John F. Kennedy

"JFK" and "John Kennedy" redirect here. For other uses, see JFK (disambiguation) and John Kennedy (disambiguation).

John F. Kennedy
Official portrait, 1961
35th President of the United States
In office January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
Vice President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Succeeded by	Lyndon B. Johnson
United States Senator from Massachusetts
In office January 3, 1953 – December 22, 1960
Preceded by	Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Succeeded by	Benjamin A. Smith II
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 11th district
In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1953
Preceded by	James Michael Curley
Succeeded by	Tip O'Neill
Personal details
Born	John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-05-29)May 29, 1917 Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	November 22, 1963(1963-11-22) (aged 46) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Cause of death	Assassination
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Spouse(s)	Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy ​ ​ (m. 1953⁠–⁠1963)​
Children	Arabella Caroline John Jr. Patrick
Parents	Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
Relatives	Kennedy family
Education	Harvard University (BA) Stanford University
Religion	Roman Catholic
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1941–1945
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	Motor Torpedo Squadron 2  • Patrol Torpedo Boat 109  • Patrol Torpedo Boat 59
Battles/wars	World War II  • Solomon Islands campaign
Awards	Navy and Marine Corps Medal Purple Heart American Defense Service Medal American Campaign Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with 3 service stars) World War II Victory

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963) often called JFK and Jack was an American politician. He was the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Before becoming president, he was a United States senator from Massachusetts from 1953 to 1960. He also was a member of the U.S House of Representatives from 1947 until 1953.

Kennedy was the second youngest president in U.S. history. He was also the youngest president in history to die while in office.

Childhood and education

Kennedy's birthplace

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born at 83 Beals Street in the Coolidge Corner neighborhood in Brookline, Massachusetts on May 29, 1917. He was the second of nine children of Joseph P. Kennedy (1888–1969). His father was a businessman and later US ambassador in the United Kingdom from 1938 until 1940. His mother was Rose Fitzgerald (1890–1995). The family was Roman Catholic.

Kennedy graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations. Before World War II began, he tried joining the U.S. Army, but was rejected because he had back problems; he instead joined the Navy. When his PT boat was sunk by a Japanese destroyer in 1943, he seriously injured his back. He still saved his surviving crew, for which he was later rewarded with a medal for his bravery.

He was elected to the US Congress in 1946, and the US Senate in 1952. He married Jacqueline Bouvier on September 12, 1953. The couple had four children; a stillborn daughter (b. 1956), Caroline (b. 1957), John (1960–1999) and Patrick, who was born prematurely in August 1963 and lived only for two days.

Presidency, 1961–63

Inauguration of JFK (January 20, 1961)

Kennedy was a member of the United States Democratic Party. He beat his Republican Party opponent, Richard Nixon, in the 1960 presidential election. Kennedy was the youngest president ever elected. He was also the first Roman Catholic President and the first president to win a Pulitzer Prize. Kennedy was a very good speaker and inspired a new generation of young Americans.

In the beginning of his term, he approved the CIA's plan to invade Cuba. After the invasion turned out to be a failure, the Cuban Missile Crisis began. During the crisis, Cuba ordered a lot of nuclear missiles from the Soviet Union. It was the closest the world was to having a nuclear war. Kennedy ordered US Navy ships to surround Cuba. He ended the crisis peacefully by making an agreement with the Soviet Union. They agreed that the Soviet Union would stop selling nuclear weapons to Cuba. In return, the U.S. would take its missiles out of Turkey and promise to never invade Cuba again.

He also created a plan called the New Frontier. This was a series of government programs, such as urban renewal, to help poor and working class people. He created the Peace Corps to help poor countries all over the world. He agreed to a large tax cut to help the economy. He also called for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which would make discrimination and segregation illegal. Kennedy intended to reach a détente with Cuban Premier, Fidel Castro, and to withdraw all US military advisers from Vietnam.

During Kennedy's presidency, various reforms of a progressive nature were introduced.

Death

President Kennedy in the limousine in Dallas, Texas, on Main Street, minutes before the assassination

Robert Croft's photograph of Kennedy in Dealey Plaza, before the first shot struck Kennedy (left), and the Mary Moorman photograph (right), taken a fraction of a second after the fatal shot.

See the main article: Assassination of John F. Kennedy

On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was shot to death in Dallas, Texas by a sniper. He was being driven through the city in an open-top car, along with John Connally, the Governor of Texas. As the car drove into Dealey Plaza, shots were fired. Kennedy was shot once in the throat and once in the head. He was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital 4 miles (6.4 km) away and he was pronounced dead at 1:00 p.m.

Lee Harvey Oswald, a former U.S. Marine, was the prime suspect in the murder, and he was arrested on the same day for the murder of a policeman called J. D. Tippit. Oswald denied shooting anyone and was killed two days later on November 24 by Jack Ruby.

Kennedy had a state funeral on November 25, three days after his murder, near to the White House. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Legacy

Lyndon B. Johnson takes the oath of office aboard Air Force One

After Kennedy died, Lyndon Johnson (his Vice President) took over and put many of Kennedy's ideas into law (see Great Society).

Kennedy was a very popular president and still is today. He is considered one of the greatest presidents, ranking highly in public surveys and opinion polls.

Official websites

"John F. Kennedy". The White House. Retrieved December 2, 2023.

"John F. Kennedy". John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Musuem. Retrieved December 2, 2023.

"John F. Kennedy". Miller Center. 26 September 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2023.

"John F. Kennedy: Life Before the Presidency". Miller Center. 4 October 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2023.

"John F. Kennedy". White House Historical Association. Retrieved December 2, 2023.

"John F. Kennedy Memorial". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved December 2, 2023.