John f kennedi biography

But the New Frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises—it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer the American people, but what I intend to ask of them. At the start of the fall general election campaign, the Republican nominee and incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon held a six-point lead in the polls. To address fears that his being Catholic would impact his decision-making, he told the Greater Houston Ministerial Association on September "I am not the Catholic candidate for president.

I am the Democratic Party candidate for president who also happens to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my Church on public matters—and the Church does not speak for me. The Kennedy and Nixon campaigns agreed to a series of televised debates. Nixon, just out of the hospital after a painful knee injury, did not take advantage of this opportunity and during the debate looked at the reporters asking questions and not at the camera.

Kennedy wore a blue suit and shirt to cut down on glare and appeared sharply focused against the gray studio background. Nixon wore a light-colored suit that blended into the gray background; in combination with the harsh studio lighting that left Nixon perspiring, he offered a less-than-commanding presence. By contrast, Kennedy appeared relaxed, tanned, and telegenic, looking into the camera whilst answering questions.

Kennedy's campaign gained momentum after the first debate, and he pulled slightly ahead of Nixon in most polls. On Election Day, Kennedy defeated Nixon in one of the closest presidential elections of the 20th century. In the national popular vote, by most accountsKennedy led Nixon by just two-tenths of one percent Byrd of Virginia, as did an elector from Oklahoma.

Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president at noon on January 20, In his inaugural addresshe spoke of the need for all Americans to be active citizens: "Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet.

But let us begin. The address reflected Kennedy's confidence that his administration would chart a historically significant course in both domestic policy and foreign affairs. The contrast between this optimistic vision and the pressures of managing daily political realities would be one of the main tensions of the early years of his administration.

Kennedy scrapped the decision-making structure of Eisenhower, [ ] preferring an organizational structure of a wheel with all the spokes leading to the president; he was willing to make the increased number of quick decisions required in such an environment. Attorney Generaland the younger Kennedy became the "assistant president" who advised on all major issues.

Kennedy's foreign policy was dominated by American confrontations with the Soviet Union, manifested by proxy contests in the global state of tension known as the Cold War. Like his predecessors, Kennedy adopted the policy of containment to stop the spread of communism. This strategy relied on john f kennedi biography options for responding to the Soviet Union, discouraged massive retaliationand encouraged mutual deterrence.

From to the number of nuclear weapons increased by 50 percent, as did the number of B bombers to deliver them. In JanuarySoviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev declared his support for wars of national liberation. Kennedy interpreted this step as a direct threat to the "free world. Between andtwenty-four countries gained independence as the process of decolonization continued.

Kennedy set out to woo the leaders and people of the " Third World ," expanding economic aid and appointing knowledgeable ambassadors. The Food for Peace program became a central element in American foreign policy, and eventually helped many countries to develop their economies and become commercial import customers. During the election campaign, Kennedy attacked the Eisenhower administration for losing ground on the African continent, [ ] and stressed that the U.

In one of his first presidential acts, Kennedy signed Executive Order that officially started the Peace Corps.

John f kennedi biography: John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29,

He named his brother-in-law, Sargent Shriveras its first director. Kennedy anxiously anticipated a summit with Nikita Khrushchev. The proceedings for the summit got off to a problematic start when Kennedy reacted aggressively to a routine Khrushchev speech on Cold War confrontation in early The speech was intended for domestic audiences in the Soviet Union, but Kennedy interpreted it as a personal challenge.

His mistake helped raise tensions going into the Vienna summit. On June 4,Kennedy met with Khrushchev in Vienna and left the meeting angry and disappointed that he had allowed the premier to bully him, despite the warnings he had received. Khrushchev, for his part, was impressed with the president's intelligence but thought him weak.

Kennedy did succeed in conveying the bottom line to Khrushchev on the most sensitive issue before them, a proposed treaty between Moscow and East Berlin. He made it clear that any treaty interfering with U. Kennedy assumed that his only option was to prepare the country for nuclear war, which he thought had a one-in-five chance of occurring.

