Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-Mass.) stands next to his wife, Beth, after announcing he will retire from politics. (Reuters)

By Devon Spurgeon and Guy Gugliotta
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, March 14, 1998; Page A02

Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, one of the heirs to the Kennedy political dynasty, announced yesterday that he will not seek reelection to his Boston congressional seat, citing family responsibilities and a desire to rethink his life.

Although his political star has declined in recent months, Kennedy did not rule out running for public office again in the future. But he said that for the time being, he intends to spend more time with his family and resume management of the Citizens Energy Corp., a nonprofit enterprise that he founded in 1979 to help poor Bostonians afford heating fuel.

Kennedy's withdrawal from this fall's election marked at least a pause, and perhaps an ending, for a political figure who had been widely seen as the leader of the ascendant generation in one of America's most illustrious and best-known political families.

Addressing reporters at Citizens Energy headquarters in Boston, Kennedy, 45, eldest son of the slain Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, said it was the skiing death of his younger brother Michael on New Year's Eve that precipitated the decision to retire from the congressional office he has held for six two-year terms.

"This last year has brought me new recognition of our own individual vulnerabilities and the vagaries of life," Kennedy declared. "In recent months I have come to realize I have other responsibilities."

Several House colleagues in Washington said they had no inkling that Kennedy intended to retire. But several said they had noticed he had lacked his usual ebullience since Michael's death.

"I guess I'm surprised, but not shocked," said Rep. Rick Lazio (R-N.Y.), who heads the Housing and Community Opportunity subcommittee that has Kennedy as the ranking minority member. "He's deeply hurt. He's normally an enthusiastic, gregarious, outgoing fellow, the kind of a guy you'd like to go out and watch a game with, but this year he has been more reflective and quiet."

Kennedy's Massachusetts colleague, Rep. Barney Frank (D), agreed. "To do the job right" in Congress, Frank said, members "draw strength from their private lives," and Kennedy's was clearly "causing him pain."

"First there was the divorce, and his concern about his sons," Frank said. "Then came Michael's misdeeds, then Michael's death. His mother's bereaved, and he's got Michael's kids to worry about."

Although at one point Kennedy was considered a likely next governor of Massachusetts, a flood of scandal last year left his image tarnished and his political fortunes uncertain.

The first wave of bad publicity came last March when his former wife, Sheila Rauch Kennedy, published a book attacking her husband for degrading her in his quest to annul their 12-year union. Then in April, allegations that Michael Kennedy had engaged in an affair with the family's teenage babysitter caused a tabloid frenzy.

"No one questions that his reasons for withdrawal were personal," said Kevin Sowyrda, a Republican political analyst in Massachusetts. "This was a member of Congress who had the worst year of anyone."

Kennedy was 17 when his father was assassinated. In 1986, he filled the seat in the 8th District that had been held by his uncle, the assassinated president John F. Kennedy, and Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, later speaker of the House. He served on the influential Banking and Financial Services Committee and yesterday cited his work on such issues as health care, affordable housing, Social Security and educational opportunity.

Early in his House career, Kennedy irked colleagues by trying to wangle positions on prestigious committees instead of waiting his turn. But when he finally settled into the Banking and Financial Services Committee, he began to shine as an eloquent advocate for poor people and minorities.

"That's where the loss will really hurt," said Frank. "He didn't use his name to coast, he used it as leverage. He was one of the few passionate and effective advocates for social justice and race in Congress."

He also eventually made a mark as a legislator through his initiatives to end housing discrimination against minorities. Because of his efforts, banks now have to disclose racial statistics on mortgage borrowers, a tool the Clinton administration has used to enhance services in minority neighborhoods.

With the Republican House takeover in 1994, Kennedy has often stood as a protector of the Great Society's anti-poverty programs loathed by the GOP. But after a rocky beginning, he and Lazio have managed to form a partnership with increasing frequency.

Kennedy had his political side, serving as the partisan attacker against Republican senatorial candidate Mitt Romney in 1994 in his bid to unseat Joseph Kennedy's uncle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.). Sen. Kennedy and his son, Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.), are the other two Kennedys in Congress.

At Amrheim's Pub in South Boston, patrons preparing for St. Patrick's Day festivities by strewing green streamers around the bar were skeptical of Kennedy's retirement plans. Others lamented the family's troubled history.

"I don't believe them. He'll be drafted by the people to run for governor," said John O'Leary, 71, a retired union leader from South Boston. "It is the Democrats' only hope."

Spurgeon reported from Boston, Gugliotta from Washington.