Robert Sargent Shriver Jr American politician, member of the Kennedy Klan Date of Birth: 09.11.1915 Country: USA

Biography of Robert Sargent Shriver

Robert Sargent Shriver Jr., also known as "The Sarge," was an American politician and member of the Kennedy clan. He was born in 1915 in Westminster, Maryland, to banker Robert Sargent Shriver Sr. and his wife Sara Shriver.

After completing his education at Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut, Shriver became a student at Yale University. By 1941, he had earned a Bachelor of Laws degree. During World War II, Shriver served in the Navy in the Pacific region and was wounded in the battles for Guadalcanal, earning the Purple Heart. Despite being opposed to war, he believed that agreeing or disagreeing with government policy did not exempt him from his duty to serve his country. Shriver spent a total of five years in the military.

After the war, Shriver worked as an editor for Newsweek magazine. It was during this time that he met Eunice Kennedy, a representative of the famous Kennedy dynasty. They married in 1953, and Shriver was appointed to manage the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, Illinois, by his father-in-law, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. In Chicago, Shriver became involved in public service and joined the City Council on Education in 1954. Within a year, he became its chairman, and soon after, he also served on the Council on Racial Relations.

In 1959, Shriver was considered a leading candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination for the upcoming Illinois gubernatorial elections in 1960. However, he had to decline the opportunity as his brother-in-law, John F. Kennedy, emerged as a prominent political figure. Shriver became a member of the Kennedy clan and continued his political career. After Kennedy's assassination in 1963, Shriver worked in the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson, overseeing social programs.

Shriver held various high-level government and public positions for over 40 years. His most notable and politically popular role was leading the Peace Corps, which he helped establish in 1961. From 1968 to 1970, Shriver served as the U.S. ambassador to France.

In 1972, he ran as the Democratic Party's vice-presidential candidate. In 1976, Shriver's public political career came to an end, and he focused on charitable and social projects. In 1994, President Bill Clinton awarded Shriver the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. President Barack Obama referred to him as "one of the brightest representatives of an outstanding generation."

Shriver's wife, Eunice Kennedy, became the inspiration and organizer of the Special Olympics for people with disabilities, while their daughter Maria, a television journalist, married former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The family also had four other children.

In 2009, Shriver's wife Eunice passed away at the age of 88. They had been married for 56 years. Shriver himself died on January 18, 2011, at the Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, due to Alzheimer's disease.