Kennedy Family Feud Erupts Over Use of Hyannis Port Compound for Ex-Con’s Birthday Bash

Members of the Kennedy family are outraged after a party for a disgraced businessman was hosted at the main house of the family's legendary Hyannis Port compound on Cape Cod.

The affair in question was a joint birthday bash for former Tyco International CEO Dennis Kozlowski and his wife, Kimberly, billed as “An Evening in Camelot.”

The main house of the compound, built in 1915 and featuring an impressive 21 rooms, was passed down from Rose Kennedy to Sen. Ted Kennedy, and he was residing there when he died of brain cancer in 2009. Ted’s widow, Vicki, donated the home to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in 2012, per her late husband’s wishes.

At the time of the property’s exchange, the institute stated that it would be “used for the purpose of holding educational seminars and forums."

That intention has come into question following Friday’s event, which drew a scathing response from the late Ted Kennedy's son.

Kozlowski was convicted of grand larceny and looting over $134 million from Tyco in 2005. He spent eight years in prison before being released on parole in 2013.

His wife Kimberly, who celebrated her 60th birthday in tandem with her husband’s 80th, said that they didn’t “rent” the property, but they did make a donation to the nonprofit ahead of the party on the grounds.

“We’re not renting the property ... they’re allowing us to put a tent up on this beautiful legacy property, so we’re just in a tent on the lawn, just like the old all-American family that you’ve seen in all the past Kennedy films,” she told Page Six.

The couple also encouraged the event’s guests to donate to the institute through QR codes on the invitations, Page Six reported.

While the party was far tamer than some events Kozlowski has hosted in the past, such as the $2 million Italian toga party he threw for his ex-wife in 2001, members of the Kennedy family still say it was an inappropriate use of the property.

Ted Kennedy Jr., son of the late senator, has expressed strong disapproval of the event and called for the historic home to be handed over to new trustees.

“I am deeply concerned that the Edward M. Kennedy Institute would permit my family’s ancestral home, the historic Kennedy Compound, to be rented out to private individuals—an action that I believe is completely inconsistent with my father’s vision and values,” he told Page Six.

“When my father donated his home to the Institute upon his death, he envisioned it as an educational center and living museum where historians, students, policymakers, and writers could convene and be inspired by the ideals of the Kennedy family,” he continued.

Kennedy stated that the donation of the main house was intended to support family-led nonprofits such as Special Olympics and the Robert and Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, as well as events for causes important to the family such as affordable healthcare and civic engagement.

“This event demeans and undermines my father’s intent. After years of having our family’s efforts to work with the Institute dismissed, I am calling for the immediate transfer of the deed to an organization that is better suited to preserve, sustain, and advance the values and purpose to which my father entrusted his home,” Kennedy continued.

The Edward M. Kennedy Institute made a statement of its own in response to Kennedy’s calls.

“The board has no plans to change the ownership of the Kennedy compound now or in the near future,” institute leadership said in a statement, according to the Boston Globe.

The nonprofit explained that the institute allows outside groups to use the Kennedy house in Hyannis Port, as well as the institute’s main building in Dorchester, MA, for a rental fee.

“The event last week was a rental of the lawn space for several hours,” the statement continued. “We respect and cherish Senator Kennedy’s legacy and intentions, and will always consider and appreciate the views and opinions of the Kennedy family.”

When he originally made the purchase in 1928, Joseph P. Kennedy reportedly spent just $25,000 for the main house and the 3-acre parcel of land on which it sits.

For nearly a century, the Cape Cod compound has been the iconic family’s escape in both times of celebration and mourning, despite the now-limited access to the main house.