In the weeks immediately following the summit, more than 20, people fled from East Berlin to the western sector, reacting to statements from the Soviet Union. Kennedy began intensive meetings on the Berlin issue, where Dean Acheson took the lead in recommending a military buildup alongside NATO allies. A month later, both the Soviet Union and East Berlin began blocking any further passage of East Germans into West Berlin and erected barbed-wire fences, which were quickly upgraded to the Berlin Wall.

In the following months, in a sign of rising Cold War tensions, both the U. The crisis was defused largely through a backchannel communication the Kennedy administration had set up with Soviet spy Georgi Bolshakov. The Eisenhower administration had created a plan to overthrow Fidel Castro 's regime though an invasion of Cuba by a counter-revolutionary insurgency composed of U.

The bombers missed many of their targets, leaving most of Castro's air force intact. Biographer Richard Reeves said that Kennedy focused primarily on the political repercussions of the plan rather than military considerations. When it proved unsuccessful, he was convinced that the plan was a setup to make him look bad. But maybe we'll learn something from it.

The group's objective—to overthrow Castro via espionage, sabotage, and other covert tactics—was never pursued. However, the administration continued to plan for an invasion of Cuba in the summer of In the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs invasion, Khrushchev increased economic and military assistance to Cuba. The photos were shown to Kennedy on October 16; a consensus was reached that the missiles were offensive in nature and posed an immediate nuclear threat.

Kennedy faced a dilemma: if the U. On a personal level, Kennedy needed to show resolve in reaction to Khrushchev, especially after the Vienna summit. More than a third of U. National Security Council NSC members favored an unannounced air assault on the missile sites, but some saw this as " Pearl Harbor in reverse. On October 22, after privately informing the cabinet and leading members of Congress about the situation, Kennedy announced the naval blockade on national television and warned that U.

The U. Navy would stop and inspect all Soviet ships arriving off Cuba, beginning October Several Soviet ships approached the blockade line, but they stopped or reversed course. Kennedy exchanged two sets of letters with Khrushchev, to no avail. Khrushchev agreed, but Kennedy did not. Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft over Cuba, killing pilot Rudolf Anderson.

In the aftermath, a Moscow—Washington hotline was established to ensure clear communications between the leaders of the two countries. Believing that "those who make peaceful revolution impossible, will make violent revolution inevitable," [ ] [ ] Kennedy sought to contain the perceived threat of communism in Latin America by establishing the Alliance for Progresswhich sent aid to some countries and sought greater john f kennedi biography rights standards in the john f kennedi biography. Massive land reform was not achieved; populations more than kept pace with gains in health and welfare; and according to one study, only 2 percent of economic growth in s Latin America directly benefited the poor.

When Kennedy took office, he privately instructed the CIA that any plan must include plausible deniability by the U. His public position was in opposition. Robert Kennedy, who saw an opportunity for the U. After the election, Eisenhower emphasized to Kennedy that the communist threat in Southeast Asia required priority; Eisenhower considered Laos to be "the cork in the bottle" in regards to the regional threat.

During his presidency, Kennedy continued policies that provided political, economic, and military support to the South Vietnamese government. Though Kennedy provided support for South Vietnam throughout his tenure, Vietnam remained a secondary issue for the Kennedy administration until In the final analysis, it is their war. They are the ones who have to win it or lose it.

We can help them, we can give them equipment, we can send our men out there as advisers, but they have to win it, the people of Vietnam, against the Communists But I don't agree with those who say we should withdraw. That would be a great mistake Now Europe is quite secure. We also have to participate—we may not like it—in the defense of Asia.

Kennedy increasingly soured on the president of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diemwhose violent crackdown on Buddhist practices galvanized opposition to his leadership. Days after his arrival in South Vietnam, Lodge reported that several South Vietnamese generals sought the assent of the U. The Kennedy administration was split regarding not just the removal of Diem, but also their assessment of the military situation and the proper U.

