Named in honor of his incredibly wealthy father, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was supposed grow up to become the US’s first Irish-American and Catholic president. Yet, his tragic death at the height of WWII prevented this from ever happening.

Whilst thought to be insignificant at the time, his death was arguably as significant as the death of Abraham Lincoln, or even, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. With his death, his younger brother, John, was hastily prepared for a job he was never meant to do.

You might know Joseph’s brother John as President John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States.

Yet, had Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. become president instead of his brother, he’d have been an even better president!

Who Was Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.?

Early Life

Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., often known simply as “Joe”, was born on July 25 1915 as the eldest child to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., a wealthy stockbroker-turned-business mogul, and his wife, Rose Fitzgerald.

Coming from two politically active families, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.’s paternal grandfather, P. J. Kennedy, had been in both the Massachusetts House and Senate, whilst his maternal grandfather, John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald, had been the first Catholic Mayor of Boston.

Indeed, when he was first born, Honey Fitz went as far to tell the press quite publicly that when he grew up, Joe was going to become president. And this wasn’t an idle statement either.

Having become one of the richest men in the US, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. wanted to enter the world of politics, and even had his sights set on becoming president, however, his lack of political experience prevented him from ever running.

Wanting to have a Kennedy in the White House to boost the family’s status, Joseph Kennedy Sr. groomed his eldest son to become the first Irish-American and Catholic president.

As the son of one of the richest men in the US (at the time), Joe Kennedy received one of the best educations money could buy, attending the Choate School, a prestigious boarding school in Connecticut, where he excelled both in the classroom and in sports.

Getting great grades (and having a super-rich father too), Kennedy was admitted to Harvard College where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government, in 1938.

Joe then went on to study at the London School of Economics for a year, studying under famed professor Harold Laski. At this time, his father was serving as the US Ambassador to the UK.

After his year at the LSE, Joe returned to the US, where he enrolled at Harvard Law School.

US Navy Service

On December 7 1941, Japan attacked the US Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor. Whilst most of the ships were later repaired and re-entered into service, the attack was seen by many as a declaration of war, with an official one being declared the next day.

In his last year of Harvard Law in 1941, Joe was overcome with a sense of patriotism and dropped out of Harvard to enlist in the military. Joining the US Naval Reserve, Joe later joined the Navy and began his flight training.

Learning to fly on a Boeing-Stearman Model 75 “Kaydet”, Joe’s scores indicated that he’d make a great bomber pilot and was eventually trained to fly the Consolidated PB4Y Liberator (an anti-submarine warfare variant of the B-24).

Joe received his wings and was commissioned as an ensign on May 5 1942. Here, he was attached to the newly formed Patrol Squadron 203 and later, Bombing Squadron 110, after it was formed in July 1943.

On September 15 that year, Bombing Squadron 110 was assigned to Britain, leaving the US for RAF St. Eval, Cornwall.

During the winter of 1943/1944, Ensign Joseph P. Kennedy Jr, now Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., completed two tours of duty, flying 25 combat missions which made him eligible to return home.

Believing he could be of more help in the UK than sat behind a desk in the US, Kennedy refused to go home. Instead, he signed up for Operation Aphrodite, a daring new operation that involved using cutting edge technology to bomb German targets.

Death

What if Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Didn’t Die in WWII?

Had Joe Kennedy not died during the war, the course of US history as we know it, would’ve been incredibly different.

Surviving the war, Lt Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. would’ve returned home in 1945 just in time to run for the US House for the 11th Massachusetts congressional district in 1946. Much like JFK did in our timeline, Joe Kennedy would’ve won the seat easily.

Now a representative with the backing of his incredibly wealthy father, Joe Kennedy would’ve sought to raise his profile by becoming an effective legislator and garnering media attention wherever he went.

As a now-famous congressman, Joe Kennedy’s next job would be to find a Mrs. Kennedy. Needing a young and attractive wife to help attract media coverage in his future political bids, Joe Kennedy would probably marry someone from the Irish-Catholic social scene.

His Jackie Kennedy if you will.

Following his time in the House, Joe Kennedy would run for, and be elected to, the Senate in the early 1950’s, perhaps in the 1953 election like his brother, John, was. Much like his earlier bid for the House, his Senate bid would be bankrolled by his father.

Much like JFK did, Joe Kennedy would create a brand around the Kennedy last name.

Now a Senator, Joe Kennedy would continue to raise his profile, both within his party and with the American people as a whole. In 1952, Joe would probably gain national attention when he endorsed Adlai Stevenson II for president, much like JFK did in our timeline.

However, unlike JFK in our timeline, Joe Kennedy would cut his losses. Whilst JFK endorsed Stevenson again in 1956 after his defeat to Dwight D. Eisenhower, Joe Kennedy wouldn’t go anywhere near their campaign.

Although he wouldn’t oppose Stevenson in any way, he’d just remain quiet, and use Stevenson’s second defeat at the hands of Eisenhower to make himself the party’s main candidate for the 1960 Presidential Election.

1960 And 1964 Presidential Bids

Having spent the last four years maneuvering himself to become the most prominent member of his party, Joe Kennedy would announce his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president.

Thanks to his track record (as well as his father’s connections and money) Joe Kennedy would distinguish himself from the other candidates, with the race ultimately coming down to him and then-Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson.

Although Joe would appeal to the more liberal aspects of the party, Johnson’s experience would ultimately win out – as Joe lacked much of the charm and charisma his brother had – with Johnson eventually facing off against then-Vice President Richard Nixon.

