# Mary Richardson Kennedy
**Mary Richardson Kennedy** (1959–May 16, 2012) was an American architectural designer known for green-design advocacy, as the second wife of environmental lawyer [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-f-kennedy-jr), and for her fundraising for food-allergy research. She died by suicide at her home in Bedford, New York, at age 52, amid divorce proceedings that had begun in 2010.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1959; May 16, 2012, Bedford, New York, aged 52[1](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/) • [2](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/nyregion/at-mary-kennedys-funeral-mourners-remember-her-generosity.html) |
| Profession | Architectural designer for a New York firm at the time of her 1994 marriage[3](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/estranged-kennedy-wife-died-asphyxiation-due-hanging-autopsy-reveals-flna777382) |
| Marriage | Married Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in April 1994 aboard a Hudson River research vessel; four children; divorce filed May 2010[1](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/) • [3](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/estranged-kennedy-wife-died-asphyxiation-due-hanging-autopsy-reveals-flna777382) |
| Signature project | The Kennedy Green House, a three-year green-technology renovation of the family's Bedford house completed in 2010[1](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/) |
| Fundraising | Helped raise $35 million to establish the Food Allergy Initiative[1](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/) |
| Death | Asphyxiation by hanging, ruled suicide; toxicology found three antidepressants and no alcohol[4](https://www.reuters.com/article/world/autopsy-of-rfk-jrs-wife-finds-antidepressants-but-no-alcohol-idUSDEE86700G/) |
## Early life and education
She met [Kerry Kennedy](https://www.edgepedia.org/kerry-kennedy), Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s sister, at boarding school when both were 15, and the two later roomed together at [Brown University](https://www.edgepedia.org/brown-university)[1](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/). Through that friendship she remained close to the [Kennedy family](https://www.edgepedia.org/kennedy-family) from her teenage years[5](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/mary-richardson-kennedy-remembered-at-funeral-three-days-after-apparent-suicide/).
## Career in architecture and design
A New York Times wedding announcement described her at the time of her 1994 marriage as an architectural designer for a New York firm[3](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/estranged-kennedy-wife-died-asphyxiation-due-hanging-autopsy-reveals-flna777382). Her best-documented project was her own house. She spearheaded a three-year renovation of the Bedford family home showcasing green technology, completed in 2010, by which time she and her husband had separated[1](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/). The project, known as the Kennedy Green House, was a three-year green-technology renovation of the family's Bedford home completed in 2010[1](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/).
The family's statement after her death described her as "a tremendously gifted architect and a pioneer and relentless advocate of green design who enhanced her cutting edge, energy efficient creations with exquisite taste and style"[3](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/estranged-kennedy-wife-died-asphyxiation-due-hanging-autopsy-reveals-flna777382).
## Marriage and family
She married Robert F. Kennedy Jr., son of Senator Robert Kennedy and [Ethel Kennedy](https://www.edgepedia.org/ethel-kennedy), in April 1994, at age 34, aboard an environmental research vessel on the [Hudson River](https://www.edgepedia.org/hudson-river). At the time she was six months pregnant, and Kennedy had finalized his divorce from his first wife, Emily Black, one month earlier[1](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/). The couple had four children[6](https://abcnews.com/Health/mary-kennedys-death-asphyxiation-hanging/story?id=16368771).
Kennedy filed for divorce in May 2010 after 16 years of marriage[3](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/estranged-kennedy-wife-died-asphyxiation-due-hanging-autopsy-reveals-flna777382). Three days after the May 12 filing, Mary Kennedy was arrested for drunk driving; a second charge involving prescription medication was dismissed[1](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/). At her death her children were aged 17, 16, 14, and 10, and were moved from her house to their father's[1](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/).
Sources differ on the children's names: People lists Conor, Kyra, Fin, and Aidan[1](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/), while [NBC News](https://www.edgepedia.org/nbc-news) lists Connor, Kyra, William, and Aiden[3](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/estranged-kennedy-wife-died-asphyxiation-due-hanging-autopsy-reveals-flna777382).
## Environmental and charitable work
Her public causes combined design and health advocacy. When her son developed severe food allergies, she helped raise $35 million to establish the Food Allergy Initiative, which funded food-allergy research[1](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/). Her green-design advocacy centered on the Kennedy Green House renovation[1](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/) • [3](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/estranged-kennedy-wife-died-asphyxiation-due-hanging-autopsy-reveals-flna777382).
## Death
Mary Richardson Kennedy was found dead on Wednesday, May 16, 2012, in a barn behind the family's home in Bedford, New York[2](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/nyregion/at-mary-kennedys-funeral-mourners-remember-her-generosity.html). An autopsy determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation due to hanging, and the manner of death was ruled suicide[4](https://www.reuters.com/article/world/autopsy-of-rfk-jrs-wife-finds-antidepressants-but-no-alcohol-idUSDEE86700G/) • [3](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/estranged-kennedy-wife-died-asphyxiation-due-hanging-autopsy-reveals-flna777382).
