RFK Reaches Peak of Mount Kennedy

Mar. 24, 1965 - Senator Robert F. Kennedy stood in bright sunlight today atop 13,900-foot Mount Kennedy to become the first person to scale the mountain named for his slain brother.

He reached the summit of the Yukon peak Canada named for President John F. Kennedy at 12:58 p.m. (4:58 p.m. New York time). The first thing the New York Senator did was kneel, as if in prayer, and plant a personal flag in the ice capping the granite peak. Until today, it stood as the highest unclimbed mountain in North America.

The personal flag carried the Kennedy family crest, three knight’s helmets in silver on a field of green. In addition, the Senator bore flags of the U.S., Canada, and the National Geographic Society.

When Kennedy and seven others were within several yards of their goal, his expert colleagues stopped and allowed the rookie climber to go alone to the top. They soon joined him and stood in a huddle congratulating each other.

Among Kennedy’s companions were James Whittaker, the first American to scale Mount Everest, and Barry Prather, also a member of the American expedition to Everest in 1963.

It was a beautiful day with visibility unlimited. The Senator easily could see the Pacific Ocean 100 miles to the southwest and Canada’s highest mountain, 19,850-foot Mount Logan, 50 miles to the north.

While the party was atop the mountain, Dr. Bradford Washburn, scientific leader of the group, flew over in a small plane and dropped a walkie-talkie.

Kennedy told Washburn, “I’m feeling fine.”

Fellow climber Whittaker said, “He did a great climbing job. It was a long, hard climb, and he did the job he set out to do.”

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) congratulated his brother today on the achievement. But he could not resist the opportunity for a little teasing. 

“I want to congratulate my brother and wish him well on the way down,” the Massachusetts Senator said.

“At the same time, I wish to point out for the record he is not the first Kennedy to climb a mountain. I climbed the Matterhorn in 1957, which is higher, and I didn’t need the help of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”

Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s