By Novemberthere were 16, American military personnel in South Vietnam, up from Eisenhower's advisors; [ ] more than one hundred Americans had been killed in action and no final policy decision was made. Kennedy rejected the full-scale deployment of ground soldiers but also the total withdrawal of U. On October 11,Kennedy signed NSAM ordering the withdrawal of 1, military personnel by the end of the year following the third recommendation of the McNamara—Taylor mission report, which concluded that the training program for the South Vietnamese military had sufficiently progressed to justify the withdrawal.

InGermany was enduring a time of particular vulnerability due to Soviet aggression to the east as well as the impending retirement of West German Chancellor Adenauer. To reinforce the U. On June 26, Kennedy toured West Berlin, culminating in a public speech at the city hall in front of hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic Berliners.

But we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in, to prevent them from leaving us. Kennedy ended the arms embargo that the Truman and Eisenhower administrations had enforced on Israel in favor of increased security ties, becoming the founder of the U. Describing the protection of Israel as a moral and national commitment, he was the first to introduce the concept of a 'special relationship' between the U.

Historians differ as to whether Kennedy pursued security ties with Israel primarily to shore up support with Jewish-American voters, or because of his admiration of the Jewish state. In DecemberAbd al-Karim Qasim 's Iraqi government passed Public Law 80, which restricted the partially American-controlled Iraq Petroleum Company IPC 's concessionary holding to those areas in which oil was actually being produced namely, the fields at Az Zubair and Kirkukeffectively expropriating British and U.

The anti-imperialist and anti-communist Iraqi Ba'ath Party overthrew and executed Qasim in a violent coup on February 8, Despite persistent rumors that the CIA orchestrated the coup, declassified documents and the testimony of former CIA officers indicate that there was no direct American involvement. During his four-day visit to his ancestral home of Ireland beginning on June 26,[ ] Kennedy accepted a grant of armorial bearings from the Chief Herald of Irelandreceived honorary degrees from the National University of Ireland and Trinity College Dublinattended a State Dinner in Dublin, and was conferred with the freedom of the towns and cities of Wexford, Cork, Dublin, Galway, and Limerick.

Kennedy was the first foreign leader to address the Houses of the Oireachtasthe Irish parliament. On June 10,Kennedy, at the high point of his rhetorical powers, [ ] delivered the commencement address at American University. Also known as "A Strategy of Peace", not only did Kennedy outline a plan to curb nuclear arms, but he also "laid out a hopeful, yet realistic route for world peace at a time when the U.

Troubled by the long-term dangers of radioactive contamination and nuclear proliferationKennedy and Khrushchev agreed to negotiate a nuclear test ban treaty, originally conceived in Adlai Stevenson's presidential campaign. In response, the United States conducted tests five days later. In JulyKennedy sent W. Averell Harriman to Moscow to negotiate a treaty with the Soviets.

It quickly became clear that a comprehensive test ban would not be implemented, due largely to the reluctance of the Soviets to allow inspections to verify compliance. Ultimately, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union were the initial signatories to a limited treaty, which prohibited atomic testing on the ground, in the atmosphere, or underwater, but not underground.

Senate approved the treaty on September 23,and Kennedy signed it on October 7, Kennedy called his john f kennedi biography proposals the " New Frontier ". InKennedy prioritized passing five bills: federal assistance for education, medical insurance for the elderly, housing legislation, federal aid to struggling areas, and an increase in the federal minimum wage.

Though the Senate passed the education bill, it was defeated in the House by a coalition of Republicans, Southern Democrats, and Catholics. InKennedy won approval of the Manpower Development and Training Acta three-year program aimed at retraining workers displaced by new technology. Its impact on structural unemploymenthowever, was minimal. InCongress passed the Community Mental Health Actwhich provided funding to local mental health community centers and research facilities.

