Political family

A political family (also referred to as political dynasty) is a family in which several members are involved in politics — particularly electoral politics. Members may be related by blood or marriage; often several generations or multiple siblings may be involved.

Portrait of the Loredan family (1507), by Giovanni Bellini. Leonardo Loredan reigned as the 75th Doge of Venice from 1501 to 1521. His four sons, depicted in the painting, also held high political positions in the Republic of Venice.[1]

A royal family or dynasty in a monarchy is generally considered to not be a "political family," although the later descendants of a royal family have played political roles in a republic (such as the Arslan family of Lebanon). A family dictatorship is a form of dictatorship that operates much like an absolute monarchy, yet occurs in a nominally republican state.

United States
Main article: List of United States political families

In the United States, many political families (having at least two generations serving in political office) have arisen since the country's founding.

Presidential
Four noted U.S. political families — Adams, Harrison, Roosevelt and Bush — have had two members that served as President of the United States

Four U.S. political families — Adams, Harrison, Roosevelt, Bush — have each had two members that served as President of the United States. Two other presidents were closely related: 4th President James Madison and 12th President Zachary Taylor were second cousins. Other presidential families were related by marriage: 1st President George Washington's nephew, George Steptoe Washington, was Madison's brother-in-law. 34th President Dwight D. Eisenhower's grandson married 37th President Richard M. Nixon's daughter.

Several presidential families produced multiple generations of members who devoted at least part of their working lives to public service.

Theodore Roosevelt and family
The Kennedys
  • The Lincoln family: Abraham Lincoln, postmaster of New Salem, Illinois (1833), Illinois state House of Representatives (1834-42), Village of Springfield Board of Trustees (1839-40), presidential elector from Illinois (1840), U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois (1847-49), candidate for Republican nomination for U.S. vice president (1856), candidate for U.S. Senate from Illinois (1858), 16th U S. president (1861-65); his cousin-in-law, John Todd Stuart, U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois (1839-43, 1863-65), Illinois state Senate (1848-52); President Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln, South Chicago Board of Supervisors (1876-77), U.S. secretary of War (1881-85), U.S. minister to Great Britain (1889-93).
  • The Taft family: Alphonso Taft, U.S. secretary of War (1876) and U.S. attorney general (1876-77); his sons, Charles Phelps Taft, U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio (1895-97), and William Howard Taft, 27th U.S. president (1909-13) and U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice (1921-30); Charles and William Howard's cousin, Royal C. Taft, governor of Rhode Island (1888-1889); William Howard's sons, Robert A. Taft, U.S. Senate from Ohio (1939-53), and Charles Phelps Taft II, mayor of Cincinnati (1955-57); Robert's son, Robert Taft Jr., U.S. House of Representatives (1963-65, 1967-71) and U.S. Senate (1971-76) from Ohio; Charles II's son, Seth Taft, Cuyahoga County commissioner (1971-78); Robert Jr.'s son, Bob Taft, governor of Ohio (1999-2007).
  • The Roosevelt family: 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) and 32nd U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt (1933-45), fifth cousins by blood (their great-great-great-grandfathers were brothers) and uncle and nephew by marriage. TR and FDR each served as U.S. assistant secretary of the Navy and as governor of New York before serving as president. FDR's wife and Theodore's niece, Eleanor Roosevelt, served as adviser to the president (1933-45), chair of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (1946-52), chair of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (1961-62). TR's descendants: His son, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., governor of Puerto Rico (1929-32) and the Philippines (1932-33); Theodore Jr.'s son, Theodore Roosevelt III, Pennsylvania secretary of Commerce (1949-51). FDR and Eleanor's sons: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr., U.S. House of Representatives from New York (1949-55), U.S. undersecretary of Commerce (1963-65); James Roosevelt, secretary to the President (1937-38), chairman of the California Democratic Party (1946-48), U.S. House of Representatives from California (1955-65); Elliott Roosevelt, mayor of Miami Beach, Florida (1965-67); James's son, Hall Delano Roosevelt, Long Beach, California, City Council (1996-2000).
  • The Kennedy family: Patrick Joseph Kennedy, Massachusetts state legislator (1884-95); his son, Joseph P. Kennedy, chair of the U.S. Maritime Commission (1934-35) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (1937-38), and U.S. ambassador to Great Britain (1938-40. Joseph and Rose Kennedy's children included John F. Kennedy, 35th U.S. president (1961-63), .U.S. House of Representatives (1947-53) and U.S. Senate (1953-61) from Massachusetts; Robert F. Kennedy, U.S. attorney general (1961-64) and U.S. Senate from New York (1965-68); Ted Kennedy, U.S. Senate from Massachusetts (1962-2009); and Jean Kennedy Smith, U.S. ambassador to Ireland (1993-98). Ted Kennedy's widow, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, is U.S. ambassador to Austria (2022 - ). Joseph and Rose Kennedy's grandchildren include Joseph Patrick Kennedy II, U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts (1987-99); Patrick Joseph Kennedy II, U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island (1995-2011); Caroline Kennedy, U.S. ambassador to Japan (2013-17); Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, lieutenant governor of Maryland (1995-2003); Mark Shriver, Maryland House of Delegates (1995-2003); Edward Kennedy Jr., Connecticut state senator (2015-19); and Bobby Shriver, City Council member and mayor of Santa Monica, California (2004-12). Maria Shriver was First Lady of California (2003-11) and founded the California Museum (her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was governor). Joseph and Rose Kennedy's great-grandchildren include Joseph Kennedy III, U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts (2013-21). [2]
The Bush Family
  • The Bush family: Prescott Bush, U.S. Senate from Connecticut (1952-63); his son, George H.W. Bush, 41st U.S. president (1989-93), U.S. vice president (1981-89), director of Central Intelligence Agency (1976-77), U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (1971-73), U.S. House of Representatives from Texas (1967-71); George H.W.'s sons, George W. Bush, 43rd U.S. president (2001-09) and governor of Texas (1995-2000), and Jeb Bush, governor of Florida (1995-2007); Jeb's son, George P. Bush, Texas Land Commissioner (2015 - ).
  • The Clinton family: Bill Clinton, 42nd U.S. president (1993-2001) and governor of Arkansas (1979-81, 1983-92); his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. senator from New York (2001-09), U.S. secretary of State (2009-17), and Democratic nominee for President of the United States (2016); President Clinton's uncle, Roy Clinton, Arkansas state House of Representatives (1950s). [3]
The Trumps

