The Kennedy dynasty has welcomed its newest member: a baby boy born to Robert F. Kennedy’s grandson Bobby III and his ex-CIA spy wife Amaryllis.
Bobby, 37, and Amaryllis, 41, welcomed their second child on August 30 – sharing the news of his arrival in a touching Instagram post shared on Sunday, in which they offered the first glimpse at their bundle of joy in a series of sweet photographs.
‘Our hearts are overflowing. Our family is complete,’ Amaryllis wrote in her caption. ‘Cassius Watts Thoreau Kennedy, born the 30th of Aug at 1:28pm.’
The couple, who tied the knot in 2018 and had their first child, daughter Bobby, in 2019, also revealed the intricate meaning behind their son’s lengthy name, explaining that each of his monikers was influenced by a famous activist throughout history.
Joyful: Robert F Kennedy’s grandson Bobby Kennedy III and his wife Amaryllis Fox have welcomed their second child together, a baby boy named Cassius Watts Thoreau
Proud: The couple shared the happy news on Instagram, where they also posted several images of their newborn son meeting his parents and his siblings for the first time
Together: Amaryllis, 41, who is a former CIA spy, has another child – daughter Bobby – with her 37-year-old husband of three years
His first name, Cassius, is meant to honor the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali, whose was born Cassius Marcellus Clay, with Amaryllis revealing that they chose to name their son after the sporting icon because of his outspoken protests against the Vietnam War.
In March 1966, Ali refused to be drafted into the US military to serve in the conflict, which resulted in him being stripped of his many boxing titles, his boxing license – and even his passport.
‘We named him Cassius for the great Muhammad Ali, who sacrificed millions, relinquished his titles and went to prison, rather than participating in an unjust war,’ Amaryllis wrote of the inspiration behind their newborn son’s name.
According to the mother-of-two, the moniker Watts is meant to honor the late Alan Watts, a Zen philosopher, teacher, and writer, who made a name for himself in the 1940s and 50s for helping to popularize Buddhism and other Eastern religions in the Western world.
Amaryllis added that Watts’ teachings are particularly meaningful to the couple because they have ‘played a role’ in their relationship, writing: ‘Watts, for Alan Watts, lifelong student and teacher of nonviolence, who plays his own role in our love story.’
Siblings: Also pictured were Cassius’ sisters, Bobby (left), who is Bobby and Amaryllis’ first child together, and Zoe (right), who is Amaryllis’ child from a previous marriage
Poignant: As well as sharing the photos of their newborn, Amaryllis also opened up about the meaning of her son’s name
Important: She explained that they named him Cassius in honor of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who was born Cassius Marcellus Clay
Newborn Cassius’ third name – Thoreau – was taken from Henry David Thoreau, an abolitionist who protested slavery in the 1800s and became famous for his essay on civil disobedience.
Thoreau was an outspoken critic of war and slavery in the US – a stance that saw him forced to spend a night in jail in 1846, when he was arrested over his refusal to pay his taxes, which he said came as a result of him wanting to keep the money from being spent on causes that he did not agree with.
‘Thoreau, for Henry David Thoreau, who chose jail over the support of slavery,’ the mom-of-two said of the meaning behind her son’s name.
Noting the very complex influences in her son’s name, Amaryllis joked that he ‘better learn to read fast’, before sharing that he is happily settling in with his family at home – and is already bonding with his older sisters, Bobby, and Zoe – who is the daughter of Amaryllis and her former husband, Dean Fox, who also served in the CIA.
‘Til then, he is snugged in the arms of his big sisters and showered in our love,’ she concluded her post. ‘May he stand on the shoulders of his namesakes and live life as a fighter for peace.’
The couple did not include any Kennedy family references in their son’s name – however they chose to pay tribute to Bobby’s heritage with the birth of their first child, whom they named after her father, as well as his father and grandfather.
Family: Amaryllis and Bobby tied the knot in July 2018 and they welcomed their first child, daughter Bobby in October 2019
The happy couple: Bobby and Amaryllis’ wedding was attended by several members of the Kennedy family, as well as a number of high-profile guests, including Susan Sarandon
At the time, Amaryllis said of her daughter’s name: ‘She’s named for her father, grandfather and great grandfather, carrying their legacy into a future where women stand shoulder to shoulder with their fathers, brothers, and sons to do the work of love in the world.
‘May she hold in her heart their fathomless commitment to human dignity, peace among nations, and protection of our natural world.’
The arrival of Cassius comes just over three years after Bobby and Amaryllis tied the knot in a large July 2018 ceremony at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, where they were joined by multiple members of the groom’s extended family, including his father, Robert Jr, and grandmother, family matriarch Ethel Kennedy.
Other high-profile attendees included actress Susan Sarandon, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven and Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines – who is also Bobby’s stepmother and has been married to his father since 2014.
The arrival of baby Cassius – who was born in a hospital, presumably in the couple’s home state of California – contrasts greatly with the birth of Amaryllis’ first child, Zoe, who was born in Shanghai when her mother was still serving as an undercover agent for the CIA.
Legacy: Cassius is the great-grandson of former US Senator Robert F Kennedy (left) who was brother to former President John F Kennedy (right). Both were assassinated
History: The baby boy is the latest member of the Kennedy dynasty, which is one of the longest – and most widely-discussed – in US history. Pictured: Robert Kennedy Jr and his uncle, JFK
In October 2019, the former CIA spook published a book about her experiences – Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA – in which she revealed that she gave birth to her child while posing as an art dealer and on assignment for the intelligence agency.
At the time, the spy said that she would keep her daughter with her in a sling even while meeting with arms dealers-turned-informants, and actually persuaded one al Qaeda leader to call off a planned Pakistan bombing after bonding with him over medication for his baby’s asthma.
Zoe’s father, Dean, was also a CIA operative who worked alongside her for the agency; before that Amaryllis had also been married to her university sweetheart.
Baby boy Cassius is the latest member of the extended Kennedy dynasty, and is the great-grandson of 93-year-old matriarch Ethel, who was married to former US Senator, former President John F Kennedy’s brother RFK until he was killed by an assassin in 1968.
Together, RFK and Ethel had 11 children, meaning that Cassius has ten great-uncles and great-aunts, as well as plenty of cousins.
Among his great-aunts is Kerry Kennedy – ex-wife of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo – who has three daughters: twin Cara and Mariah, and their younger sister Michaela.