Trade policy included both domestic and foreign policy. The Trade Expansion Act passed Congress by wide majorities. It authorized the president to negotiate tariff reductions on a reciprocal basis of up to 50 percent with the European Common Market. Walter Hellerwho served as the chairman of the CEA, advocated for a Keynesian -style tax cut designed to help spur economic growth, and Kennedy adopted this policy.

The plan included reforms designed to reduce the impact of itemized deductionsas well as provisions to help the elderly and handicapped. Republicans and many Southern Democrats opposed the bill, calling for simultaneous reductions in expenditures, but debate continued throughout The Revenue Act of lowered the top individual rate to 70 percent, and the top corporate rate to 48 percent.

Kennedy ended a period of tight fiscal policies, loosening monetary policy to keep interest rates down and to encourage growth of the economy. Despite low inflation and interest rates, the GDP had grown by an average of only 2. The economy turned around and prospered during Kennedy's presidency. The GDP expanded by an average of 5.

Kennedy was proud that his Labor Department helped keep wages steady in the steel industry, but was outraged in April when Roger Bloughthe president of U. Steelquietly informed Kennedy that his company would raise prices. Steel, and President Kennedy convinced other steel companies to rescind their price increases until finally even U. Steel, isolated and in danger of being undersold, agreed to rescind its own price increase.

Kennedy verbally supported civil rights during his presidential campaign; he telephoned Coretta Scott Kingwife of Martin Luther King Jr. Robert Kennedy called Georgia Governor Ernest Vandiver and obtained King's release from prison, which drew additional Black support to his brother's candidacy. Court of Appeals. Kennedy believed the grassroots movement for civil rights would anger many Southern Whites and make it more difficult to pass civil rights laws in Congress, and he distanced himself from it.

In Maythe Congress of Racial Equalityled by James Farmerorganized integrated Freedom Rides to test a Supreme Court case ruling that declared segregation on interstate transportation illegal. By Septemberthe ICC ruled in favor of the petition. On March 6,Kennedy signed Executive Orderwhich required government contractors to "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.

In SeptemberJames Meredith enrolled at the all-White University of Mississippi but was prevented from entering. In response, Attorney General Robert Kennedy sent federal marshals. Kennedy regretted not sending in troops earlier and he began to doubt whether the "evils of Reconstruction" he had been taught or believed were true. Wallace moved aside only after being confronted by Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach and the Alabama National Guardwhich had just been federalized by order of the president.

That evening Kennedy gave his famous Report to the American People on Civil Rights speech on national television and radio, launching his initiative for civil rights legislation—to provide equal access to public schools and other facilities, and greater protection of voting rights. His proposals became part of the Civil Rights Act of A crowd of over , predominantly African Americans, gathered in Washington for the civil rights March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, Kennedy initially opposed the march, fearing it would have a negative effect on the prospects for the civil rights bills pending in Congress.

John f kennedi biography: Growing Up in the Kennedy

The Department of Justice was assigned to coordinate the federal government's involvement in the March on Washington on August 28; several hundred thousand dollars to were channeled to the six sponsors of the March. Thousands of troops were placed on standby. Kennedy watched King's speech on TV and was very impressed. The March was considered a "triumph of managed protest," and not one arrest relating to the demonstration occurred.

Afterwards, the March leaders accepted an invitation to the White House to meet with Kennedy and photos were taken. Kennedy felt that the March was a victory for him as well and bolstered the chances for his civil rights bill. Three weeks later on Sunday, September 15, a bomb exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham; by the end of the day, four Black children had died in the explosion, and two others were shot to death in the aftermath.

He called the congressional leaders to the White House and by the following day the original bill, without the additions, had enough votes to get it out of the House committee. During the presidential campaign, Kennedy endorsed the concept of equal pay for equal work. The commission's final report was issued in October ; it documented the legal and cultural discrimination women in America faced and made several policy recommendations to bring about change.

