Kennedy's tragic car accident in 1969, which is widely regarded as the Chappaquiddick incident, will be a stain on his life for the rest of his life. Although it was ruled that Mary Jo died by drowning, there were always lingering questions about exactly how long she survived in the car and whether she suffocated or drowned. There has always been scepticism over his claim that, after escaping the vehicle, he swam back down to try to free Miss Kopechne at least seven times. The real meaning of what you are and what you value remains intact inside yourself; but there you are splashed all over the papers. [1] Death certificate states "asphyxia by immersion." Father: Joseph A. Kopechne (insurance salesman, b. However, Mary Jo had left behind her purse and hotel room key at the party suggesting she was intending to return. I saw him! Mary Jo Kopechne's body was found inside. It would almost certainly have been an even more dreadful demise than instant drowning. Edward Ted Kennedy, meanwhile, was the last surviving son of Joseph Kennedy at the time of the party. Mrs. Kopechne expressed resentment that 'nothing decent' was reported about her daughter at the time, and the four other unmarried women campaign workers at the party did nothing to explain her daughter's presence in Kennedy's car. It then gets swung around by the elephant until it lets go. Many believe the accident at Chappaquiddick changed presidential history by keeping Ted from the White House. Mary Jo Kopechne's ties to the Kennedys went back five years to 1964 when she had been hired as a secretary to Bobby, then the U.S. senator from New York. Locals discovered the car in the water the next day, July 19th, and alerted the police. Suddenly, its headlights picked out a small wooden bridge looming up ahead. NEW YORK -- After 20 years of silence, the parents of Mary Jo Kopechne say the only satisfaction they received in the aftermath of their daughter's drowning at Chappaquiddick is that it kept. On July 18, 1969, Mary Jo Kopechne was killed as she and then-Senator Ted Kennedy went over the Dike Bridge on Massachusetts's Chappaquiddick Island in Kennedy's car. The film also emphasizes the strain it put on Kennedys wife, Joan, who was pregnant at the time. Part of the reason details are so spotty comes from those 10 hours of waiting to report the accident. Depressingly, a conspiracy of silence continued to protect him over Chappaquiddick. According to the New York Times, Kennedy decided to leave the party at 11:15 p.m., at which time Kopechne asked if he could give her a ride. Many Animals, Including the Platypus, Lost Their Stomachs. Mary Jo had been a guest at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port for a cookout and sailing, and socialized with Rose and other family members. Over eight months, I investigated what really happened on the tiny Massachusetts island of Chappaquiddick on July 18, 1969, when Sen. Ted Kennedy drove his car off a narrow wooden bridge an accident which took the life of his passenger, 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne. Faith Whittlesey, a Pennsylvania Republican and White House staff member under President Reagan, recalled thinking the incident would be the end of Kennedy, and that he could be blocked from the presidency for the rest of his career. This resulted in the drowning death of his 28-year-old passenger Mary Jo Kopechne, who was trapped inside the vehicle. FACT: See above, and add "why the hell would he dirty his own hands (and risk his own life) to kill her if he was rich enough to pay a hitman?" The doctor who examined the body at the scene found no evidence of a pregnancy, either. While the tragedy provided his enemies in the Republican party with endless ammunition against him, Ted Kennedy never paid any real price for causing Mary Jos death. But its as it should be., 5. How would you feel if a reporter called your mother at 8 a.m. and asked whether she approved of her daughters conduct in spending the night with a group of married men?. In the immediate aftermath of the car accident, the nationand the mediawere largely distracted by the Apollo 11 moon landing. A more credible alternative theory was that, after spotting a police patrol car, Kennedy had surreptitiously got out of his car to avoid being found alone with a young woman. It was the greatest moment in John