Private Life and Family
He resides in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. A long-time bachelor, Kennedy announced his engagement to sixth-grade history teacher Amy Petitgout in March 2011. She has a 3-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. They married on July 15, 2011 in Hyannisport, Massachusetts and have a son named Owen Patrick, born on April 15, 2012.
His father, Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, died on August 25, 2009. Patrick Kennedy made a tearful eulogy at the funeral, saying that "He would be very proud to see you all out here today paying a final respect and tribute to his memory". He further elaborated on his experiences with his father as a child, saying his father would stay at his bedside during his frequent bouts of ill health.
Kennedy suffers from bipolar disorder, and has struggled with alcoholism, asthma, and depression for a good portion of his life.
When Kennedy decided not to run for reelection in 2010, he cited his decision on the fact that his life "has taken a new direction". Mark Weiner, a major Democratic fundraiser in Rhode Island and one of Kennedy's top financial backers, said "It's tough to get up and go to work every day when your partner is not there, I think he just had a broken heart after his father passed away."
Read more about this topic: Patrick J. Kennedy
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