James Carleton Kennedy (born 1963 in Orange City, Iowa) is an American historian.

Kennedy was born and grew up in Orange City, Iowa, a Reformed village with a large portion of the population having roots in Netherlands.

in 1986, Christian studies at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, obtaining his M.A.

In 2003, Kennedy moved to the Netherlands because he was appointed a professor of modern history (20th century) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

James Kennedy is married to Simone Kennedy-Doornbos, a Dutch politician for the ChristianUnion, who has been serving as a Senator since 2023.