F. Kennedys presidential [legacy] happening at the worst possible moment for Ted-Kennedy-the-senators potential legacy, Allen says. In an interview for my book, The Other Mrs. Kennedy, Kiker recalled being at Hickory Hill for a cookout when Bobby, the U.S. The prosecutors agreed with Kennedy's high-powered attorneys to suspended any jail sentence. He would later claim he was suffering from physical and emotional shock, and not thinking clearly. She escaped with him, but neither of them knew that Miss Kopechne was lying passed out in the back seat. A third theory claims that Kennedy drove off the bridge with Rosemary Keough, another of the women at the party, sitting next to him. Around midnight on a clear, warm night in July 1969, a large Oldsmobile car was speeding along a dirt track leading to a deserted beach. In an interview in 1988, the late Mr Gargan who became estranged from the Kennedys after Chappaquiddick claimed Ted had tried to hatch a scenario in which Mr Gargan discovered the accident, and informed the police that Miss Kopechne had left the party alone and driven off. Still, says Potoski, It doesnt answer all the questions. Would love your thoughts, please comment. A Hickory Hill insider told me that Bobby often told Ethel which women to invite to parties. Judge James Boyle sentenced Kennedy to the minimum punishment for the offense, two months incarceration, but Kennedy never served the jail time, as the judge suspended the sentence. A few minutes later, the smaller boat revved up its motor and sailed out of the harbor. Adds Potoski, his mom: Mary Jos parents never had her final hours explained to them. Today the #metoo movement would be all over RFK for sexual harassment. The first was she was thinking of getting engaged, says Potoski. I came to the surface and then repeatedly dove down to the car in an attempt to see if the passenger was still in the car. #kennedy #tedkennedy #edwardkennedy #chappaquiddick #chappaquiddickstrait #thechappaquiddickincident #chappaquiddickincident #kopechne #marykopechne #maryjokopechne #marthasvineyard #massachusetts #boston #capecod #oldsmobile #oldsmobile88 #oldsmobiledelmont #oldsmobiledelmont88 #1960s #60s #1969, A post shared by @ ushistorytoday on Jul 26, 2018 at 5:34am PDT. His insistence that he didnt raise the alarm at nearby houses because he thought nobody was in was ridiculed when it became clear that at least two of them had lights on. He concluded by asking the viewers the people of Massachusetts whether he should resign his senate seat. [Kopechne] was an intelligent, strong woman who worked for the Bobby Kennedy campaign in a high capacity and did really great work, including transcribing and then adding to the speech he gave about Vietnam, Allen says. NEW YORK -- After 20 years of silence, the parents of Mary Jo Kopechne say the only satisfaction they received in the aftermath of their daughter's drowning at Chappaquiddick is that it kept Sen. Edward M. Kennedy 'from becoming president.'. In a televised speech a week after the accident essentially a plea to Massachusetts voters to re-elect him Kennedy admitted his failure to report the accident was indefensible, but still dared to portray himself as the victim. As a result, there are some who have speculated that theres more to Kopechnes death that meets the eye. There should have been an autopsy. Kennedy urged Gargan and Markham not to tell the other partygoers about the accident. This is the big hurt, the nightmare we have to live with for the rest of our lives: that Mary Jo was left in the water for nine hours. However, Dr. Mills changed his stance at the inquest, stating that Kopechne had been dead six or more hours, with no outside time limit for the moment of her death. Now, nearly fifty years after the incident at Chappaquiddick, almost a decade after Ted Kennedy's death, a film about Mary Jo's death and the aftermath called 'Chappaquiddick' is opening in theaters across the country on Friday. As the host of the party in question, Ted brought the women together for a reunion that included Kennedys cousin, Joseph Gargan, and former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Paul Markham. A crocodile fights an elephant only to realize it may have bitten off more than it can chew. On July 18, 1969, 28-year-old Kopechne attended a reunion party on Chappaquiddick, off of Martha's Vineyard, attended by then-Sen. Kennedy and some of the campaign workers who had worked for his. In the movie, Kennedy cousin Joe Gargan unsuccessfully tries to convince Ted to read a resignation letter rather than going on television. In that way Mary Jo continues to help people, says Potoski, and she has brought the recipients happiness. There must be something he could tell me that would lift this heavy burden from my heart.'