Rep. Joseph Kennedy to Leave Politics

BOSTON — Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-Mass.) announced Friday that he is pulling out of politics.

“There is no greater honor than serving in the Congress, standing up for what you believe,” the 45-year-old, six-term congressman declared. “But it’s time to reconsider my priorities.”

Citing a desire to spend more time with his wife and twin teenage sons, Kennedy ended, at least for now, a political career that once seemed full of promise, vacating a safe House seat once held by his uncle, the late John F. Kennedy.

The eldest son of Robert F. Kennedy revealed his intentions at a hastily called press conference at Citizens Energy Corp., the heating oil company he founded in 1979. When he ran for the seat of retiring House Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill Jr. 12 years ago, Kennedy turned the company over to his brother, Michael.

Joe Kennedy was present when Michael was killed in a New Year’s Eve skiing accident. He said he will return to Citizens Energy after completing his current term.

Kennedy suffered some embarrassments last year. His former wife published a book accusing him of bullying her into annulling their marriage. Michael, then running Joe’s campaign for governor, was investigated for carrying on an affair with a teenage baby sitter. Kennedy’s bid for the governor’s mansion, once considered a sure thing, was abandoned last August.