Kennedy won congressional approval for five bills i. On March 22,Kennedy signed into law a bill abolishing the mandatory death penalty for first degree murder in the District of Columbia, the only remaining jurisdiction in the United States with such a penalty. Kennedy had relatively little interest in agricultural issues, but he sought to remedy the issue of overproduction, boost the income of farmers, and lower federal expenditures on agriculture.

Under the direction of Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freemanthe administration sought to limit the production of farmers, but these proposals were generally defeated in Congress. To increase demand for domestic agricultural products and help the impoverished, Kennedy launched a pilot Food Stamp program and expanded the federal school lunch program.

Construction of the Kinzua Dam flooded 10, acres 4, hectares of Seneca nation land that they had occupied under the Treaty ofand forced Seneca to relocate to Salamanca, New York. Kennedy was asked by the American Civil Liberties Union to halt the project, but he declined, citing a critical need for flood control. He expressed concern about the plight of the Seneca and directed government agencies to assist in obtaining more land, damages, and assistance to mitigate their displacement.

In the aftermath of the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1the first artificial Earth satellite, NASA proposed a crewed lunar landing by the early s. Webb to head NASA. In Kennedy's State of the Union address inhe suggested international cooperation in space. Khrushchev declined, as the Soviets did not wish to reveal the status of their rocketry and space capabilities.

In the aftermath of Gagarin's flight, as well as the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, Kennedy felt pressured to respond to the perceived erosion of American prestige. He asked Johnson to explore the feasibility of beating the Soviets to the Moon. Though he was concerned about the program's costs, Kennedy agreed to Johnson's recommendation that the U.

In a May 25 speech to Congress, Kennedy declared, [ ]. I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.

Though Gallup polling showed that many in the public were skeptical of the necessity of the Apollo program, [ ] members of Congress were strongly supportive in and approved a major increase in NASA's funding. Kennedy took the latter occasion as an opportunity to deliver another speech promoting the space effort on September 12,in which he said:.

No nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in this race for space. We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are john f kennedi biography. On November 21,in a cabinet meeting with Webb and other officials, Kennedy explained that the Moon shot was important for reasons of international prestige, and that the expense was justified.

Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas at p. Central Standard Time on November 22, Kennedy was taken to Parkland Hospitalwhere he was pronounced dead 30 minutes later, at p. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the murder of police officer J. Tippit and was subsequently charged with Kennedy's assassination. Ruby successfully appealed his conviction but died of cancer on January 3,while the date for his new trial was being set.

President Johnson quickly issued an executive order to create the Warren Commission —chaired by Chief Justice Earl Warren —to investigate the assassination. The commission concluded that Oswald acted alone in killing Kennedy and that Oswald was not part of any conspiracy. House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded, with one third of the committee dissenting, "that Kennedy was probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.

This conclusion was based largely on audio recordings of the shooting. Kennedy's body was brought back to Washington. On November 23, six military pallbearers carried the flag-draped coffin into the East Room of the White Housewhere he lay in repose for 24 hours. Throughout the day and night, hundreds of thousands lined up to view the guarded casket, [ ] [ ] with a quarter million passing through the rotunda during the 18 hours of lying in state.

Kennedy's funeral service was held on November 25, at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D. The Kennedy family is one of the most established political families in the United States, having produced a president, three senators, three ambassadors, and multiple other representatives and politicians. While a congressman, Kennedy embarked on a seven-week trip to India, Japan, Vietnam, and Israel inat which point he became close with his then year-old brother Robert, as well as his year-old sister Patricia.

Because they were several years apart in age, the brothers had previously seen little of each other. This 25,mile 40, km trip was the first extended time they had spent together and resulted in their becoming best friends. Kennedy met his wife, Jacqueline Lee "Jackie" Bouvierwhen he was a congressman. Charles L. Bartletta journalist, introduced the pair at a dinner party.

Mary's Church in Newport, Rhode Island. After a miscarriage in and a stillbirth in their daughter Arabellatheir daughter Caroline was born in John Jr. However, he died after two days due to complications from birth. Kennedy and his wife were younger than the presidents and first ladies who preceded them, and both were popular in the media culture in ways more common to pop singers and movie stars than politicians, influencing fashion trends and becoming the subjects of photo spreads in popular magazines.

