Kenneth O'Donnell

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Kenny O'Donnell
White House Appointments Secretary
In office
January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
PresidentJohn F. Kennedy
Preceded byThomas Stephens
(Appointments Secretary)
Wilton Persons (Chief of Staff)
Succeeded byW. Marvin Watson
Personal details
Born
Kenneth Patrick O'Donnell

(1924-03-04)March 4, 1924
Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedSeptember 9, 1977(1977-09-09) (aged 53)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting placeHolyhood Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Helen Sullivan (1947–1977)
Asta Steinfatt (1977)
RelationsAlice Guerin and Cleo Albert O'Donnell (parents)
Children3 sons, 2 daughters
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Boston College (LLB)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service U.S. Army Air Forces
Years of service1942–1945
Battles/warsWorld War II

Kenneth Patrick O'Donnell[1] (March 4, 1924 – September 9, 1977) was an American political consultant. He was the special assistant and appointments secretary to President John F. Kennedy from 1961 until Kennedy's assassination in November 1963. O'Donnell was a close friend of President Kennedy and his younger brother Robert F. Kennedy.

O'Donnell also was an aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1963 to 1965. He later was an adviser to Robert Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign.

He died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage due to alcoholism in September 1977, aged 53.

References[change | change source]

  1. "Kenneth Patrick O'Donnell." Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 10: 1976–1980. Charles Scribner's Sons. 1995.