Vicki Kennedy is a lawyer and the second wife of late Senator Ted Kennedy. Vicki comes from a family in Louisiana, her Father Edmund Reggie was a banker and judge and her mother Doris Ann Boustany was a Democratic National Committeewoman. Her family acquired the majority of their wealth from an interest they possessed in Bunny Bread baking concern. Vicki is of Lebanese descent, her grandparents all immigrated to the United States and settled in Louisiana.

Before marrying Ted, Vicki’s family was close to the Kennedy family as a result of her mother and dad working closely with Ted and John on their political campaigns in Louisiana. Although their families were near, Vicki didn’t know Ted until the two met in 1991. Vicki met Ted during a particularly tumultuous time in his life once the senator was known for his substance abuse and womanizing antics. According to people close to the two, Vicki helped Ted get his life back on track and become an effective Senator again.

After Ted’s passing, Vicki became and continues to be a public figure who tried to carry on his work and legacy.

Ted Kennedy is the topic of the upcoming documentary “The Girl in the Car”. The documentary examines an incident Ted was involved when he crashed his car in the water off Chappaquiddick Island on the night of July 18, 1969, killing his passenger Mary Jo Kopechne.

Here’s everything you need to understand:

1. She had been married and divorced before meeting Ted

Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty ImagesMassachussetts Senator Edward Kennedy receives a kiss from his wife Vicki prior to his speech to the Democratic National Convention at the Pepsi Center in Denver on August 25, 2008. The Democrats officially opened their convention to crown Barack Obama as the first black presidential nominee in US history. AFP PHOTO/Paul J. RICHARDS

Vicki was married to Grier Raclin, a telecommunications attorney in D.C. before assembly Ted. The two were married in 1981 with a large, 400 person ceremony at Everett McKinley Dirksen Federal Courthouse. Then they moved to D.C. where they had two children, Curran and Caroline.

The couple was divorced in 1990 and Vicki then met Ted in 1992.

2. Her secret engagement to Ted was exposed by Vicki’s daughter sharing the data at school

Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty ImagesBOSTON, MA – MAY 21: U.S. Senator Edward “Ted” M. Kennedy (D-MA) (C) leaves Massachusetts General Hospital with his son U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)(2nd L) wife Vicki Kennedy (2nd R) May 21, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts. Kennedy was released one day after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.

Ted and Vicki started dating after meeting. Following that experience, they started spending time together at Vicki’s house where Ted would come over for supper. Vicki was a full-time lawyer and single mother with two small children so she was unable to spend a lot of time away from home. Ted came to her house for dinner as it was the only time the two could spend.

In accordance with Time Magazine, Vicki told Kennedy biographer Adam Clymer, “He phoned me and said, ‘You’ve got these kids. I understand you won’t go over a couple of times a week out. I need to see more of you. So I will come at your house to dinner. ’ ”

Ted suggested during a performance of La Bohème in January 1992 and they agreed to keep their engagement a secret. Unfortunately, Vicki’s daughter told her friend at school whose parent just so happened to be a Washington Post reporter. The reported broke the story to the media.

3. She’s buddies with Ted’s first wife, Joan

Photo credit should read TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty ImagesUS First Lady Michelle Obama (2L) applauds as her husband, US President Barack Obama, addresses a joint session of Congress on his embattled healthcare reform program September 9, 2009 at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Obama, whose approval ratings have taken a hit, hopes to regain control of healthcare reform, one of the top legislative priorities. Standing third from left is Victoria Vicki Kennedy, widow of the late US senator Edward M. Kennedy, D, MA, a winner of healthcare reform. AFP PHOTO / Tim Sloan

Joan Kennedy and Vicki Kennedy were not the best of friends when Ted was alive or when he died. AS evidenced by their animosity towards each other at Ted’s funeral. The two were kept apart during the ceremony.

According to the Daily Mail, When Joan and Ted’s eldest daughter, Kara, passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack in 2011, a mere two years after Ted’s departure, Vicki extended an olive branch to offer help. Joan has publicly battled with alcohol abuse and Vicki was worried that this would induce her to drink so that she reached out to help.

In the wake of tragedy, the tension has vanished between the two who are now friends.

4. She feuded with her stepsons over the construction of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute

MARTHA’S VINEYARD, UNITED STATES: Senator Ted Kennedy (C-R) together with his wife Victoria (C-L), son Ted Kennedy Jr. (L), and daughter Kara Anne (R) arrive before a meeting with US President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton for an afternoon sail off of the island of Martha’s Vineyard, MA, where the first family is currently vacationing. AFP PHOTO John MOTTERN

Among Ted Kennedy’s final wishes was to construct the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. The institute is an interactive museum that features a replica of the Senate chamber. It’s located right down the street from the JFK Library. The Institute opened in 2016 but was a somewhat tumultuous construction project.

Back in 2012, Edward M. Kennedy Jr. and Patrick Kennedy, the senator’s children from his first marriage, accused Vicki of mishandling the project and keeping them in the dark on the decisions being made. Within an interview with the Boston Globe in 2012, Lee Fentress, a longtime friend of the senator who chairs the board, told the newspaper “He treasured her counsel,” adding, “He trusted her instincts and judgment. She had been his right hand and spouse in the very true sense…. The board of the institute agrees with his ruling of Vicki. She’s a tireless and passionate advocate for the institute. We are blessed to have her. ’’

While neither kid would make a statement it broke a longstanding tradition of the Kennedy family airing grievances publicly.

5. Her daddy managed John F. Kennedy’s Louisiana Campaign

WASHINGTON – SEPTEMBER 09: Vicki Kennedy, wife of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), waits for U.S. President Barack Obama to arrive for a joint session of the U.S. Congress at the U.S. Capitol September 9, 2009 in Washington, DC. Obama was scheduled to address the joint session to advocate passage of his healthcare program, the centerpiece of his domestic agenda.

Vicki Kennedy’s father, Edmund Reggie, helped John F. Kennedy’s Failed Vice Presidential campaign in 1956. He was an instrumental factor in assisting JFK secure the state of Louisiana at the Democratic National Convention.

In 1960, Edmund co-chaired JFK’s presidential campaign efforts in Louisiana. He had been nominated as a presidential elector in Louisiana for the Democratic ticket of John F. Kennedy-Lyndon B. Johnson. After Kennedy was elected, Reggie served the president liaison with Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis from 1961 until Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

Buy Tickets for every event – Sports, Concerts, Festivals and more buy tickets