Other

The following is a list of some notable U.S. political families. For an extensive alphabetical list, see the article List of United States political families.

  • The Ashcroft family: John Ashcroft, governor of Missouri (1985-93), U.S. Senate from Missouri (1995-2001), U.S. attorney general (2001-05); his son, Jay, secretary of state of Missouri, (2017 - ).
  • The Bayh family: Birch Bayh, Indiana state House of Representatives (1954-62), U.S. Senate from Indiana (1963-81); his son, Evan, governor of Indiana (1989-97), U.S. Senate from Indiana (1999-2011).
  • The Beshear family: Steve Beshear, attorney general (1979-83), lieutenant governor (1983-87) and governor of Kentucky (2007-15); his son, Andy, attorney general (2016-19) and governor of Kentucky (2019 - ).
  • The Blunt family: Roy Blunt, U.S. House of Representatives (1997-2011) and U.S. Senate (2011 - ) from Missouri; his son, Matt, governor of Missouri (2005-09).
  • The Brown family: Edmund "Pat" Brown, governor of California (1959-67); his son, Jerry Brown, governor of California (1975-83, 2001-19), and mayor of Oakland (1999-2007); Jerry's sister, Kathleen, member of the Los Angeles Board of Education, California State Treasurer (1991-95); Jerry and Kathleen's cousin, Hal Brown, Marin County Board of Supervisors.
  • The Brzezinski family: Zbigniew Brzezinski, U.S. National Security Advisor (1977-81); his son, Mark, U.S. ambassador to Sweden (2011-15), U.S. ambassador to Poland (2022 - ).
  • The Casey family: Bob Casey Sr., Pennsylvania Senate (1963-68), Auditor General of Pennsylvania (1969-77), governor of Pennsylvania (1987-95); his son, Bob Casey Jr., Auditor General of Pennsylvania (1997-2005), treasurer of Pennsylvania (2005-07), U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania (2007 - ); his younger brother, Patrick Casey, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (1998, 2000).
  • The Celebrezze family: Frank D. Celebrezze, safety director for the City of Cleveland (1942-47), municipal court judge (1947-53); his brother, Anthony, mayor of Cleveland (1954-61), U.S. secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (1961-65), federal judge (1965-98); Frank's sons, Frank Jr., chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court (1978-86), and James, Ohio state House of Representatives (1967-74); Anthony's son, Anthony Jr., Ohio state Senate (1975-78), secretary of state (1978-83), attorney general (1983-91); Frank Jr.'s son, Frank III, appeals court judge, Ohio Supreme Court justice; James's daughter, Leslie, judge, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas (2009 - ); James' son, Nicholas, Ohio state House of Representatives (2012-19).
  • The Cheney family: Dick Cheney, U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming (1979-89), U.S. secretary of Defense (1989-93), and 46th U.S. vice president (2001-09); his daughter, Liz, U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming (2017 - ).
  • The Cuomos: Mario Cuomo, governor of New York (1983-94); his son, Andrew, U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1997-2001), governor of New York (2011-21).
  • The D'Alesandro/Pelosi family: Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., mayor of Baltimore, Maryland (1947-59), U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland (1939-47); his daughter, Nancy (Pelosi), U.S. House of Representatives from California (1987 - ), speaker of the House (2007-11, 2019 - ); her brother, Thomas III, mayor of Baltimore (1967-71); Nancy's brother-in-law, Ron Pelosi, San Francisco Board of Supervisors (1968-80); Ron's nephew, Gavin Newsom, mayor of San Francisco (2004-11), lieutenant governor of California (2011-19), governor of California (2019 - ).
  • The Daley family: Richard J. Daley, mayor of Chicago (1955-76), widely considered one of the nation's most powerful mayors at the time; his sons, Richard M., mayor of Chicago (1989-2011); John, Illinois state representative, state senator, and Cook County commissioner; Bill, U.S. secretary of Commerce (1997-2000), White House chief of staff (2011-12).
  • The DeWine family: Mike DeWine, U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio (1983-91), governor of Ohio (2019 - ); his son, Pat, justice of the Ohio Supreme Court (2017 - ).
