Robert F Kennedy

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Younger brother and close associate of John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy took on his brother's political legacy after the assassination. While running for president in 1968, he himself was shot in a hotel in Los Angeles. This second death at the hands of a gunman increased the sense of tragedy associated with America's foremost political family.

Trained as a lawyer, Bobby Kennedy entered politics as a legal advisor for Senate committees, where he liaised with Senator Joseph McCarthy, and also investigated the illegal activities of Jimmy Hoffa, the Teamsters' Union leader. In 1960 he managed JFK's successful presidential campaign. Appointed US attorney general in 1961, he became a key player in his brother's administration.

He vigorously pursued a campaign against organized crime and championed the civil rights movement. After his brother's death he found working with President Lyndon B Johnson difficult, and entered the US Senate.  In 1968 he began to run for president, and had just won the California primary when he was shot on 5 June while celebrating his victory. He died the next day. This second Kennedy death at the hands of a gunman increased the sense of tragedy associated with America's foremost political family.