top of page

Emily Black (formerly Kennedy)
RFK Jr's first Wife &  Mother of Bobby III & Kick Kennedy

    Emily Ruth Black was born on October 15, 1957, in Bedford, Indiana, - to a schoolteacher mom, and a father who tragically passed away when Black was just two.​

   While she is best known as the first wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the couple actually met when they were both attending law school - and Emily has gone on to work professionally as a defense lawyer for much of her life. She earned her undergraduate degree from Purdue University and later attended the University of Virginia School of Law, where she met Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

Emily and RFK Jr's Marriage

​  Bobby and Emily were married on April 3, 1982, in a quaint ceremony in Emily's hometown of Bloomington, Indiana. When they were married she had already received her law degree while Bobby was still in his third year of study. RFK Jr joked back in the day that while, "She's interested in keeping people out of jail, and I'm interested in putting them in."

  After the couple moved to New York, Black was hired as a criminal defense lawyer, working for the Manhattan Legal Aid Society.

   They have two children together: Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy III, born in September 1984, and Kathleen Alexandra "Kick" Kennedy, born in April 1988.

Bobby & Emily & Kick_edited.jpg
Bobby3-1-Rdcd_edited.jpg
Kick-3-Squ-Rdcd_edited_edited.jpg

   After ten years of marriage Emily and Robert Jr. came to realize and accept that they had quite different personalities in some respects – for instance he generally had a much more adventurous temperament while she was happy living a relatively chill and risk averse life. The couple amicably separated in 1992 and finalized their divorce in 1994, remaining on good terms.    

​   Following their divorce, Emily has maintained a low public profile. She’s maintained her registration to practice law in the state of New York, and also went on to live in Washington D.C. for a time. In time Emily found fell in love again with someone from her hometown of Bloomington where she owns a home.

   She has been a consistent supportive presence in the lives of her children Bobby II and Kick with Kick speaking fondly of her mother in interviews, highlighting the close bond they share. Despite the public nature of her first marriage, Emily has chosen to lead a private life for the last several few decades.

 

RFK Jr's Fight for Healthy Water! Riverkeeper & the Waterkeepers Alliance

© 2021 The ART of RFK Jr. / RFK Jr. Illustrated. All rights reserved.

bottom of page