Richard John Kerry (1915-2000) was an American Foreign Service officer and lawyer, and was the father of U.S. Senator and 2004 Democratic Presidential candidate, John Kerry.
Kerry married Rosemary Forbes Kerry on February 8, 1941 in Montgomery, Alabama. They had four children: Margerie (born 1941), John (born 1943), Diana (born 1947) and Cameron (born 1950).
Kerry entered the American foreign service and served as a diplomat in positions both in the United States and in U.S. embassies in various foreign nations. He also served as a lawyer in the Bureau of United Nations Affairs during his career.