  • The Dingell family: John Dingell Sr., U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan, (1933-55); his son, John, U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan (1955-2015); John's wife, Debbie, U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan (2015 - ) (all totaled, the same seat has been represented by a member of the Dingell family continuously since 1933); John's son, Christopher, Michigan state Senate (1987-2003); Michigan circuit court judge.
  • The Ellison family: Keith Ellison, U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota (2007-19), Minnesota attorney general (2019 - ); his son, Jeremiah, Minneapolis City Council (2018 - ).
  • The Ford family: John Ford, Tennessee state Senate (1974-2005); his sister, Ophelia, Tennessee state Senate (2005-14); brother, Emmitt, Tennessee state House of Representatives (1975-81); brother, Harold, Tennessee state House of Representatives (1971-75), U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee (1975-97); Harold's son, Harold Jr., U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee (1997-2007).
  • The Gilligan family: John J. Gilligan, U.S. House of Representatives (1965-67), governor of Ohio (1971-75); his daughter, Kathleen (Sebelius), governor of Kansas (2003-09), U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services (2009-14).
  • The Gore family: Albert Gore Sr., U.S. House of Representatives (1939-53) and U.S. Senate (1953-71) from Tennessee; his son, Al, U.S. House of Representatives (1977-85) and U.S. Senate from Tennessee (1985-93), 45th U.S. vice president (1993-2001).
  • The Hanna family: Mark Hanna, U.S. Senate from Ohio (1896-1904), chairman of the Republican National Committee (1897-1904); his daughter Ruth Hanna McCormick, U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois (1929-31).
  • The Huckabee family: Mike Huckabee, lieutenant governor (1993-96) and governor (1996-2007) of Arkansas; his daughter, Sarah, White House press secretary (2017-19).
  • The Jones family: Walter B. Jones Sr., Democrat, U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina (1966-1992); his son, Walter Jr., Republican, U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina (1995-2019).
  • The Key family: Annie L. Key, Ohio state House of Representatives (2001-06); her daughter, Stephanie Howse, Ohio state House of Representatives (2015-22), Cleveland City Council (2022 - ).
  • The Kyl family: John Henry Kyl, U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa (1959-65, 1967-73); his son, Jon, U.S. House of Representatives (1987-95) and U.S. Senate from Arizona (1995-2013, 2018).
  • The Landrieu family: Maurice "Moon" Landrieu, Louisiana state House of Representatives (1960-66), mayor of New Orleans (1970-78), U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1979-81); his daughter, Mary, Louisiana state House of Representatives (1980-88), Louisiana state treasurer (1988-96), U.S. Senate from Louisiana (1997-2015); her brother, Mitch Louisiana state representative (1988-2004), lieutenant governor of Louisiana (2004-10), mayor of New Orleans (2010-18), senior adviser to President Biden for infrastructure coordination (2021 -).
  • The LaTourette family: Steve LaTourette, U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio (1995-2013); his daughter, Sarah, Ohio state House of Representatives (2015-19).
  • The Levin family: Sander Levin, U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan (1983-2019); his brother, Carl, U.S. Senate from Michigan (1979-2015); Sander's son, Andy, U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan (2019 -).
  • The Lippitt/Chafee family: Henry Lippitt, governor of Rhode Island (1875-77); his sons, Charles, governor of Rhode Island (1895-97), and Henry F., U.S. Senate from Rhode Island (1911-17s); Henry F.'s son, Frederick, Rhode Island state House of Representatives (1961-83); the elder Henry's great-grandson, John Chafee, governor of Rhode Island (1963-69), U.S. secretary of the Navy (1969-72), U.S. Senate from Rhode Island (1976-99); John's son, Lincoln, mayor of Warwick, Rhode Island (1993-99), U.S. Senate from Rhode Island (1999-2007), governor of Rhode Island (2011-15).
