Millionaire. Rascal. Public official. Smuggler. Philanthropist. Fraudster. Family man. Flanders. As one of the nation's wealthiest businessmen, a World War I development executive, a controversial diplomat, and the father of one of America's most memorable and influential families, Joseph Kennedy certainly lived a full life and created an incredible legacy for generations of Americans who followed him. . “If Joseph P. Kennedy had not been the patriarch of America's first family, his story would still be worth telling. The fact that this was so only adds to its drama and historical significance. His main goal, as a young man, was to earn so much money that his children would not have to earn any and could dedicate their lives to public service” (Nasaw, xxii). Few people in history have had the effect that Joseph P. Kennedy left on American history, politics, and culture. This first-generation American was able to accomplish so much in an age of relatively primitive technology, when so many American immigrants managed to survive and the world was in turmoil. Kennedy's extraordinary rise to immense power, wealth, and fame was the product of his ambitious and industrious youth, his education in segregated East Boston, his myriad business ventures, and his and his family's political presence. Kennedy, born in East Boston in 1888, was the son of prominent Irish-Catholic immigrant and politician Patrick Joseph "PJ" Kennedy, a well-known and respected neighborhood leader among the city's fellow Irish immigrants. PJ began his life in America as a humble dock worker, but slowly worked his way up the city's political and economic ladder. “Throughout a childhood dedicated to improving family fortunes, young Joe had before him an example of a determined man's ability to ... middle of paper ... hn F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. JFK Presidential Library, nd Web. December 16, 2013. Mallon, Thomas. "Ambassador in spite of himself." The New York Times - Breaking news, world news and multimedia. The New York Times, December 31, 2000. Web. December 16, 2013. Nasaw, David. The Patriarch: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy. New York: Penguin Press, 2012. Print.PBS. "The Wealth of the Kennedys. The Kennedys. American Experience WGBH | PBS." American experience. PBS and Web. December 16, 2013.Sidey, Hugh. "The Kennedy Dynasty." TIME. time.com. Network. December 16, 2013.Tamny, Giovanni. "The Economics of Joseph P. Kennedy, the Patriarch of the Kennedy Family." Forbes. Forbes, January 8, 2013. Web. December 16, 2013. Whalen, Richard J. "Joseph P. Kennedy: A Portrait of the Founder (Fortune Classics, 1963) - Fortune Features." CNNMoney. CNN, April 10, 2011. Web. December 16. 2013.