. HOPEFUL hunk Jason Sudeikis buried the hatchet with baby mama Olivia Wilde and has his heart set on a romantic reunion but the cranky cougar is still bristling over her bitter bust-up with toyboy Harry Styles, sources squeal. Instead of looking directly for a telephone number after lying exhausted in the grass for an undetermined time, walked back to the cottage where the party was being held and requested the help of two friends, my cousin Joseph Gargan and Paul Markham, and directed them to return immediately to the scene with me, he said. The film has his damning first words to them as: Im not going to be President.. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Chappaquiddick, which stars Australian actor Jason Clarke as Ted Kennedy and Kate Mara (the thrusting young journalist Zoe Barnes in the U.S. version of House Of Cards) as Kopechne is an impressive film which is harsh, but entirely fair, on Kennedy. World's Ugliest Dog contest seeking unalluring canines for 2023 competition. Mary Jo Kopechne was the 28 year old political operative who died, tragically, in a car accident near Chappaquiddick Island on July 18,1969. I raised my eyebrows because I expected much more water. Medscape reports that subsequent efforts to exhume Kopechnes remains for postmortem examination have been denied. Kopechnes body was not discovered until the following morning, when local divers came across Kennedys vehicle. Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Georgia came to the rescue of a dog who fell into a storm drain and ended up stranded about 12 feet underground. Whether youre on the left or right side of the aisle, its imperative that we take a pretty hard, unvarnished look at our heroes these days, Curran says. And to continue the discussion, join our Facebook group to share your thoughts and theories or reach us directly at coverup@people.com. (They got their nickname from the windowless office where they worked.) The darkest of these was that Mary Jo Kopechne had been pregnant with his child and he had crashed intentionally to kill her and avoid a marital scandal. Drunk and unaccustomed to driving the huge car, Miss Kopechne took a wrong turn and drove it off the bridge. "We've shifted into trying to have Mary Jo's life mean something," said Nelson, of Slatington, Pennsylvania. The closing scene of Chappaquiddick features a bit of archival footage, from a man-on-the-street style interview in Boston. Kennedy said he had been driving at 20mph when he plunged off the bridge, but experts estimated he must have been going at least twice that speed for the car to hurtle as far as it did. Edgartown Police Chief Dominick Arena, who took Teds statement the next morning and later charged him with leaving the scene of the accident, still wonders why the senator waited so long to report what happened. By National ENQUIRER Staff Apr 19, 2018 @ 16:19PM View gallery 17 Getty Images/Files A reporter asks one person after another whether they would still consider voting for Kennedy after the Chappaquiddick accident. What is known is that the fatal incident at Chappaquiddick destroyed all chances of Kennedy - who received little more than a slap on the wrist for the death of Kopechne - ever becoming president, and forever placed a dark cloud over the cursed Kennedy family. The car went off the side of the bridge., Kennedy denied any accusations that he was intoxicated at the time. Lorraine Boissoneault Kennedy recounts how the night of the accident unfolded. After some miscommunication and confusion with friends at the party, the police were not called until morning. Your Privacy Rights It took her at least three or four hours to die.
Further, Kennedy would have realised hed left the paved road to the ferry and taken the unpaved track to the bridge, not least because it was a route he had driven several times that day. She ultimately suffered a miscarriage, which she blamed on the incident.
