Comments I'm proud to say that I was a volunteer, in my younger days, for the late Robert F. Kennedy when he was campaigning for the United States Senate in 1964 from New York. There were about 10 of us from different counties in Ireland, all crazy young fellas dancing in the City Center, the Jaeger House, the Tower View Ballroom, and others. Despite our youth and zest for life, RFK gave us a great interest in politics. We believed in him, and he was a very special person. Read more He was running against the incumbent, Kenneth Keating, and there was a debate scheduled at 8 p.m. on a Monday evening. But Keating never showed and Kennedy debated an empty chair.