Happy 70th birthday, Secretary of State John Kerry! On this day in 1943, Beacon Hill native and former Massachusetts Senator John Kerry was born and along with him, an illustrious military and political career that even the most accomplished of statesmen could be envious of.
Unfortunately for the Secretary, he’ll be spending a solid chunk of his special day briefing Congress about the recent agreement reached between Iran and the Middle East country’s nuclear program.
But just because he’ll be locked in a room with some of the most despised people in the country doesn’t mean he’ll be forgotten. On the contrary, in fact. Because here at BostInno, we like to celebrate the birthdays and achievements of our Boston brethren. So without further ado, here are 5 fun facts you may not have known about Beacon Hill’s Secretary of State, John Kerry.
1. He has a stake in the Forbes fortune
John Forbes Kerry and his relatives boast a storied family tree but nearly all on his mother’s side. His mother, Rosemary Forbes Kerry, née Forbes, is directly descended from Industrial Revolution era railroad magnate John Murray Forbes while the family is similarly comprised of politicians, socialites, and industrialists. Lucky for Kerry, he inherited the title of beneficiary to at least four Forbes trusts. But Kerry can also trace his Forbes roots back to colonial times and Massachusetts Bay Governor and influential leader John Winthrop.
2. He married into a ketchup dynasty
That’s right. John Kerry, a wealthy Boston politician with an illustrious Brahmin ancestry, actually married up and into the Heinz ketchup conglomerate, H. J. Heinz Company. His wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, was formerly widowed after her late husband, U.S. Senator and Heinz heir H. John Heinz III, died in a tragic airplane collision. Heinz Kerry subsequently assumed the position of beneficiary of her late husband’s trusts, propelling her wealth to anywhere in the neighborhood of hundreds of millions to the billions.
3. Vietnam second-guesser
After graduating college, Kerry enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve where he embarked on a tour of duty in the Vietnam War. There he served with the utmost distinction, earning three Purple Hearts, a Silver Star, and a Bronze Star Medal. Upon returning to the States, though, Kerry joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War as the group’s national spokesperson. Most notably, he appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs testifying against the United States’ foreign policy in the war-torn country.
4. Go Eagles!
A graduate of Yale University (and the super secret Skull and Bones Society), Kerry enrolled in law school at Boston College after serving overseas in Vietnam. While at Chestnut Hill he earned his J.D. and eventually took up a position as an assistant to the District Attorney of Middlesex County before founding his own private practice. This helped kickstart his Congressional career, launching investigations into prominent political figures and securing a Senate seat from Massachusetts.
5. Close presidential loss
In 2004, Kerry secured the Democratic nomination for President against then-incumbent President George W. Bush. No stranger to close elections, Bush narrowly beat Kerry in one of the closest elections ever in American history. Bush took home just 50.73 percent of the popular vote, a slime 2.46 percent margin of victory over Kerry. But when taking into consideration that just 55.27 percent of eligible voters turned out to the polls, one has to wonder how Kerry would’ve fared if more people cast a ballot.
Happy 70th birthday, Secretary of State John Kerry!
