Biden Administration Names Joe Kennedy III as U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs

 

(December 19, 2022) - News came from Washington DC today that Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts is the new U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs.  

The appointment ended months of speculation and calls from the Irish-American community, including the Ancient Order of Hibernians and others, to fill the important position.  

 

Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken said in a statement:

 

 "Today we are announcing the appointment of Joe Kennedy III as the U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs. In this capacity, he will focus on advancing economic development and investment opportunities in Northern Ireland to the benefit of all communities as well as strengthening people-to-people ties between the United States and Northern Ireland. His role builds on the long-standing U.S. commitment to supporting peace, prosperity, and stability in Northern Ireland and the peace dividends of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

 

"Joe has dedicated his career to public service, including eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives, tenure as Massachusetts Assistant District Attorney, and service as a Peace Corps Volunteer. He will draw from his extensive experience to support economic growth in Northern Ireland and to deepen U.S. engagement with all communities.

 

"In parallel, U.S. diplomats in Europe and Washington will continue to engage with political leaders on efforts to restore the Northern Ireland Executive and to resolve differences on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

 

"I look forward to Joe’s engagement and service with the people and leaders of Northern Ireland."

 

Kennedy issued this statement: 

 

“I’m incredibly honored to be appointed as Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs. As we enter the 25th anniversary year of the historic Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, I look forward to working closely with the State Department and entire Biden Administration to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to Northern Ireland and to promote economic prosperity and opportunity for all its people."

 

U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin released this statement:

 

"I welcome the appointment of my good friend, Joe Kennedy III, as U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs.  Joe and I worked closely together in our shared district, when I served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and he was serving as a Member of Congress.

 

"Joe is an extraordinary public servant, and I know he will work tirelessly in this role increasing investment and economic growth in Northern Ireland, as well as strengthening people-to-people ties between all communities in Northern Ireland and the United States.

 

"This appointment demonstrates President Biden's continued, steadfast support for the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, which he views as an historic achievement that must be protected to ensure peace and stability in Northern Ireland. I look forward to working with Joe to promote the economic opportunities made possible by the agreement."

The appointment fulfills a promise to Irish-Americans Biden made during the presidential campaign in 2020, wherein candidate Biden promised to "support active U.S. diplomatic engagement to advance the Northern Ireland peace process."

Kennedy's new role as envoy is part of a tradition dating back to 1992, when calls for a Special Envoy to Northern Ireland were first raised by Irish-American leaders during the presidential campaign between Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.  

In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed former Maine Senator George Mitchell as the first US Economic to Northern Ireland. Although specifically defined as an economic development position, Mitchell also played a pivotal role in the peace negations, which resulted in the   seminal Good Friday Agreement of April 1998 that effectively ended most of the violence in Northern Ireland.

Since Mitchell, there have been a string of U.S. envoys to Northern Ireland, including Richard Haass, Mitchell Reiss, Paula J. Dobriansky,  Declan Kelly, former Senator Gary Hart and Mick Mulvaney. Read archival stories on other Northern Ireland envoys. 

Kennedy's second cousin, Caroline Kennedy, is currently U.S. Ambassador to Australia. 

The Kennedy Family's engagement with Northern Ireland goes back 80 years, starting with President John F. Kennedy, who had the opportunity to meet Ireland's Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Eamon de Valera, forging a friendship that lasted through Kennedy’s life. 

Kennedy, an aspiring writer at the time, had interviewed de Valera during that trip and submitted a thoughtful piece titled “De Valera Aims to Unite Ireland” to the New York Journal American in July 1945. He wrote, “De Valera is fighting the same relentless battle fought in the field during the Uprising of 1916, in the War of Independence and later in the [Irish] Civil War. He feels everything Ireland has gained has been given grudgingly and at the end of a long and bitter struggle. Always, it has been too little too late.” 

President Kennedy's brother, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, became involved in the Northern Ireland Troubles in the 1970s, and helped set in motion, along with his sister, US Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith, peace negotiations that resulted in the historic Good Friday Agreement in April 1998.  And Congressman Joe Kennedy II, father of the new envoy, was active during the 1980s and made a heralded fact-finding trip to Northern Ireland in April 1988. 

Read stories about the Kennedy Family here.