  • The Lodge family: Henry Cabot Lodge, U.S. House of Representatives (1887-93) and U.S. Senate (1893-1924) from Massachusetts; his grandson, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., U.S. Senate from Massachusetts (1947-53), U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (1953-60), South Vietnam (1963-64, 1965-67), West Germany (1968-69), Vatican City (1970-77); Henry Jr.'s brother, John Davis Lodge, U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut (1947-51), (governor of Connecticut (1951-55), and U.S. ambassador to Spain (1955-61), Argentina (1969-73), Switzerland (1983-85).
  • The Long family: Huey Long, governor of Louisiana (1928-32), U.S. Senate from Louisiana (1932-35); his widow, Rose McConnell Long, U.S. Senate from Louisiana (1936-37); his brother, Earl Long, lieutenant governor (1936-39) and governor (1939-40, 1948-52, 1956-60) of Louisiana; brother, George S. Long, U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana (1953-58); Huey Long's son, Russell B. Long, U.S. Senate from Louisiana (1948-87). See Long family.
  • The Lujan family: Eugene David Lujan, associate justice, New Mexico Supreme Court (1945-59); his granddaughter, Michelle Lujan Grisham, governor of New Mexico (2022 -); Eugene's second cousin, Ben Luján, member (1975-2012) and speaker (2001-12), New Mexico state House of Representatives; Ben's son, Ben Ray Luján, U.S. Senate from New Mexico (2021 - ); Eugene's fifth cousin, Manuel Lujan Sr., mayor of Santa Fe (1942-48). Manuel's son, Manuel Lujan Jr., U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico (1969-89), U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1989-1993).
  • The Mack family: Connie Mack III, U.S. House of Representatives (1983-89) and U.S. Senate (1989-2001) from Florida; his son, Connie IV, Florida state House of Representatives (2001-03) and U.S. House of Representatives from Florida (2005-13); Mary Bono, Connie IV's then-wife, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1998-2013).
  • The Mathews family: George Mathews, governor of Georgia (1787-88, 1793-96), U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia (1789-91); his brothers, Sampson and Archer, served in the Virginia General Assembly. Their descendants served as governors, judges and legislators in five states.
  • The Murkowski family: Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senate from Alaska (1981-2002), governor of Alaska (2002-06); his daughter, Lisa, Alaska state House of Representatives (1999-2002), U.S. Senate from Alaska (2002 -).
  • The O'Neill family: Thomas O'Neill, Cambridge, Massachusetts City Council; his son, Thomas Jr. ("Tip"), Massachusetts House of Representatives (1937-53), U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts (1953-87), Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1977-87); Tip's son Thomas III, lieutenant governor of Massachusetts (1975-83).
  • The Paul family: Ron Paul, U.S. House of Representatives from Texas (1976-77, 1975-85, 1997-2013); his son. Rand, U.S. Senate from Kentucky (2011 -).
  • The Payne/Bolton family: Henry B. Payne, Ohio state Senate (1849-52), U.S. House of Representatives (1875-77) and U.S. Senate (1885-91) from Ohio; his son, Nathan P. Payne, mayor of Cleveland (1875-76); Henry's granddaughter, Frances P. Bolton, U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio (1940-69); her husband, Chester C. Bolton, U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio (1929-37); their son, Oliver P. Bolton, U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio (1953-57, 1963-65).
  • The Pence family: Mike Pence, 48th U.S. vice president (2017-21), governor of Indiana (2013-17), U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana (2001-13); his brother, Greg, U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana (2019 -).
  • The Rockefeller family: Nelson Rockefeller, 41st Vice President of the United States (1974-77), Governor of New York (1959-73); his brother, Winthrop, Governor of Arkansas (1967-71); their nephew, Jay Rockefeller, governor of West Virginia (1987-85), U.S. Senate from West Virginia (1985-2015); Winthrop's son, "Win" Rockefeller, lieutenant governor of Arkansas (1996-2006).
