John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)
"JFK" 35th President of the United States (1961-1963)
He was preceded in the Presidency by Dwight Eisenhower and narrowly defeated Richard Nixon to win the 1960 Presidential election for the Democratic Party. Two years into his first term in office he was assassinated and replaced by his Vice-President, Lyndon B. Johnson. His political career was brief but transformative, spanning just over a decade before his tragic assassination in 1963, yet he remains one of the most popular presidents in U.S. history. Born into a prominent Irish-Catholic family in Brookline near Boston, Massachusetts, he was educated at Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut (1931-35). He wanted to study at the London School of Economics, but ill-health forced him to return to the States. Although he enrolled at Princeton, another illness saw him withdraw, but he went on to graduate from Harvard (1940) in government, concentrating on international affairs. He planned to attend Yale Law School, but joined the U.S. Naval Reserve (1941) and distinguished himself in WWII when he heroically saved his crew after their PT-109 boat was destroyed in the Pacific.
He entered politics in 1946, winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives. During his six years in Congress, he established himself as a moderate Democrat, supporting social programs while taking hawkish positions on foreign policy during the early stages of the Cold War. In 1952, he successfully challenged Republican incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. for the U.S. Senate, despite Eisenhower's landslide presidential victory in Massachusetts that year. As a senator, he gained national prominence through his work on labor reform and his Pulitzer Prize-winning book "Profiles in Courage." However, his record on civil rights was initially cautious, reflecting his need to maintain support from Southern Democrats. His presidential ambitions grew throughout the 1950s, culminating in his narrow victory over Nixon in 1960, making him the youngest president ever elected (age 43) and the first Catholic to hold the office. His inaugural speech included his famous line, "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
He entered politics in 1946, winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives. During his six years in Congress, he established himself as a moderate Democrat, supporting social programs while taking hawkish positions on foreign policy during the early stages of the Cold War. In 1952, he successfully challenged Republican incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. for the U.S. Senate, despite Eisenhower's landslide presidential victory in Massachusetts that year. As a senator, he gained national prominence through his work on labor reform and his Pulitzer Prize-winning book "Profiles in Courage." However, his record on civil rights was initially cautious, reflecting his need to maintain support from Southern Democrats. His presidential ambitions grew throughout the 1950s, culminating in his narrow victory over Nixon in 1960, making him the youngest president ever elected (age 43) and the first Catholic to hold the office. His inaugural speech included his famous line, "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
Kennedy's presidency only lasted for 1,036 days, but it was marked by significant events including the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Berlin Wall crisis, and the early stages of the Vietnam War. Domestically, he initially moved slowly on civil rights but eventually embraced the cause following widespread protests. His administration promoted the space program, economic growth, and what he called the "New Frontier" of social progress. His good looks, charismatic leadership style, eloquent speeches, and tragic death in Dallas on November 22, 1963, cemented his legacy as an inspirational figure who represented hope, youth, and unfulfilled potential in American politics. He achieved all of this while suffering from chronic back pain that he hid from the public but had a significant impact on both his military service and his presidency. In 1953, he married Jackie Bouvier, and had two children. Although he had a number of high profile affairs (Marilyn Monroe, Mary Pinchot Meyer, etc.) her composure, impeccable fashion sense and refinement made her an international style icon and a hugely popular diplomatic asset.
JFK was born at 83 Beals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts. However, his own first house was a 2-bed apartment, No. 36, at 122 Bowdoin Street in Boston's Beacon Hill, into which he moved after the war in 1946. It remained his official address up until the day he died. No matter where he was, for his chronic back pain, he always preferred to sleep in his own bed. Harvard Historian Fredrik Logevall said, "this one (Bowdoin Street) had sentimental importance for him. It's where he was when he got his political start. It was the scene of his early triumphs, a lot of strategizing went on in this place." He and Jackie even voted at the West End branch of the Boston Public Library in 1960, but after their marriage he (1955) rented Hickory Hill, just a 20-minute drive from D.C., and around the corner from where Jackie grew up at Merrywood. In 1957, they lived in Georgetown, but after winning the White House Jackie insisted on a home away from the cameras and they bought Glen Ora, although JFK always preferred the boisterous energy at the Kennedy Compound.
JFK was born at 83 Beals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts. However, his own first house was a 2-bed apartment, No. 36, at 122 Bowdoin Street in Boston's Beacon Hill, into which he moved after the war in 1946. It remained his official address up until the day he died. No matter where he was, for his chronic back pain, he always preferred to sleep in his own bed. Harvard Historian Fredrik Logevall said, "this one (Bowdoin Street) had sentimental importance for him. It's where he was when he got his political start. It was the scene of his early triumphs, a lot of strategizing went on in this place." He and Jackie even voted at the West End branch of the Boston Public Library in 1960, but after their marriage he (1955) rented Hickory Hill, just a 20-minute drive from D.C., and around the corner from where Jackie grew up at Merrywood. In 1957, they lived in Georgetown, but after winning the White House Jackie insisted on a home away from the cameras and they bought Glen Ora, although JFK always preferred the boisterous energy at the Kennedy Compound.
