Born in Brooklyn, New York, Kennedy received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the City College of New York in 1917, a Bachelor of Laws from Brooklyn Law School in 1924 and a Juris Doctor from the same institution in 1925.
He served in the United States Navy as a lieutenant junior grade from 1917 to 1920.
He was United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York from 1939 to 1944.
[1] Kennedy was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on September 1, 1944, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York vacated by Judge Marcus Beach Campbell.
[1] After his resignation from the federal bench, Kennedy returned to private practice in Brooklyn from 1952 to 1961.