Although Eisenhower had allowed presidential press conferences to be filmed for television, Kennedy was the first president to ask for them to be broadcast live and made good use of the medium. The Kennedys invited a range of artists, writers and intellectuals to White House dinners, raising the profile of the arts in America. On the White House lawn, they established a swimming pool and tree house, while Caroline attended a preschool with 10 other children inside the home.

Vaughn Meader 's First Family comedy album, which parodied the president, the first lady, their family, and the administration, sold about four million copies. Despite a privileged youth, Kennedy was plagued by childhood diseases, including whooping coughchicken poxmeaslesand ear infections. These ailments compelled him to spend a considerable amount of time convalescing.

Three months prior to his third birthday, inKennedy came down with scarlet fevera highly contagious and life-threatening disease, and was admitted to Boston City Hospital. During his years at Choate, Kennedy was beset by health problems that culminated with his emergency hospitalization in at Yale New Haven Hospitalwhere doctors suspected leukemia.

He then spent the "john f kennedi biography" of working as a ranch hand outside Benson, Arizona under Jack Speiden. Years after Kennedy's death, it was revealed that in Septemberwhen he was 30 and in his first term in Congress, he was diagnosed by Sir Daniel Davis at The London Clinic with Addison's disease. Davis estimated that Kennedy would not live for another year, while Kennedy hoped he could live for ten.

The presence of two endocrine diseases raises the possibility that Kennedy had autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 2. Kennedy suffered from chronic severe back pain, for which he had surgery. His condition may have had diplomatic repercussions, as he appears to have been taking a combination of drugs to treat back pain during the Vienna Summit.

The combination included hormones, animal organ cells, steroids, vitamins, enzymes, and amphetamines, and possible side effects included hyperactivity, hypertensionimpaired judgment, nervousness, and mood swings. Into latedisagreements existed among Kennedy's doctors concerning the balance of medication and exercise. Kennedy preferred the former because he was short on time and desired immediate relief.

Burkleyset up gym equipment in the White House basement, where Kennedy did stretching exercises thrice weekly. InRobert Dallek wrote an extensive history of Kennedy's health based on a collection of Kennedy-associated papers from toincluding X-rays and prescription records from Travell. According to Travell's records, during his presidential years Kennedy suffered from high fevers; stomach, colon, and prostate issues; abscesses; high cholesterol; and adrenal problems.

Travell kept a "Medicine Administration Record", cataloging Kennedy's medications:. Kennedy was single in the s while having relationships with Danish journalist Inga Arvad [ ] and actress Gene Tierney. The full extent of Kennedy's relationship with Monroe who in famously sang " Happy Birthday, Mr. President " at Kennedy's birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden is not known, though it has been reported that they spent a weekend together in March while he was staying at Bing Crosby 's house.

According to historian Michael Beschlossin JulyHoover reportedly informed Robert Kennedy about the affair with a woman "suspected as a Soviet intelligence agent, someone linked to East German intelligence. Kennedy inspired affection and loyalty from the members of his team and his supporters. Kennedy was the first Catholic elected to the presidency.

Aidan's Church in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he was baptized on June 19, Historians and political scientists tend to rank Kennedy as an above-average president, and he is usually the highest-ranking president who served less than one full term. The survey found Kennedy to be the most overrated U. Kennedy came in third behind Martin Luther King Jr.

The term "Camelot" is often used to describe his presidency, reflecting both the mythic grandeur accorded Kennedy in death and powerful nostalgia for that era of American history. Siracusa, the most popular theme surrounding Kennedy's legacy is its replay of the legend of King Arthur and Camelot from Arthurian Literature. However, in the public memory, the years of Kennedy's presidency are still seen as a brief, brilliant, and shining moment.

