Introduction

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s career began in 1985 as an attorney for the environmental nonprofit RiverKeeper. He became one of the most influential environmentalists in the United States, receiving TIME Magazine's "Hero of the Planet” and the Sartisky Peace Award.Son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of President John F. Kennedy, Bobby Jr. was a lifelong Democrat but became increasingly estranged from the party in the 2010s as it drifted away from its traditional values. He made his final break on October 9, 2023, when he announced his candidacy as an independent for President of the United States. Bobby has spent nearly 40 years fighting corrupt corporations and government agencies. During his tenure at RiverKeeper, he successfully sued dozens of municipalities to force compliance with the Clean Water Act. He won cases against corporate giants too, including a suit against General Electric for toxic runoff from its corporate jet hangar and a court order against ExxonMobil mandating they clean up tens of millions of gallons of spilled oil in Brooklyn, NY. Building on the success of the local Riverkeeper model, Bobby co-founded the WaterKeeper Alliance and served as its President for 21 years. Under his direction, it became the world's largest nonprofit devoted to clean water and now protects 2.7 million miles of waterways with over a million volunteers in the United States and 46 other countries. Bobby’s work has emphasized protection of local communities in their battle against corporate and government polluters. Some of his most noteworthy victories include: Beginning in 1985, Kennedy helped the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) establish an international program for environmental, energy and human rights. On behalf of this program he assisted indigenous people in Canada and Latin America protecting their homelands and wilderness areas from unwanted large-scale extractive energy projects. Bobby Kennedy was an early and vocal critic of President Bush's decision to invade Iraq and the US enhanced interrogation program at Guantanamo Bay and around the world. He has also been a devoted supporter of union rights, going on hunger strike with United Farm Workers and serving as a pall-bearer during the funeral of Cesar Chavez. Bobby has consistently argued that those who work hard in the United States should be able to afford a good life. Bobby’s activism around toxic pollution led him to lobby successfully for the removal of mercury from most childhood vaccinations in the United States. The pharmaceutical megacorporations are by far the most heavily fined and criminally prosecuted companies in America, yet also some of the most powerful. His nonprofit, Children’s Health Defense, has long been a key crusader against the corruption of this industry and its influence in government. Bobby is an avid outdoorsman, master falconer and white water kayaker. He has authored a dozen books on subjects ranging from environmental protection to American history and public life, including children's books on the lives of St Francis of Asisi and Robert Smalls. In October 2011, Bobby founded EcoWatch, a leading environmental news site, and was an editor of Indian Country Today, North America's largest Indigenous newspaper. Bobby is the proud father of seven children and grandpa to two grandkids.