Jake Auchincloss is a politician who won the Massachusetts primary for Joe Kennedy’s House seat in 2020. He is also a distant relative of Jackie Kennedy, the former first lady of the United States. But how are they related and what is the history behind their family ties? Here is everything you need to know.
The Auchincloss Family
Jake Auchincloss, 33, is the son of Laurie Glimcher and Hugh Auchincloss Jr. His parents divorced after having Jake and his two siblings. Hugh Auchincloss Jr. is an American immunologist and physician. He is currently serving as the principal deputy director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and has been since 2006.
Jake’s father is the son of Hugh Auchincloss Sr. (1915 to 1998) and Katherine Lawrence Bundt. While Katherine’s family came from a line of bankers and lawyers (she was the granddaughter of William Lowell Putnam), Hugh Auchincloss Sr. worked as a surgeon.
The Kennedy Connection
While Jake Auchincloss is not related to Jackie Kennedy by blood, the two are distantly related by marriage. Hugh Auchincloss Sr. (Jake Auchincloss’s grandfather) is the first cousin once-removed of Hugh D. Auchincloss, a famed stockbroker and lawyer.
Hugh D. Auchincloss was married to Janet Lee Bouvier, Jackie Kennedy’s mother, from 1942 to 1976. This means that Hugh D. Auchincloss was Jackie Kennedy’s stepfather throughout her time as the first lady of the United States. She was married to former President John F. Kennedy from 1953 until his death in 1963.
Hugh D. Auchincloss and Janet Lee Bouvier had two children together: James and Janet Auchincloss. This means that Jackie Kennedy had half-siblings in the Auchincloss family, but that the wider Kennedy family are not in any way related to the Auchincloss’.
The Political Legacy
Jake Auchincloss followed his family’s footsteps into politics. He served as a city councillor in Newton, Massachusetts, before running for Congress in 2020. He won the Democratic primary for Massachusetts’s 4th congressional district, which was vacated by Joe Kennedy III, who ran unsuccessfully for Senate.
Joe Kennedy III is more directly related to the famous political family, as his surname suggests. He is the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, who was John F. Kennedy’s brother and attorney general. He is also the great-nephew of Ted Kennedy, who was John F. Kennedy’s youngest brother and a long-serving senator.
Jake Auchincloss and Joe Kennedy III may not share any blood ties, but they both represent a district that has been held by Kennedys for decades. They also both share a vision of progressive politics and social justice.
According to HITC, Jake Auchincloss said: “I’m honored that I get to follow in Joe’s footsteps in this seat… I’m going to work hard every day to make sure that I can live up to his example.”
According to Celebseek, Jake Auchincloss also said: “I’m proud of my family history… I think it speaks to public service and it speaks to a commitment to making this country better.”.
