Kenneth O'Donnell

Kenny O'Donnell
White House Appointments Secretary
In office January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
President	John F. Kennedy
Preceded by	Thomas Stephens (Appointments Secretary) Wilton Persons (Chief of Staff)
Succeeded by	Jack Valenti (Appointments Secretary) Walter Jenkins (Chief of Staff, de facto)
Personal details
Born	Kenneth Patrick O'Donnell (1924-03-04)March 4, 1924 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	September 9, 1977(1977-09-09) (aged 53) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting place	Holyhood Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Helen Sullivan ​ ​ (m. 1947; died 1977)​ Asta Steinfatt ​ (m. 1977)​
Children	5
Parent(s)	Alice Guerin Cleo Albert O'Donnell
Education	Harvard University (BA) Boston College (LLB)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army Air Forces
Years of service	1942–1945
Battles/wars	World War II

Kenneth Patrick O'Donnell^[1] (March 4, 1924 – September 9, 1977) was an American political consultant and the special assistant and appointments secretary to President John F. Kennedy from 1961 until Kennedy's assassination in November 1963. O'Donnell was a close friend of President Kennedy and his younger brother Robert F. Kennedy. O'Donnell, along with Larry O'Brien and David Powers, was part of the group of Kennedy's close advisers dubbed the "Irish Mafia."^[2]

O'Donnell also served as an aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1963 to 1965. He later served as an adviser to Robert Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign.