for both Robert and John.[38] Two years later in March 1948, Robert graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in political science.[39] After graduating, he sailed immediately on the RMS Queen Mary with a college friend for a six-month tour of Europe and the Middle East, accredited as a correspondent for the Boston Post, filing six stories.[40] Four of these stories, submitted from Palestine shortly before the end of the British Mandate, provided a first-hand view of the tensions in the land.[40] He was critical of British policy on Palestine, and praised the Jewish people he met there calling them "hardy and tough". He held out some hope after seeing Arabs and Jews working side by side but, in the end, feared that the hatred between the groups was too strong and would lead to a war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy

• published: 07 Jan 2017
• views: 2060