Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) was an American lawyer, politician and presidential aspirant, until his assassination in 1968.

The seventh child of the powerful Kennedy clan, Robert F Kennedy was educated at Harvard and the University of Virginia, graduating in law. He began working with his older brother, John F Kennedy, in the early 1950s, serving both as a legal advisor and campaign manager.

In 1952, Kennedy also worked briefly as a legal counsellor to Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose activities Kennedy largely supported.

In early 1961, Kennedy was appointed US attorney-general by his brother after the latter was elected president. Though Kennedy’s brief did not extend to foreign policy, he offered the president crucial advice and support during the Bay of Pigs fiasco (1961), the Berlin crisis (1961) and the Cuban missile affair (1962).

After John F Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, Robert Kennedy resigned as attorney-general and made a successful run for the US Senate. In early 1968 he announced his intention to run for the presidency later that year. In June, while campaigning for the Democratic Party nomination, Kennedy was shot dead in a Los Angeles hotel. The motives of the lone gunman, Sirhan Sirhan, are unclear.