I first visited Brookline decades ago, so this was a trip down memory lane: the corned beef “king“, the narrow tree-lined side streets, and the signs of progressive political activism. The site is being renovated until sometime in 2023, but there’s a film and an audio tour online, a neighborhood walking tour, and even a special exhibit at the JFK Library, which is excellent. Rose, JFK’s mother, bought the home where she gave birth to JFK and donated it to the public. It’s quite a traditional home, that evokes the moral, social, political and intellectual upbringing that she and her husband provided their many children. Both sides of the family were prominent Irish Catholic leaders, with Rose’s father mayor and Joe Sr’s father an important part of FDR’s administration (he later resigned his ambassadorship after saying he supported American isolationism).

The legend of the family wealth is that Joe Sr was a bootlegger, but it’s more accurate to say that his family legally acquired liquor prior to Prohibition, sold it legally to close family friends during Prohibition, and then acquired the rights to be the first post-Prohibition US importer of Dewar’s scotch, Haig & Haig and Gordon’s Gin. Joe Sr was successful as a banker, film producer, investor and in his other ventures, he came from a prominent political family, and he helped raise some of America’s most famous public servants: JFK, RFK, Teddy K, and Eunice K Shriver. The rumors that suggest illegal activity are unfounded and likely were pushed by the family’s political enemies. He later divested from the alcohol business to avoid political trouble for his children.