Personal Life
She met British actor Peter Lawford through her sister Eunice in the 1940s. They met again in 1949, and again in 1953. They courted briefly and officially announced their engagement in February 1954. They married on April 24, 1954, at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Thomas More in New York City, two weeks before her thirtieth birthday. They settled in Santa Monica, California, and often socialized with actress Judy Garland and her family. Garland gave birth to her son Joseph at the same hospital and on the same day Kennedy gave birth to her son Christopher.
The couple had four children:
- Christopher Kennedy Lawford (born (1955-03-29) March 29, 1955 (age 57) in Santa Monica, California).
- Sydney Maleia Kennedy Lawford (born (1956-08-25) August 25, 1956 (age 56) in Santa Monica, California).
- Victoria Francis Lawford (born (1958-11-04) November 4, 1958 (age 54) in Santa Monica, California).
- Robin Elizabeth Lawford (born (1961-07-02) July 2, 1961 (age 51) in San Francisco, California).
Despite the glamorous persona Lawford presented, their relationship suffered strains as early as their brief engagement. Lawford had difficulty adjusting to Kennedy's steadfast Catholicism and her family's larger-than-life image. Kennedy could not tolerate Lawford's heavy drinking, extramarital affairs, and gradual addiction to drugs. Shortly after JFK's assassination, Kennedy filed for a legal separation, and the couple were officially divorced in 1966. In accordance with her religious beliefs, she never remarried.
Read more about this topic: Patricia Kennedy Lawford
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