  • The Romneys: George W. Romney, governor of Michigan (1963-69), U S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1969-73); his son, Mitt, governor of Massachusetts (2003-07), Republican Party nominee for U.S. president (2012), U.S. Senate from Utah (2019 -); Mitt's niece, Ronna Romney McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee (2017 -), delegate to Republican National Convention (2016), chair of the Michigan Republican Party (2015-17).
  • The Rooneys: Dan Rooney (Pittsburgh Steelers owner and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee), U.S. ambassador to Ireland (2009-12); his nephews, Tom Rooney, U.S. House of Representatives from Florida (2009-19), and Patrick, Florida state House of Representatives (2010-16).
  • The Scalia family: Antonin Scalia, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1986-2016); his son, Eugene, Secretary of Labor (2019-21).
  • The Sununu family: John H. Sununu, governor of New Hampshire (1983-89), White House chief of staff (1989-91); his sons John E., U.S. House of Representatives (1997-03) and U.S. Senate (2003-09) from New Hampshire, and Chris, New Hampshire Executive Council (2011-17), governor of New Hampshire (2017-).
  • The Sykes family: Vernon Sykes, Ohio state Senate (2017-), Ohio state House of Representatives (1983-2000, 2007-14), Akron City Council (1970s-83); his wife, Barbara, Ohio state House of Representatives (2001-06), Akron City Council (1990s-2001); their daughter, Emilia, Ohio state House of Representatives (2015-).
  • The Udall family: David King Udall Sr., representative to the Arizona Territorial Legislature (1899). His sons: Jesse Addison Udall, Arizona state House of Representatives (1931-38), chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court (1964); John Hunt Udall, mayor of Phoenix, Arizona (1936-38); Don Taylor Udall, Arizona state House of Representatives (1941-42); Levi Stewart Udall, Arizona Supreme Court (1947-60), chief justice (1951-53, 1957-59). Levi's sons: Stewart Udall, U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona (1955-61), U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1961-69); Mo Udall, U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona (1961-91). Next generation: John Nicholas Udall, son of John, mayor of Phoenix, Arizona (1948-52); Tom Udall, son of Stewart, U.S. House of Representatives (1999-2008), U S. Senate from New Mexico (2009-21), U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa (2021-); Mark Udall, son of Mo, U.S. House of Representatives (1999-2009) and U.S. Senate from Colorado (2009-15), Colorado state House of Representatives (1997-99).
  • The Zone family: Michael Zone, Cleveland City Council (1960-74); his wife, Mary, Cleveland City Council (1974-86); their son, Matt, Cleveland City Council (2001 - ); their son-in-law, Lee Fisher, Ohio state House of Representatives (1981-82), Ohio state Senate (1983-90), Ohio state attorney general (1991-95), lieutenant governor of Ohio (2007-11); their nephew, Joseph Zone, Cleveland Municipal Court judge.

United Kingdom
Main article: List of political families in the United Kingdom
Joseph and Austen Chamberlain.

India
Main article: Political families of India

Other countries

Hoping to prevent political dynasties, the Indonesian parliament, who represent the third largest democracy in the world, passed a law barring anyone holding a major office within five years of a relative.[4]

See also

References
  1. "LOREDAN, Leonardo in "Dizionario Biografico"". www.treccani.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  2. KQED, General Article: The Kennedys in Politics, <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/kennedys-politics/>
  3. Feldmann, Linda (23 July 2014). "Hillary Clinton vs. Jeb Bush? Why Political Dynasties Might Make Sense. (+video)". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 2014-03-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. Solomon, Andrew (2015-07-18). "What's Wrong with Dynastic Politics?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
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