Robert Kraft’s 4 Children: All About the New England Patriots Owner’s Sons Jonathan, Daniel, Josh and David
Though Robert Kraft is best known as the longtime owner of the New England Patriots, he is also a highly successful business mogul who has involved his four sons, Jonathan Kraft, Daniel Kraft, Josh Kraft and David Kraft, in many of his ventures.
According to a 2007 interview with The New York Times, Robert met his late wife, Myra Kraft, at a Boston Deli in 1962. They got married the following year and had four sons during their 48-year-long marriage. She died of ovarian cancer in July 2011.
Robert’s eldest, Jonathan, is the president of the New England Patriots and the Kraft Group, Robert’s holding company that encompasses various business interests in sports, entertainment, packaging, philanthropy and real estate development. Daniel is the president of Kraft Group-International, and Josh is the president of the New England Patriots Foundation and Kraft Family Philanthropies. David left the company in 2012, according to Boston Magazine.
During a 2023 interview on The David Rubenstein Show, the billionaire said he “will never” sell the Boston-based team in his lifetime — but he hopes his children keep it going.
“It’s the greatest thing,” Robert told The Sports Business Journal in 2022. “Right now, I see three of my sons every day. Jonathan has put in the most energy and effort and has been a full partner, but Danny and Josh have each come in, Danny in the international area has been awesome and Josh in the philanthropic area. So, I’m pretty lucky.”
Here’s everything to know about Robert Kraft’s four sons: Jonathan, Daniel, Josh and David.
Jonathan Kraft
Robert and Myra welcomed their first son, Jonathan, on March 4, 1964, according to Harvard Business School Alumni. After Jonathan graduated from Williams College with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1986, he began his career as a consultant at Bain & Company Inc. In 1990, Jonathan went back to school and graduated with an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He joined the Kraft Group with his father upon graduation.
Today, Jonathan is the president of both the New England Patriots and the Kraft Group, managing much of the Kraft Group’s day-to-day operations. He also serves on many boards, including the Board of Dean’s Advisors at Harvard Business School, the Advisory Board for the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative and the Massachusetts General Hospital Board, where he’s the chair.
While reflecting with The New York Times in 2019 about the 25th anniversary of Robert purchasing the Patriots, Jonathan spoke about how his father took him to every meeting and about how he’s proud that they’ve grown both the Patriots and the culture of football in New England.
“Looking back on it, it’s been 25 years really filled with most of the highs that we wanted to achieve and a lot of bumps, but also football is in a different place than when we bought the team, and that was our hope and our goal,” he said.
Jonathan usually works behind the scenes but has been seen at Super Bowl celebrations, Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction and Patriots games. Brady has also thanked Jonathan for his role in the organization, and the eldest Kraft child was even interviewed for the Apple TV+ docuseries The Dynasty: New England Patriots.
Jonathan married his wife Patricia Lipoma in 1995 at his parents’ home in Chestnut Hill, Mass., who he met while working at Bain & Co., according to The Boston Globe. They have three kids together: Harry, Sadie and Jacob. Harry, the oldest, shares his family’s love of football and played quarterback at Dartmouth College.
Daniel Kraft
Daniel is the second oldest son in the Kraft family. Daniel graduated from Tufts University in 1987, where he also played lacrosse for the Tufts Jumbos.
After graduating from Tufts, Daniel worked for a large television station representative before joining the Kraft Sports Group as the vice president of marketing upon Robert’s purchase of the Patriots in 1994. In that role, he was responsible for all team and stadium sponsorship sales, broadcast rights, promotions, advertising and special events.
Daniel is also the president of the Kraft Group-International and president and CEO of International Forest Products LLC — a Kraft Group subsidiary, which is also the world’s largest privately-owned forest products commodity trading company. Daniel shares three children with his wife, Wendy Kraft.
Josh Kraft
Josh is the third oldest Kraft son. After earning his bachelor’s degree from Williams College and his master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Josh began a 30-year career with the Boys & Girls Club of Boston. According to his bio on the Kraft Group’s website, he started as a program coordinator in 1990 and eventually became the Nicholas President and CEO of the Club, a role he served in from 2008 to 2020.
Josh currently works as the president of the New England Patriots Foundation and as the president of Kraft Family Philanthropies.
“My parents led by doing, not telling. My mother was not just writing checks; she was getting involved and understanding the organizations that we supported,” he told Salvation Army Connects in 2023. “My father is the same way. He loves to meet the folks behind the scenes and learn how they work. They both loved organizations that were close to the community; they felt that the gifts to those organizations were the most impactful.”
On his Instagram, Josh frequently shares photos of his community involvement, which includes attending galas, judging baking competitions and participating in local events.
David Kraft
David is the youngest of the Kraft children and the most independent from the family business. At his mother Myra’s funeral in 2011, he spoke about her philanthropic legacy and the lessons she taught him during childhood.
In 2012, David left the family business and sued Robert over his access to the Kraft family trust, created in 1982. According to Boston.com, the state’s Supreme Judicial Court ruled in 2013 to allow altering the trust so that Robert’s four sons could serve as trustees and distribute funds.
Source: People