Emily Ruth Black: A Look Inside Her Life and Marriage to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Emily Ruth Black met Robert "Bobby" F. Kennedy Jr. as a quiet law student in Charlottesville, far from the glare of political fame. What followed was a whirlwind of love, scandal, and more.

Before her name was ever linked to one of America's most storied political families, Emily Ruth Black was a brilliant, grounded student from Bloomington, Indiana. Her marriage to Robert "Bobby" F. Kennedy Jr. seemed like a modern fairytale — until reality set in.

From daiquiris at the Kennedy compound to rehab visits and a discreet divorce in the Dominican Republic, this is the story of a woman who lived it all quietly and endured it all privately.

Emily Ruth Black's Midwestern Roots

Emily's early life was a world apart from the East Coast privilege often associated with the Kennedy name. She was raised in the heartland of America — Bloomington, Indiana — by her mother, Libby, a schoolteacher, and her father, Thomas Allen Black, a lumberyard manager from a family-owned business.

Though the family was not without ties to industry, they were far from wealthy. When Thomas died of a heart attack at just 34 years old, Emily was only two.

Left to care for three young children — Emily, her sister Sarah, and brother Tom — Libby returned to Indiana University to earn a master's degree and went on to teach kindergarten and first grade.

After Libby remarried and relocated to Cameron, Missouri, Emily stayed behind in Bloomington. She moved in with her elderly great-aunt, Helen Duncan, who lived in a small house in the town's center.

At Bloomington's North High School, Emily was known for her academic excellence and reserved demeanor. A standout student, she graduated as salutatorian of the Class of 1975.

Her former boyfriend, Dan Honeycutt, remembered her as "quiet, pretty shy, [and] one of the smart kids who was definitely not in the in-crowd." She had few close friends, her dearest being the daughter of an Iranian college professor at Indiana University.

To her friends, her eventual relationship with Bobby seemed like a fairytale; to others, it was more like a cautionary tale.

After graduating from high school, Emily continued her education at her mother's alma mater. There, she majored in political science and earned a Phi Beta Kappa key in 1978, marking her as one of the top students in her class.

Though Bloomington had its share of economic hardship as a declining factory town, it was also a bastion of academic and liberal thought — a place where, in 1968, Robert F. Kennedy had once campaigned during his run for president.

Emily had been among the crowd that gathered to see him speak, never imagining that years later she would marry the man who shared his name. She left Bloomington only when she enrolled at the University of Virginia School of Law.

Up to that point, her entire life had unfolded within the confines of her Midwestern hometown. To her friends, her eventual relationship with Bobby seemed like a fairytale; to others, it was more like a cautionary tale — Little Red Riding Hood walking straight into the woods.

The Beginning of Emily Ruth Black and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Relationship

Emily first met Bobby in 1978 at Lord Hardwicke's, a casual Charlottesville bar known for its pizza and UVA law student crowd. Petite and bookish, she stood out more for her intelligence and quiet presence than for flash or flair.

That night, Bobby, six-foot-two and already drawing attention with his Kennedy charm, walked over and introduced himself. A friend who was with him that evening later recalled:

"Bobby and I met Emily the same night […]. Emily was attractive and very bright. Because she was kind of quiet, she was a change for Bobby and he liked that.”

At the time, Bobby was juggling multiple priorities and relationships. Though he and Emily were both members of the UVA Law class that began in September 1978, he also spent stretches away in New York and London with then-girlfriend Rebecca Fraser.

As one friend put it, "It was hard to tell where Emily stood with Bobby because he was in and out of Charlottesville a lot." Many assumed their connection was casual. "They just seemed like good friends, and there were always plenty of women around Bobby," said a classmate.

Despite the uncertainty, the two grew closer during Emily's second year of law school. Her grounded, Midwestern sensibility seemed to offer a counterbalance to Bobby's restless energy.

By the time Emily's engagement to Bobby became public in October 1981, her mother could hardly contain her excitement.

In turn, Emily was drawn in by his charisma, something many women noticed, but also by the underlying intensity that set him apart. To those who knew her, it was no surprise that she fell for him.

"Bobby kept bragging to Emily that one day he was going to be President, and she believed him," Emily's childhood friend Marjorie Dougherty recalled. Emily later told Marjorie:

"I felt like I was dreaming. There I was on the beach, having a daiquiri with Jackie O. How can you not love that?"

By the summer of 1980, Bobby proposed. He was 27, just coming off the momentum of campaigning for his uncle Ted, and ready to take a new step.

For Emily, the girl from Bloomington who once stood in the crowd watching Robert F. Kennedy campaign in 1968, the moment must have felt surreal. Now, she was engaged to his namesake.

Emily Ruth Black's Engagement and Wedding to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

By the time Emily's engagement to Bobby became public in October 1981, her mother could hardly contain her excitement. Libby proudly told anyone who would listen that her daughter was marrying a "really nice boy" from one of America's most prominent families.

She envisioned something extraordinary for her daughter's future. There was talk that Bobby might one day run for president, and she imagined Emily standing beside him as First Lady. To Libby, it all sounded like a fairytale.

What she didn't fully grasp was the complexity behind the Kennedy image — Bobby's reputation for partying, his troubled personal history, and the complicated dynamics of the family itself.

But while the marriage had the glamour of a high-profile union, it was already shadowed by something more troubling.

Still, the local pride was palpable. On April 3, 1982, the town of Bloomington turned out to witness the wedding of its hometown girl to a Kennedy.

Despite freezing winds and a delay of over 30 minutes, some 400 spectators stood outside the First Christian Church, waiting behind police lines to greet the bridal party.

Emily Ruth Black's Marriage and Divorce from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

After their wedding in Bloomington and a round of celebrations at Hickory Hill, Emily and Bobby settled into their new life in New York. They moved into the home of Lem Billings, a longtime friend of the Kennedy family.

But while the marriage had the glamour of a high-profile union, it was already shadowed by something more troubling. Emily had reportedly known about Bobby's drug use even before they married.

Despite multiple attempts to quit, Bobby's struggles with addiction persisted. He tried going cold turkey, and both Emily and friends did what they could to support him. Emily stood by him through it all. Those who knew her well saw her as a saint, revealing:

"[...] She took Bobby back after all the hell he put her through. People who knew her, like me, thought she was crazy because we didn't believe he could change. [...] But Emily hung in there."

That commitment held steady through their growing family. On September 2, 1984, Emily gave birth to their first child, Robert Francis Kennedy III.

Four years later, in April 1988, just days after the couple's sixth anniversary, they welcomed their second child, Kathleen Alexandra Kennedy, named in part after Bobby's sister.

However, Bobby's addiction wasn't behind them. At one point, after a publicized arrest and overdose, Emily was devastated. She had worked hard to keep his drug use private, but the headlines now made it impossible.

"She persevered," a friend recalled. "She was always a quiet person, but she just withdrew a little bit more." Bobby was admitted to a rehab facility in Summit, New Jersey. But by 1992, the couple had separated.

Two years later, on March 28, 1994, their divorce was finalized in the Dominican Republic. Under local laws, foreign nationals could obtain a divorce in a matter of hours. According to reports, Bobby flew to Santo Domingo for the 9 a.m. hearing and was gone by the next day.

Emily Ruth Black entered the Kennedy world with hope and love. Through the highs and lows, she remained steady. Her marriage to Bobby may have ended, but her strength throughout it told a story all her own.