Kennedy, Joseph Patrick 1888 - 1969. US industrialist and diplomat. Ambassador to the UK 1937-40. A self-made millionaire, he ventured into the film industry, then set up the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for F D Roosevelt. He groomed each of his sons - Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr (1915-1944), John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Edward Kennedy - for a career in politics. His eldest son, Joseph, was killed in action with the naval air force in World War II.