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American writer (born 1993) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Bouvier Kennedy "Jack" Schlossberg (born January 19, 1993) is an American writer and political correspondent. He has written about politics for several publications and news outlets, and is a political correspondent for Vogue magazine since 2024. He is the only grandson of the 35th United States president John F. Kennedy.
Jack Schlossberg | |
---|---|
Born | John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg January 19, 1993 New York City, U.S. |
Education | Yale University (BA) Harvard University (JD–MBA) |
Occupation | Writer |
Political party | Democratic |
Parents | |
Family | Kennedy family Bouvier family |
John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg[1] was born in New York City on January 19, 1993.[2] Known as “Jack”, he is the youngest of three children of designer and artist Edwin Schlossberg and author and diplomat Caroline Kennedy. He is named after his maternal grandfather, the 35th U.S. president John F. Kennedy, and matrilineal great-grandfather, the Wall Street stockbroker John Vernou Bouvier III. Senator Ted Kennedy was his grand-uncle as well as godfather,[3] and he served as ringbearer to his uncle John F. Kennedy Jr.'s wedding.[4]
Schlossberg and his two older sisters, Rose and Tatiana, were primarily raised in Manhattan's Upper East Side,[5] and have also spent significant time at the Martha's Vineyard estate of their maternal grandmother, the First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, while growing up.[2] During the summers, he worked on a charter fishing boat.[6] He also played in baseball and basketball leagues in Manhattan.[7] His father comes from an Orthodox Jewish family of Ukrainian descent, and his mother is a Catholic of Irish, French, Scottish, and English descent. He was raised Catholic, but his mother would also "incorporate Hanukkah" in the family's holiday celebrations.[8]
Schlossberg attended Collegiate School. In eighth grade, he co-founded ReLight New York, a nonprofit organization that installed energy-efficient compact fluorescent lights in low-income housing developments.[9] A member of the Young Democrats club in high school, he organized a trip to canvass for Barack Obama's campaign in Pennsylvania. In 2010, Schlossberg worked in Washington, D.C. as a senate page and the following year, as a senate intern.[10] He then attended Yale University graduating in 2015 with a degree in history, with a focus on Japanese history.[11] While at Yale, Schlossberg was known to perform stand-up comedy,[1] was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity,[12] and wrote for the Yale Daily News, and the Yale Herald where he was an editor-in-chief.[13] He also trained and worked as a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) in New Haven, Connecticut, and as environmental technician – cleaning out oil tanks and cleaning up spills around Boston.[1] Schlossberg lived and worked in Japan before enrolling at Harvard University where he graduated from the joint Juris Doctor – Master of Business Administration program at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School in 2022.[14] The following year, he passed the New York State bar exam.[15]
Since 2011, Schlossberg has written for publications and news outlets like Time, The Washington Post, New York magazine, Politico, and CNN among others. He has also written op-eds for The New York Times, USA Today, and HuffPost.[16]
In 2015, through the company’s overseas graduates hiring program, Schlossberg started working at Rakuten a Japanese internet and e-commerce company, in Tokyo.[17][10] He also worked at the Japanese distillery Suntory.[10] Schlossberg went back to the States in 2016 to work as a staff assistant in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, part of the U.S. Department of State.[18]
In July 2024, after graduating from Harvard and passing the bar exam, Schlossberg began working for Vogue as a political correspondent.[19] He "emerged as a staff favorite" and was appointed for "his irreverent but intelligent takes on the political landscape" per Vogue.[20]
Schlossberg first became interested in politics in 2007 when then Illinois senator Barack Obama began his presidential primary campaign.[19] He recalled that he was never forced to enter politics but Obama's campaign inspired him to learn about it and to study the legacy of his grandfather, President Kennedy.[21]
In 2011, Schlossberg wrote the editors at The New York Times responding to a critical column about President Kennedy's legacy, which was published as a letter to the editor. The piece "launched the political career" of then 18-year-old Schlossberg per The Atlantic.[22] The following year, when asked about his interest in entering politics, Schlossberg stated: "Politics definitely interests me. I'm most interested in public service. I think that's something that I got from being part of my family, which is such an honor."[23]
He co-founded "Yale for Murphy" in 2012 in support of Democrat Chris Murphy's Connecticut senate candidacy.[24] In November 2013, Schlossberg introduced 44th U.S. President Obama at the Medal of Freedom Award gala which commemorated the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's death.[25][26] In 2016, in an opinion piece for the The Washington Post, he encouraged young voters to support Hillary Clinton for president.[27] He has also accompanied his mother Caroline in her duties as ambassador of Japan and Australia.[28][29]
In the succeeding years, Schlossberg took an increasingly active role in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum including its New Frontier Award where he served as chair of the selection committee until its last and 20th ceremony in 2023.[30][31] He is also in the annual Profile in Courage Award selection committee also serving as event host and presenter.[32][33]
In August 2020, Schlossberg gave a virtual address on the second night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention with mother Caroline and endorsed Joe Biden's run for presidency.[34] In 2023, has publicly criticized the presidential campaign of his relative Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and supported Biden’s re-election.[35]
Schlossberg gave his first in-person speech on the second night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago endorsing Kamala Harris.[36] In September 2024, Schlossberg became co-chair of the environmental organization Climate Power's campaign "Too Hot Not to Vote" – an initiative “designed to engage, educate and motivate people to vote for climate and clean energy champions” in the 2024 U.S. presidential elections.[37]
Schlossberg has been the subject of media coverage throughout his life but largely kept himself out of the public eye growing up.[38][32] His first live television appearance was in an interview with CNN at the 2012 Democratic National Convention when he was 19 years old.[39] In 2016, he attended the Met Gala with his mother Caroline,[40] and was included in the Vanity Fair annual International Best Dressed List.[41] He had a cameo role in the eighth-season finale of the television show Blue Bloods in 2018.[42][43] In September 2024, he was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! where he encouraged young people to vote.[44]
Media outlets have portrayed Schlossberg as a "new face" of the Kennedy family, and a "new hope" of the Democratic party.[45][46] Months prior to the 2024 U.S. presidential election he began posting political commentary and comedic sketches on social media.[47]
Schlossberg is fond of water sports, particularly paddleboarding.[48][49]
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