Mary Josephine "Josie" Hannon (October 31, 1865 – August 8, 1964) was the wife of John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, the mother of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, mother-in-law of Joseph P. Kennedy and maternal grandmother of John F., Robert and Ted Kennedy. She is, as of 2009, the only grandparent to live to see a grandchild become president of the United States.
Mary Josephine Hannon was born on October 31, 1865 in Acton, Massachusetts to Irish immigrants Michael Hannon (1832-1900) and Mary Ann Fitzgerald (1834-1904), both from County Limerick. She was the fifth of nine children, only four of whom survived. One brother, Edmund (1859-1865), died of fever at the age of six, while Josie's mother was pregnant with her; another, John (1855-1861), had died of a lung inflammation four years earlier. Two brothers, Michael (1860-1881) & James (1863-1889), died early of alcoholism, while her youngest brother, John Edmund (1877-1951), had his leg crushed by a train at age thirteen. The youngest girl, Lizzie (1869-1873), drowned with her best friend while Josie was supposed to be caring for them, an event that would mark her and her two surviving sisters (Ellen Augusta (1857-1928) & Emily (1867-1931)) for the rest of their lives.[1]
On September 18, 1889, she married John Fitzgerald, her second cousin.[2]
Mary Josephine Fitzgerald died on August 8, 1964, at the age of 98 years and 9 months. Her death came less than a year after the assassination of her grandson, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Family members claimed she was never told of his death.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald | July 22, 1890 | January 22, 1995 | Married on October 7, 1914 to Joseph P. Kennedy; had issue. |
| Mary Agnes Fitzgerald | November 1, 1892 | September 17, 1936 | Married on April 29, 1929 to Joseph F. Gargan; had issue. |
| Thomas Acton Fitzgerald | April 19, 1895 | September 1968 | Married on September 7, 1921 to Marion D. Reardon (died February 7, 1925). Married again on October 11, 1930 to Margaret B. Fitzpatrick. |
| John Francis Fitzgerald, Jr. | December 7, 1897 | April 1979 | Married on April 28, 1928 to Catherine O'Hearn. |
| Eunice Fitzgerald | January 26, 1900 | September 25, 1923 | |
| Frederick Harold Fitzgerald | December 3, 1904 | February 1935 | Married on October 26, 1929 to Rosalind Miller. |
References
- ^ McGoldrick, Monica. You Can Go Home Again: Reconnecting with Your Family, p. 155. W. W. Norton & Company, 1995, ISBN 0393316505.
- ^ Goodwin, Doris Kearns (2001). The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga. Simon and Schuster. pp.88-89.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
