John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy entered the world on the 29th of May 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts. His father Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. built a fortune that guaranteed nine children lifelong financial independence through trust funds. The family home in Hyannis Port became a summer retreat where outdoor activities defined their early years. Christmas and Easter holidays were spent at a winter property in Palm Beach, Florida. John's first political exposure came in 1922 when he toured Boston wards with his grandfather during an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign. The elder Kennedy demanded high academic achievement from all his children while emphasizing political discussions at the dinner table. A polio outbreak in September 1927 forced the family to relocate to New York City for several years. Rumors later emerged that job signs reading No Irish Need Apply influenced this move away from Boston.
On the 1st of August 1943, PT-109 was rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri around 2:00 a.m. Two crew members died instantly as the patrol torpedo boat split in half. Kennedy swam toward Plum Pudding Island three and a half miles away despite re-injuring his back during the collision. He towed a badly burned crewman named Patrick McMahon using a life jacket strap clenched between his teeth. Seven days after the sinking, Kennedy carved his location on a coconut shell to request rescue. The story became highly publicized through an article by John Hersey in The New Yorker published in 1944. This event earned him both the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and a Purple Heart for his injuries. Kennedy later joked about becoming a war hero saying it was easy because they cut his boat in half.
Kennedy won the Democratic primary with 42 percent of the vote defeating nine other candidates in 1946. He served six years in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate in 1952. His campaign slogan read KENNEDY WILL DO MORE FOR MASSACHUSETTS against Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. In May 1953 he introduced a thirty-six-point program called The Economic Problems of New England. This legislation included protective tariffs and funds for shipbuilding contracts at Fore River Shipyard in Quincy. A Massachusetts Audubon Society supporter helped ensure Cape Cod shorelines remained unsullied by industrialization. On the 3rd of September 1959, Kennedy co-sponsored the Cape Cod National Seashore bill with Senator Leverett Saltonstall. He re-elected to the Senate in 1958 winning 73.6 percent of the vote which remains the largest margin in Massachusetts history.
An estimated 70 million Americans watched the first televised presidential debate on the 26th of September 1960. Kennedy met with producers the day before to discuss camera placement while Nixon appeared from a hospital bed after knee surgery. Kennedy wore a blue suit that reduced glare against the gray studio background. Nixon chose a light-colored suit that blended into the backdrop leaving him perspiring under harsh lights. Pollster Elmo Roper concluded the debates gave Kennedy an estimated two million additional votes largely due to the first exchange. Kennedy defeated Nixon in one of the closest elections of the twentieth century winning 49.7 percent of the popular vote. He became the youngest person ever elected president at forty-three years old despite Theodore Roosevelt being younger when he succeeded McKinley.
On the 14th of October 1962, CIA U-2 spy planes photographed Soviet missile sites under construction in Cuba. Kennedy announced a naval blockade on national television warning forces would seize offensive weapons delivered by Soviet vessels. The crisis brought the world closer to nuclear war than any point before or after. On October 28, Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missile sites subject to UN inspections. A Moscow-Washington hotline was established immediately following this confrontation. Kennedy's approval rating increased from 66 percent to 77 percent right after the resolution. The administration also banned all Cuban imports and convinced the Organization of American States to expel Cuba. Earlier attempts to overthrow Castro included the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion where 1,500 exiles landed on the 17th of April 1961.
Kennedy signed Executive Order 10924 officially starting the Peace Corps program naming Sargent Shriver as its first director. Americans volunteered to help developing countries in fields like education farming health care and construction. The organization grew to 5,000 members by March 1963 and reached 10,000 the following year. Congress voted for an initial grant of $500 million in May 1961 for the Alliance for Progress. This initiative supported housing schools airports hospitals clinics and water-purification projects across Latin America. Only two percent of economic growth in 1960s Latin America directly benefited the poor according to one study. By 1973 the permanent committee implementing the Alliance was disbanded by the OAS. Over 200,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps representing 139 countries since 1961.
On the 22nd of November 1963, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas while riding through the city streets. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the crime but shot and killed by Jack Ruby two days later. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Warren Commission both concluded Oswald acted alone though conspiracy theories persist. Congress enacted many proposals after his death including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Revenue Act of 1964. His vice president Lyndon B. Johnson assumed the presidency immediately upon Kennedy's death. He ranks highly in polls of U.S. presidents with historians and the general public. Public revelations in the 1970s exposed chronic health ailments and extramarital affairs that became a focus of sustained interest. Kennedy remains the most recent U.S. president to die in office.
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Common questions
When was John F. Kennedy born and where did he grow up?
John Fitzgerald Kennedy entered the world on the 29th of May 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts. The family home in Hyannis Port became a summer retreat where outdoor activities defined their early years.
What happened to John F. Kennedy during World War II service?
On the 1st of August 1943, PT-109 was rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri around 2:00 a.m. Kennedy swam toward Plum Pudding Island three and a half miles away despite re-injuring his back during the collision.
How old was John F. Kennedy when elected president?
He became the youngest person ever elected president at forty-three years old despite Theodore Roosevelt being younger when he succeeded McKinley. Kennedy defeated Nixon in one of the closest elections of the twentieth century winning 49.7 percent of the popular vote.
Why is the Cuban Missile Crisis important to John F. Kennedy's presidency?
On the 14th of October 1962, CIA U-2 spy planes photographed Soviet missile sites under construction in Cuba. The crisis brought the world closer to nuclear war than any point before or after.
When did John F. Kennedy die and who took over as president?
On the 22nd of November 1963, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas while riding through the city streets. His vice president Lyndon B. Johnson assumed the presidency immediately upon Kennedy's death.