The darkest of these was that Mary Jo Kopechne had been pregnant with his child and he had crashed intentionally to kill her and avoid a marital scandal. No public inquest into the death occurred, and Kennedy went on to make a televised speech about the accident. The number one network, In a speech given a week after the accident. They say it addresses the flaws and discrepancies in Kennedys account that haunted them. On July 19, 1969, around 12:45 a.m., Look was driving back to his home on Chappaquiddick when he saw a dark car and thought the driver appeared unsure or lost. He parked his car and got out to see if the driver needed help, but before he could get there the car took off and went down Dike Road toward the bridge. Three days later, Ethel accompanied Ted and his wife, Joan, to the dreary mining town of Plymouth, Pennsylvania, where Mary Jo had been born. 'I attempted to open the door and the window of the car but have no recollection of how I got out of the car.' | READ MORE, Lorraine Boissoneault is a contributing writer to SmithsonianMag.com covering history and archaeology. He also said that he got no encouragement from the district attorneys office to order one. Miss Kopechnes relatives have welcomed the new film, saying it is made by men of integrity and that it finally makes her more than just a name in the Kennedy saga. What were he and Kopechne doing together alone in the first place? In a statement made to police hours after the late night July 18, 1969, incident, the senator claimed he was on his way to get the ferry back to Edgartown, was unfamiliar with the road, made a wrong turn and his car went off a narrow bridge, turned over and sank in the water. Too late, the driver failed to negotiate it and the car went over the edge, flying 34ft through the air before plunging upside down into 8ft of water. Subscribe to Magzter Gold to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,000+ magazines and newspapers. Cookie Settings, Kennedy for his part claimed in his autobiography. July 26, 1969. In the years that followed, the fate of Miss Kopechne and Kennedys appalling, irresponsible behaviour in the immediate aftermath of the accident were persistently overlooked. Mary Jo Kopechne died in the car accident that occurred at Chappaquiddick Island in 1969. Kennedy had been in a car accident, one week earlier while driving home from a party on the night of July.18/1969, when he missed the mouth of a narrow bridge on a dirt road in the darkness and plunged into Chappaquiddick Strait. Likewise, it is never established whether Kopechne was pregnant or exhibited signs of recent sexual activity. Bobby had often thrown caution to the wind when pursuing women, even at Hickory Hill, so it was no surprise to Kennedy insiders that he would 'come on' to Mary Jo Kopechne in the family home. 'I only wish it were in my power to do something more to ease the continuing pain that I feel and that Mr. and Mrs. Kopechne feel for Mary Jo's loss.'. Kopechnes body was discovered the day after the accident, shortly before Kennedy reported it to the police. Maybe now Mary Jo will be brought to the forefront and remembered not just for how she died but for who she was.'. SYND 11-12-69 MARY JO KOPECHNE PARENTS GIVE PRESS STATEMANT, (11 Dec 1969) Parents of Mary Jo Kopechne, who died in Edward Kennedy's car at Chappaquiddick Island, give press statement after court denies exhumation of her body Find out more about AP Archive: aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/fe6d64dcd5a09832cca6f6a23a40ebb1, Mary Jo Kopechne's cousin reacts to 'Chappaquiddick' film, Speculation continues about the circumstances surrounding Mary Jo Kopechne's death and Senator Ted Kennedy's actions. He dismissed the film as fake history and insisted it was riven with factual errors, but only pointed out one (the fact that Joe, the Kennedy patriarch, couldnt have mumbled the word alibi to encourange Ted to concoct one because hed lost the power of speech due to a stroke). According to the letter, once they all realized what had happened, Ted was informed Mary Jo had been asleep in the back. 'They were the cute blondes, the ones Bobby liked to have around him, and Ethel never seemed to object. 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Seemingly oblivious to the fact that it was Miss Kopechne who lost her life, he accused the film of character assassination of poor Ted. Mary Jo Kopechne was a school teacher and a political campaign specialist who died in a car accident at Chappaquiddick Island on July 18, 1969. This article was originally published on May 31, 2018.
Mr Curran, a Democrat himself, says he is repelled by the liberals who are only too ready to flaunt their disapproval of President Trump and disgust at claims made about his private life, but who refuse to acknowledge the reality of the Chappaquiddick scandal. 'I want him to tell me what happened,' she said. ', A surviving relative of Mary Jo, a 75-year-old aunt, however, told People 'For 49 years, people have wanted to know what happened. In a statement made by Kennedy on July 25, 1969, he said that he had enlisted the help of his cousins to search for Kopechnes body. But the next morning, when he went to the scene of the car accident on Dike Bridge and saw Teds car overturned in the water, he said Thats the same car I saw last night. The 90-minute time difference between 11:15 p.m., when Ted said the accident occurred, and 12:45 a.m., when Look said he saw the senators car, was never fully explained. 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