Mary Jo Kopechne, Ted Kennedy and chappaquiddick incident

Mary Jo Kopechne

Mary Jo Kopechne who died in 1969 was in news again with the death of Senator Ted Kennedy. Mary Jo Kopechne died in a car accident in chappaquiddick incident when Senator Ted Kennedy was driving. Some reports say that Mary Jo Kopechne was pregnant at the time of her death.

Mary Jo Kopechne was an American teacher, secretary and political campaign specialist who died in a car accident when United States Senator Ted Kennedy drove his car off a bridge and into a pond on Chappaquiddick Island. Kopechne was found in the car’s back seat 10 hours later.

Senator Edward Kennedy, who has recently died after a long battle with a cancer, was always expected to follow his elder brothers Jack and Robert. But the Chappaquiddick incident, a scandal from which he never was able to recover.

During the 1968 U.S. presidential election, she helped with the wording of Robert Kennedy’s March 1968 speech announcing his candidacy. During his campaign, she worked as one of the “Boiler Room Girls”, an affectionate name given to six young women who worked from a central, windowless location in Kennedy’s Washington campaign headquarters. They were vital in tracking and compiling data and intelligence on how Democratic delegates from various states were intending to vote; Kopechne’s responsibilities included Pennsylvania. Kopechne and the other staffers were politically savvy; they talked daily with field managers and also served as conduits for policy statements being distributed to strategically-located newspapers.

On July 18, 1969, Kopechne attended a party on Chappaquiddick Island, off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, held in honor of the Boiler Room Girls.

Kopechne left the party at 11:15 p.m. with Robert’s brother Ted Kennedy, after he — according to his own account — offered to drive her to catch the last ferry back to Edgartown, where she was staying. Kennedy stated he made a wrong turn on the way and came upon a narrow, unlit bridge without guardrails. Kennedy drove the 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 off the bridge and it overturned in the water. Kennedy extricated himself from the submerged car but Kopechne died, after what Kennedy said were several diving attempts to free her.

Ted Kennedy Leaving Court

Kennedy contacted several aides that night, but failed to report the incident to the authorities until the car and Kopechne’s body were discovered the next morning.

A week after the incident, Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident after causing injury. He received a two month suspended sentence. On a national television broadcast that night, Kennedy later said he was not driving under the influence of alcohol nor had he engaged in any immoral conduct with Kopechne.

Rumours abounded that Kennedy and Kopechne were involved in a sexual act when the car went off the bridge. Also some reports say that Mary Jo Kopechne was pregnent. But while the young senator pleaded guilty on July 25 to leaving the scene of an accident, he denied driving under the influence of drink or any ‘immoral conduct’.