Winning the nomination, Johnson picks Hubert Humphrey as his running mate. Here, the more experienced Johnson would beat Nixon in a slim margin, making Johnson the first southern-born president since before the Civil War.

Continuing his career in the Senate, Kennedy would continue to garner praise and publicity.

Although he would have no chance of winning, Senator Kennedy would compete against Johnson for the Democratic nomination in 1964. His goal wouldn’t be to win, but just to gauge how popular he was, even during a Democratic presidency.

Just as he’d expected, Senator Kennedy wouldn’t gain the Democratic nomination, but it would become clear that the younger members of the party were looking for someone younger to lead the party (and the country).

1968 Presidential Run

To make sure that the country still knew who he was, Senator Kennedy would spend the next four years chairing committees, subcommittees and proposing as much legislation as possible, so that everyone knew who he was.

When it came around to the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Joe Kennedy would face off against incumbent Vice President Hubert Humphrey.

Although Humphrey would be the favorite to win the convention, Joe Kennedy Sr.’s money and Joe Kennedy Jr.’s patience would finally pay off, with Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. being given the nomination over Humphrey.

Facing off against a joint Richard Nixon-Ronald Reagan ticket, Joe would probably pick a veteran (and slightly more conservative) politician like George Wallace as his running mate to appeal to the more conservative element of the party.

The Kennedy-Wallace ticket would appeal to liberals, moderates and liberal conservatives, whilst Nixon and Reagan would appeal to conservatives.

Over the course of the campaign, Kennedy would hint, but never state outright that he’d get rid of the draft and begin reducing US involvement in Vietnam, which appealed to the young anti-Vietnam activists.

However, it wasn’t a campaign promise, so it could be spun that it would be killed in Congress.

Although Nixon-Reagan were the favorites, Kennedy Jr.’s political maneuvering and Kennedy’s Sr.’s money made sure that the Kennedy-Wallace would come out on top.

Besides picking up the states that the Humphrey-Muskie (Democrats) and Wallace-LeMay (American Independents) tickets got in our timeline, Kennedy would also win some of the swing states like Illinois and Ohio which gave them an edge over the Nixon-Reagan ticket.

Presidency

Entering the White House, the US was not the bitterly divided country it was when Nixon came to the White House in our timeline. Whilst still turbulent in the sense that it was still at the height of the Cold War, Johnson had ensured Kennedy’s presidency started off smooth.

Having dealt with the Civil Rights Movement during his first term, by giving them everything they wanted, Johnson had made sure that racial tensions were at an all-time low.

For President Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., his main issue was Vietnam.

Indeed, his own party was split on Vietnam. Some, especially in the South, wanted it. Others, mostly in the North, did not want it. As the Democratic Party’s president, Kennedy would set the party’s policy on Vietnam.

Hoping to find a compromise, Kennedy would learn from the creation of the state of Israel.

In the middle of his first term, President Kennedy would end the draft, but would announce that the military would stay in Vietnam. Rather than fight the Viet Cong directly, the military would train the local Vietnamese on a mass-scale.

Much like they did with Israel, the US would give South Vietnam billions and billions of dollars in aid, allowing them to build up a powerful economy that could produce whatever it needed for the war effort.

For security, the US would have a series of military bases and nuclear weapons in the country, providing South Vietnam with cheap weapons in exchange.

Although he’d be crucified in the press initially, doing this ultimately proved to be the best strategy, as the US never suffers an embarrassing defeat at the hands of “farmers playing soldier” and would gain a valuable ally in South Vietnam.

Thanks to his success in Vietnam, Joseph P. Kennedy would be re-elected in 1972. Here, his presidency would be uneventful until the 1973 Energy Crisis, which would turn the American people against Kennedy for his support of Israel.

But this wouldn’t happen for long, through skillful maneuvering and dubious backroom deals, the Energy Crisis would be averted. However, this would heighten inflation as it did in our timeline.

Using his father’s business and his own presidential advisors contacts, Kennedy would implement a series of business-friendly, yet not too business-friendly policies that would lower inflation.

When he left office in 1976, Joe Kennedy was one of the most beloved presidents in American history just like his brother was!

JFK

The death of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. profoundly impacted the life of his younger brother, John. So it would stand to reason that without Joe’s death, the life of JFK would’ve been completely different to the one in our timeline.

For starters, without Joe’s death, JFK would never have been president!

Instead of entering politics, JFK would’ve continued his career as a journalist at the Hearst newspapers, as writing was one of JFK’s true passions.

As a journalist, and a member of the Kennedy family, JFK would’ve used his position to raise his brother’s profile, covering his exploits in the House, his Senatorial run and so on, likely at his father’s insistence.

Eventually, JFK would become a history professor, as this was his prime passion. Here, JFK would continue to pen articles for Hearst newspapers (even after Hearst’s death in 1951) whilst informing his family on what the young Democrats really thought of the party.

This would’ve influenced Joe’s nomination bid in 1964, and aided him immensely in 1968.

Had JFK ever entered politics, it would probably have been later on in his life, probably joining the Senate during his brother’s second term or after his brother’s presidency had ended.

This also means that he probably wouldn’t have been assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22 1963 and would’ve probably lived well into the 1990’s or even the 2000’s, like his younger siblings, Ted and Jean, did.

At least, this is assuming the so-called “Kennedy curse” didn’t get him another way.

Bobby Kennedy

Ted Kennedy

Kennedy Family

What do you think of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.? Would he truly have made such a great president? Tell me in the comments!