Rosemary Kennedy, the third child of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, is often remembered for the singular event that irrevocably altered her life: a disastrous lobotomy performed at the age of 23. This procedure, intended to tame her mood swings and violent outbursts, ultimately reduced her to a mental state likened to a toddler’s. From a lobotomy kept secret to decades in an institution, Rosemary’s story is a chilling reminder of the often dark history of mental health treatment and the personal tragedies that can occur behind closed doors, even in America’s most iconic families.
Born in 1918, Rosemary Kennedy appeared to be a healthy baby, but developmental delays soon raised concerns within her prominent family. In an era when intellectual disabilities were stigmatized and poorly understood, the Kennedys sought various private educational arrangements that maintained the facade of normalcy. However, the young Kennedy was falling significantly behind her siblings, who were rapidly rising to positions of influence and acclaim. It’s reported that at age 16, Rosemary’s educational level was equivalent to that of a fourth-grader.
Her difficulties escalated as she matured into a young woman. Rosemary experienced “increasingly irritable and difficult” behavior, which included “convulsions” and “violent rages.” These episodes, paired with her tendency to sneak out at night, caused immense worry for her father, particularly about the potential impact on the family’s reputation and political ambitions.
In a desperate move, Joseph Kennedy arranged for his daughter to undergo a lobotomy in November 1941. The procedure was explained in stark detail by Dr. James W. Watts, who performed the surgery with Dr. Walter Freeman. “We went through the top of the head…I think she was awake.”
Following the lobotomy, the Kennedy patriarch sent Rosemary to live at Saint Coletta’s, a Catholic facility for the mentally disabled in Jefferson, Wisconsin, where she lived for six decades.
Kennedy died from natural causes on January 7, 2005, aged 86,at the Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, with her siblings (sisters Jean, Eunice, and Patricia and brother Ted) by her side.She was buried beside her parents in Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Relevant articles:
– Rosemary Kennedy Wikipedia
– Rosemary Kennedy The Eldest Kennedy Daughter (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service (.gov)
– Rose Kennedy Once Said Daughter Rosemary’s Lobotomy Was Her Family’s ‘Worst Tragedy’: New Book people.com