Rose Kennedy held the title of Countess.
Count ( male ) or countess ( female ) is a title in European countries for a noble of varying status , but historically deemed to convey an approximate rank intermediate between the highest and lowest titles of nobility . Countess Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald Kennedy ( July 22 , 1890 -- January 22 , 1995 ) was an American philanthropist , centenarian and socialite . She was the sixth American woman to be granted the title of Countess by the Vatican .