Edward Kennedy

Edward James Kennedy Jr. (March 24, 1951 – October 1, 2025) was an American politician who was a member of the Massachusetts Senate from the 1st Middlesex district from 2019 until his death. He had previously served as the 90th Mayor of Lowell (2016–2018).

Early life and education Kennedy was born on March 24, 1951. He held a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Framingham State University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University.

Prior to being elected to the Senate, he worked as a commercial real estate appraiser. He was a long-time member of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, the Sierra Club and the Appalachian Mountain Club. After his time on the Lowell City Council and Middlesex Commission, he decided to run for Middlesex County Sheriff in 1996. Kennedy lost the Democratic nomination to Sheriff James DiPaola. He tried another run in 1998, but lost the nomination to DiPaola, once more. He was again elected to the Lowell City Council in 2011, after a 27-year hiatus from it, and a 13-year hiatus from politics. Then he was re-elected again in 2014, 2016, and 2018. But, during his third-straight term in 2016, he was elected to be Lowell's 90th mayor after the City Council's 9–0 vote. After his stint as Mayor, and with 20 years of government experience in his back pocket, Kennedy decided to run for higher office. After a close fought Democratic Primary, then a swift general election night win, he was elected to the Massachusetts Senate. Kennedy was sworn in on January 2, 2019.

Committee memberships Kennedy served on seven legislative committees in the Massachusetts Legislature:

Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development (chair) Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses (Vice Chair) Joint Committee on Elder Affairs Joint Committee on Election Laws Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Joint Committee on Higher Education Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Personal life and death Despite sharing the first name and last name of the United States Senator from Massachusetts, who was also named Edward Kennedy, he was not related to the Kennedys of Massachusetts. Kennedy was married to Susan Kennedy. In his free time, he hiked and spent time with his three grandsons.

Electoral history