Who Were Maria Shriver's Parents, Eunice And Sargent?

Maria Shriver is best known as a journalist, author, activist, and the former First Lady of California in the early 2000s when she was still married to actor and bodybuilder turned politician, Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, her parents, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Robert "Sargent" Shriver Jr., were just as influential as their famous daughter.

In fact, both of Maria's parents were credited for various works and missions that all centered on changing people's lives for the better. Her mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, was a member of the famous (or sometimes infamous) Kennedy family and was able to use her education, passion, and background to help improve the lives of people with disabilities. Maria's father, Sargent Shriver, didn't have the Kennedy name to help him get his start in life, but he nonetheless made his own name for himself via his work in public service which also led him to create key social programs many Americans still use today.

While Maria Shriver's mother was born into what would later become a political family, Eunice Kennedy was not interested in entering politics herself. Maria's father, on the other hand, did work in politics for several years. Sargent Shriver was born in Maryland in 1915 to Robert Shriver Sr. and Hilda Shriver. His family didn't have nearly the wealth that the Kennedys had, but Sargent did go on to attend good schools and have a prodigious career. 

Aside from public service, one of Sargent's main missions was conflict resolution. This might seem ironic for someone who was involved in politics, but Maria's father can be seen as someone who cared more about leadership and service than the power that typical politicians are perceived to fight over. As his biography on the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute noted, Sargent "worked to build peace by developing and implementing programs and policies structured to promote long-term, cumulative, peaceable change" through what he called "a formula for practical idealism."

Eunice Kennedy Shriver used her degree in sociology from Stanford University and put it to good use. Soon after graduation, she worked for the Department of State, and then as a secretary for the Department of Justice's Juvenile Delinquency Committee starting in 1946. During her time there, she developed a passion for making sure all children had a chance at a successful future. Part of this involved policies she enacted to help reduce high school dropout rates. Later, she worked as a social worker, helping teenage mothers and women who were victims of sexual abuse. 

During her early career, Eunice also aspired to further her education. This culminated in a graduate degree in social work, which she earned from the University of Chicago, according to the National Park Service. Not only was Eunice ahead of her time as a woman with a career in social work, but getting a graduate degree as a woman in the 1950s was also uncommon.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver first met in Manhattan where they were both working. Sargent himself landed a job with Eunice's father's company, JPK Enterprises, according to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The couple got to know each other more in Chicago. Here, Eunice was working for both the Chicago Juvenile Court and the domestic violence organization House of the Good Shepherd. She met Sargent when he started working at her father's place of business around that time. Sargent also helped Eunice with some of her projects.

Eunice and Sargent got married in May 1953. The nuptials took place at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, according to The Palm Beach Post. Maria Shriver is one of the five children the couple went on to have, though Maria is their only daughter. She's also the second eldest sibling. Her four brothers are Robert Shriver III, Timothy Shriver, Mark Shriver, and Anthony Shriver.

During the 1950s, Sargent Shriver helped work on John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign. According to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Sargent was also tasked with helping President Kennedy find talent for key positions in his administration. In return, President Kennedy helped establish the Peace Corps, which was Sargent's idea and passion. He was the organization's first director between 1961 and 1966. Before this, while Sargent and Eunice Kennedy Shriver were still living in Chicago, he worked for the Chicago Board of Education and also worked on desegregation efforts in public schools. 

While he directed the Peace Corps, Sargent made numerous trips to different regions of the world as he helped spread the organization's initiative. He also gave speeches at schools, businesses, and political events. According to the organization's official website, the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute, Sargent proudly reported around the time of the program's launch, "We received more letters to work for the Peace Corps, which did not then exist, than for all other existing agencies." To date, over 220,000 Peace Corps volunteers have worked in nearly 150 countries. "In the Peace Corps, in the War on Poverty, we've learned that the challenge before America today is not to become richer or bigger or stronger, but to become more human," Yale Daily News also reported Sargent as saying at a speech in 1967. 

While Maria Shriver's mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, is known for founding of the Special Olympics, her father Sargent Shriver was also heavily involved in the organization. In fact, he became the organization's president in 1984, and then later became Chairman of the Board in 1990. 

Sargent served as Chairman until his health took a turn in 2003. Nevertheless, his impact on the Special Olympics can likely be felt today, due to Sargent's ability to use his skills and connections to help expand his wife's original vision on a more global scale. "He was a tireless ambassador for change: passionate, optimistic, energetic, vigorous, and always joyful," the Special Olympics' Director of International Programs, Jamie Kirkpatrick, was quoted as saying via the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute. "In many countries, he literally opened the door for athletes, families, and volunteers, breaking down barriers of language and cultures while offering a new vision of achievement, inclusion, and love. These travels always seemed to renew Sarge; the world was his stage and he loved making it a better place for all of us."

Maria Shriver's mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver died in 2009. Eunice had also suffered from strokes in the years leading up to her death in August of that year. According to NBC News, Eunice was surrounded by her five children, including Maria, as well as her husband, Sargent Shriver, and their 19 grandchildren at the time of her death at Cape Cod Hospital. She was 88 years old. The Shriver family said in a statement, as quoted by NBC News, "She was the light of our lives ... We have always been honored to share our mother with people of good will the world over who believe, as she did, that there is no limit to the human spirit."

Interestingly, though Eunice had the courage and strength to go out and make a difference in the world, she previously acknowledged that the changes she made with the Special Olympics were credited to the fact that she had witnessed and experienced rejection in her life. According to Stanford Magazine, the publication of her alma mater, Eunice had said in a 2007 speech that it was the rejection that made her believe she "make a difference in a positive direction."

Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver dedicated their lives to helping others, and they seemed to instill these passions in their children, including Maria Shriver. While her parents were still alive, and long after their respective deaths, Maria continued her own social activism while also honoring her parents' work. This includes Alzheimer's disease awareness, working for the betterment of others, and more.

As Maria wrote on her personal website, "My own journey has been full of twists and turns. At times, I have felt certain, and then uncertain. But throughout it all, one thing has always been constant: My faith and my passion to make a difference and be of service to my family, my community and to the world." Part of this work includes her research in Alzheimer's disease and founding The Women's Alzheimer's Movement. She also continues volunteering for the Special Olympics, which her mother Eunice founded and was involved in for the rest of her life.