Chappaquiddick Incident

Ted Kennedy in 1962

On July 18, 1969, Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy accidentally drove a car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts; he survived, but his passenger, 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne, died in the accident.

On the night of the incident, Kennedy and Kopechne left a party on Chappaquiddick Island together after 11 p.m. in a car driven by Kennedy. In the dark, Kennedy somehow drove the car off a narrow wooden bridge and into Poucha Pond, with the car landing upside-down in the water. Kennedy was able to escape, but Kopechne was not.

Kennedy reported that he dove into the water multiple times to try to save Kopechne but was unable to rescue her. He then returned to the party and alerted two friends, who returned to the scene of the accident with him, and they again attempted to rescue Kopechne, to no avail. Kennedy, however, did not report the accident to police until roughly 10 hours later. He attributed this time gap to concussion and shock, but others found the circumstances more suspicious and some suspected a conspiracy and cover-up.

Ted Kennedy was eventually found guilty of leaving the scene of an accident causing bodily harm, and his negligent driving was found to be the probable cause of the car accident, but he did not serve any jail time.

Learn more about the Chappaquiddick Incident through historical newspapers from our archives. Explore newspaper articles, headlines, images, and other primary sources below.

Clippings about the Chappaquiddick Incident

Paper reports Ted Kennedy in car accident; Mary Jo Kopechne dies Sun, Jul 20, 1969 – 2 · The Honolulu Advertiser (Honolulu, Hawaii) · Newspapers.comMary Jo Kopechne's body arrives in Plymouth for her funeral 21 Jul 1969, Mon The Evening Times (Sayre, Pennsylvania) Newspapers.comThe Kennedys at Kopechne’s funeral 22 Jul 1969, Tue The Sheboygan Press (Sheboygan, Wisconsin) Newspapers.com"Senator Kennedy's License Suspended" 24 Jul 1969, Thu Palladium-Item (Richmond, Indiana) Newspapers.comKennedy's car is pulled from the water 26 Jul 1969, Sat The Evening Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) Newspapers.comKennedy gives his own account of Chappaquiddick Incident 26 Jul 1969, Sat The Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia) Newspapers.comMassachusetts supports Kennedy staying in office 26 Jul 1969, Sat The Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) Newspapers.comOpinion: The unanswered questions about Chappaquiddick 27 Jul 1969, Sun Tallahassee Democrat (Tallahassee, Florida) Newspapers.comMap of Chappaquiddick Incident 01 Sep 1969, Mon The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, California) Newspapers.comOpinion: What really happened at Chappaquiddick 27 Sep 1969, Sat The Tribune (Coshocton, Ohio) Newspapers.comOpinion: "Why Did Ted Stay Silent?" 28 Oct 1969, Tue The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Florida) Newspapers.comQuestions raised about Kennedy's undamaged driver's license 05 Feb 1970, Thu The Delhi Dispatch (Delhi, Louisiana) Newspapers.comInquest judge disputes elements of Kennedy's Chappaquiddick account Thu, Apr 30, 1970 – Page 2 · Daily Independent Journal (San Rafael, California) · Newspapers.comExcerpts from Ted Kennedy's testimony at the Chappaquiddick inquest 24 May 1970, Sun The Bradenton Herald (Bradenton, Florida) Newspapers.comKennedy biographer discusses impact of Chappaquiddick on Ted Kennedy's political and personal life 25 May 1972, Thu The Ithaca Journal (Ithaca, New York) Newspapers.comResults of a public opinion survey about the Chappaquiddick Incident and Ted Kennedy 05 Aug 1973, Sun The Greenville News (Greenville, South Carolina) Newspapers.com"After Five Years Chappaquiddick Questions Unanswered" 26 Sep 1974, Thu Standard-Speaker (Hazleton, Pennsylvania) Newspapers.comKopechne's parents receive insurance settlement and criticize "blanks in the story" of her death 30 Oct 1974, Wed Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Hawaii) Newspapers.comMassachusetts residents claim Kennedy was more familiar with the Chappaquiddick area than he claimed 22 Jan 1980, Tue Asbury Park Press (Asbury Park, New Jersey) Newspapers.comEffects of Chappaquiddick on Ted Kennedy's run in the 1980 Democratic presidential primaries 10 Aug 1980, Sun The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) Newspapers.comHistorian shares what he perceives to be the personal impact of Chappaquiddick on Ted Kennedy 17 Aug 1980, Sun Daily News (New York, New York) Newspapers.com