Robert F. Kennedy, also known as Bobby or RFK, assumed the position of US Attorney General from 1961 to 1964. In 1965, he became a US Senator, a position he held until his assassination in 1968. Click here for James DiEugenio's take on the incident.

Let's set aside the mystery surrounding his death for two minutes and celebrate this American icon's inspiring yet sadly short life.

1. The Ambition to Succeed

RFK's ambition to succeed is perhaps best described in his own words. While describing himself as the "seventh of nine children," he revealed that he had to struggle to survive that far down the order.

We wouldn't say he just survived. We appreciate the pressure a young Bobby would've felt. Where most would've resigned themselves to the role of black sheep, Kennedy continued to fight his way to the top and was eventually successful in his political ambitions.

2. The Unwillingness to Compromise

Bobby's fight to the top wasn't smooth-sailing. He probably had to choose between his morals and ambitions multiple times. Let us recount one incident we know of when RFK eschewed his ambitions for something that went against his principles.

One could say Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy capitalized on the Cold War hysteria swirling to abuse his privilege to the extent that wouldn't go unpunished today. As chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), McCarthy took Robert, a budding lawyer at the time, under his wing.

Despite the pressure to prove himself, Kennedy left McCarthy's side because he disagreed with his "ways" of gaining intelligence from suspected and self-proclaimed communists.

3. The Struggle to Reduce the Wage Gap

RFK was deeply disturbed and shocked by the living conditions during his visits to urban slums throughout the US. He attempted to draw attention to their plight. He used his position to influence lawmakers to bridge the wage and job opportunity gap, something civil rights activist Martin Luther King had advocated for during the final years of his life.

Like MLK, RFK focused on self-reliance, so he launched Bedford-Stuyvesant, a project geared towards restoring businesses and creating job opportunities within impoverished communities.

4. The Fight Against Organized Crime

Robert Kennedy created a precedent as the 64th US Attorney General by directly prosecuting and exposing organized crime at its peak.

He almost single-handedly took down organized crime, which had an iron grip on businesses, unions, gambling establishments, and politics, probably inspiring his contemporaries to do the same.

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