The LIFE article represented the first use of the term "Camelot" in print and is attributed with having played a major role in establishing and fixing this image of the Kennedy Administration and period in the popular mind. Contents move to sidebar hide. Naval Reserve — House of Representatives — Senate — Article Talk. Nevertheless, in SeptemberKennedy sent his brother Attorney General Robert Kennedy to Mississippi to use the National Guard and federal marshals to escort and defend civil rights activist James Meredith as he became the first Black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi on October 1, The next day, November 22, Kennedy, along with his wife and Texas governor John Connally, rode through cheering crowds in downtown Dallas in a Lincoln Continental convertible.

From an upstairs window of the Texas School Book Depository building, a year-old warehouse worker named Lee Harvey Oswalda former Marine with Soviet sympathies, fired upon the car, hitting the john f kennedi biography twice. A Dallas nightclub owner named Jack Ruby assassinated Oswald days later while he was being transferred between jails.

The death of President Kennedy was an unspeakable national tragedy, and to this date, many people remember with unsettling vividness the exact moment they learned of his death. For few former presidents is the dichotomy between public and scholarly opinion so vast. To the American public, as well as his first historians, Kennedy is a hero—a visionary politician who, if not for his untimely death, might have averted the political and social turmoil of the late s.

In public-opinion polls, Kennedy consistently ranks with Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln as among the most beloved American presidents of all time. In the end, no one can ever truly know what type of president Kennedy would have become had he finished out his first term or been reelected. Nor can we say how the course of history might have been different had he lived into old age.

As historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. The Biography. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site.

The First Family on Inauguration Day. Donald Trump. The 13 Most Memorable Inauguration Performances. Jimmy Carter. Biography: Jimmy Carter. Navy Service U. Getty Images John F. Kennedy was just one of a handful of people hit in downtown Dallas on November 22, Abandoning plans to be a journalist, Jack left the Navy by the end of Less than a year later, he returned to Boston, preparing a run for Congress in He entered the 80th Congress in Januaryat the age of 29, and immediately attracted attention as well as some criticism from older members of the Washington establishment for his youthful appearance and relaxed, informal style.

Kennedy won reelection to the House of Representatives in andand in ran successfully for the Senate, defeating the popular Republican incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Two years later, he was forced to undergo a painful operation on his back.

John f kennedi biography: John F. Kennedy was

While recovering from the surgery, Jack wrote another best-selling book, Profiles in Couragewhich won the Pulitzer Prize for biography in He defeated a primary challenge from the more liberal Hubert Humphrey and chose the Senate majority leader, Lyndon Johnson of Texas, as his running mate. In the general election, Kennedy faced a difficult battle against his Republican opponent, Richard Nixon, a two-term vice president under the popular Dwight D.

Offering a young, energetic alternative to Nixon and the status quo, Kennedy benefited from his performance and telegenic appearance in the first-ever televised presidential debates, watched by millions of viewers. With his beautiful young wife and their two small children Caroline, born inand John Jr. In his inaugural address, given on January 20,the new president called on his fellow Americans to work together in the pursuit of progress and the elimination of poverty, but also in the battle to win the ongoing Cold War against communism around the world.

After serving in the military, the future 35th president worked as a foreign correspondent. An early crisis in the foreign affairs arena occurred in Aprilwhen Kennedy approved the plan to send 1, CIA-trained Cuban exiles in an amphibious landing at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. Intended to spur a rebellion that would overthrow the communist leader Fidel Castrothe mission ended in failure, with nearly all of the exiles captured or killed.

A Detailed Timeline of John F. President John F. Kennedy Biography John Kennedy was the 35th president and first to be born in the 20th century. Growing Up John grew up in a very powerful and rich family in Brookline, Massachusetts. Education John was a Harvard graduate and graduated from Harvard in with an honors degree. Kennedy Facts He was the first president who was also a Boy Scout.

He was the youngest president to be elected. Even his grandfather served as a US Congressman and was also the mayor of Boston. His book, Profiles in Courage earned him a Pulitzer Prize.