Toxicology tests completed in June 2012 by the Westchester County medical examiner found the antidepressants [Trazodone](https://www.edgepedia.org/trazodone), Desmethylvenlafaxine, and [Venlafaxine](https://www.edgepedia.org/venlafaxine) in her blood, and no alcohol[4](https://www.reuters.com/article/world/autopsy-of-rfk-jrs-wife-finds-antidepressants-but-no-alcohol-idUSDEE86700G/). Contemporaneous reporting recorded that she had struggled with depression and substance abuse, particularly in the five years before her death[2](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/nyregion/at-mary-kennedys-funeral-mourners-remember-her-generosity.html) • [7](https://time.com/archive/7133253/mary-richardson-kennedy-the-denial-of-depression/).
## Funeral and remains dispute
A funeral Mass was held in Bedford on May 19, 2012, attended by about 300 friends and family members[2](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/nyregion/at-mary-kennedys-funeral-mourners-remember-her-generosity.html). Before it took place, one of her brothers went to court to request custody of her body, in a dispute with Robert Kennedy over control of her remains and burial location[2](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/nyregion/at-mary-kennedys-funeral-mourners-remember-her-generosity.html) • [5](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/mary-richardson-kennedy-remembered-at-funeral-three-days-after-apparent-suicide/). Kennedy and a lawyer for the Richardson family argued the case in court on the Friday before the wake; a judge sealed the details of the case, and the body was released to her husband hours before the planned wake[5](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/mary-richardson-kennedy-remembered-at-funeral-three-days-after-apparent-suicide/). The outcome of the dispute, including the burial location, was not publicly disclosed.
## Retrospective coverage
Attention to her life renewed as her former husband's public profile grew. In 2023, recordings obtained by [Mother Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/mother-jones) showed that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had secretly recorded more than 60 conversations with Mary Richardson Kennedy during their 2011 to 2012 divorce proceedings, without her consent; in one recording dated June 4, 2011, he discussed wanting a monogamous relationship[8](https://www.newsweek.com/rfk-jr-second-wife-mary-richardson-kennedy-2023073).
## Legacy and assessment
At her funeral she was remembered as a woman of "almost boundless gifts," with eulogies citing her fundraising ability and devotion to her family alongside her struggles with depression and substance abuse[2](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/nyregion/at-mary-kennedys-funeral-mourners-remember-her-generosity.html). Accounts of her final years differ in emphasis: the family statement framed her primarily as an architect and green-design advocate[3](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/estranged-kennedy-wife-died-asphyxiation-due-hanging-autopsy-reveals-flna777382), while news coverage centered on her mental health and the divorce[2](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/nyregion/at-mary-kennedys-funeral-mourners-remember-her-generosity.html) • [7](https://time.com/archive/7133253/mary-richardson-kennedy-the-denial-of-depression/), and the 2023 recordings reporting added a further dimension to the public record of the marriage's end[8](https://www.newsweek.com/rfk-jr-second-wife-mary-richardson-kennedy-2023073).
## References
1. [What Drove Her to Suicide? Mary Kennedy: 1959–2012, People, Vol. 77 No. 23](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-what-drove-her-to-suicide-mary-kennedy-1959-2012-vol-77-no-23/)
2. [At Mary Kennedy's Funeral, Mourners Remember Her Generosity, The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/nyregion/at-mary-kennedys-funeral-mourners-remember-her-generosity.html)
3. [Estranged Kennedy wife died of asphyxiation due to hanging, autopsy reveals, NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/estranged-kennedy-wife-died-asphyxiation-due-hanging-autopsy-reveals-flna777382)
4. [Autopsy of RFK Jr's wife finds antidepressants but no alcohol, Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/article/world/autopsy-of-rfk-jrs-wife-finds-antidepressants-but-no-alcohol-idUSDEE86700G/)
5. [Mary Richardson Kennedy Remembered At Funeral Three Days After Apparent Suicide, CBS New York](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/mary-richardson-kennedy-remembered-at-funeral-three-days-after-apparent-suicide/)
6. [Mary Richardson Kennedy's Death Attributed to Hanging, ABC News](https://abcnews.com/Health/mary-kennedys-death-asphyxiation-hanging/story?id=16368771)
7. [Mary Richardson Kennedy: The Denial of Depression, TIME](https://time.com/archive/7133253/mary-richardson-kennedy-the-denial-of-depression/)
8. [Who Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Second Wife? What We Know About Mary Richardson Kennedy, Newsweek (2023)](https://www.newsweek.com/rfk-jr-second-wife-mary-richardson-kennedy-2023073)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Government and public administration › Political spouses and families › Spouses of political leaders › Surnames A to K*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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