Kennedy, Robert F.

Born into a wealthy and large family, Robert Kennedy was both a liberal reformer and an advocate of law-and-order policies. As a U.S. senator and as the U.S. attorney general, Kennedy was deeply interested in issues relating to crime and punishment. His belief in appropriate penalties for wrongdoers was sometimes controversial, and his positions on enforcing civil rights laws, aggressively prosecuting corrupt union officials, and confronting organized crime made him many enemies. Many of Kennedy's beliefs were shaped by his early experiences. Born ...