Robert F. Kennedy was born in June 1968.
Robert Francis `` Bobby '' Kennedy ( November 20 , 1925 -- June 6 , 1968 ) , commonly known by his initials RFK , was an American politician from Massachusetts . He was previously the 64th U.S. Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964 , serving under his older brother President John F. Kennedy and his successor , President Lyndon B. Johnson . After serving in the United States Naval Reserve as a Seaman Apprentice from 1944 to 1946 , Kennedy graduated from Harvard University and the University of Virginia . He was appointed Attorney General after the successful election and served as the closest adviser to the president from 1961 to 1963 . He left to run for the United States Senate from New York in 1964 and defeated Republican incumbent Kenneth Keating .