“The star of Jack’s first campaign for Congress in 1946 was Rose Kennedy. She had a great understanding of Ward and Precinct politics, having accompanied her father John F. ‘Honey Fitz’ Fitzgerald through the 22 Wards of Boston in his bid for re-election as Mayor of Boston in 1910…

She warmed up the crowd until it was Jack’s turn to speak. She charmed them with stories about bringing up nine children. She carried 3×5 cards with records of visits to the doctor or dentist.

One evening at a rally at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall in Brighton, the crowd packed the hall and loud speakers were set up outside to handle the hundreds who wanted to listen. Jack was running late and Rose was shuffling the cards a second time. A member of Jack’s campaign committee had advised Jack to wear a soft hat as he campaigned so he would look a little older. When Jack finally arrived, he approached his mother and said, ‘Mother, how do I look in a hat?’ She said, ‘You would have looked much better to me an hour ago.’”

DAVE POWERS’S RECOLLECTIONS OF ROSE KENNEDY’S CAMPAIGN SKILLS