Patrick Joseph Kennedy II (born July 14, 1967) is an American retired politician and mental health advocate.

At the time of his father's death in late August 2009, Patrick was the last remaining member of the Kennedy family to serve in an elective office in Washington.

His sister Kara (1960–2011) was a television and film producer, while his brother, Ted, Jr. (born 1961), is a lawyer and former member of the Connecticut State Senate.

[3] While a junior at Providence College, Kennedy defeated five-term incumbent John F. Skeffington, Jr., for the Democratic nomination in District 9.

Kennedy was lead sponsor of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which passed on October 3, 2008.

Kennedy campaigned for the seat being vacated by U.S. Representative Ronald Machtley (who was retiring) in the 1994 Rhode Island 1st congressional district election.

Kennedy had recently won appointment to the House Appropriations Committee, a high-profile assignment that caused him to pass up the Senate race.

Since leaving Congress, Kennedy has written and spoken publicly about his long struggle with bipolar disorder and drug addiction[7] and become a leading advocate for a stronger mental health care system in the United States.

[10] In 2018, Politico termed Kennedy "the unlikely go-to player for companies seeking to benefit from the Trump administration’s multibillion-dollar response to the opioid crisis".

He "holds an equity stake in the firms" and "collects director fees" from the latter organizations, many of which "stand to benefit from fresh efforts in Congress and the Trump administration to combat the opioid crisis".

In 2016, Kennedy founded Advocates for Opioid Recovery[12] together with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Van Jones, a former domestic policy adviser to President Barack Obama.

[13] He is also co-founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, established in 2013 with Kevin Sabet and David Frum, an anti-legalization group.

Senator Pete Domenici (R–NM) in introducing legislation that places mental illness under the umbrella of health insurance.

[5] In a March 7, 2008, speech to the Cleveland City Club, Kennedy acknowledged having bipolar disorder and being a recovering alcoholic.

[24][25][26] Anonymous sources are alleged to have seen Kennedy drinking at the nearby Hawk & Dove bar prior to the accident.

[31] On June 13, 2006, Kennedy made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs.

Patrick made a tearful eulogy at the funeral, saying that, "He [Ted] would be very proud to see you all out here today paying a final respect and tribute to his memory".

Mark Weiner, a major Democratic party fund-raiser in Rhode Island and one of Kennedy's top financial backers, said: "It's tough to get up and go to work every day when your partner is not there.

[42][43][44][45] In January 2020, Amy Kennedy announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for United States Congress, to represent New Jersey's 2nd congressional district.

[46] Amy Kennedy defeated Brigid Callahan Harrison in the Democratic primary in July, and faced Democrat-turned-Republican incumbent Jeff Van Drew in the November general election.