jfk
John Fitzgerald Kennedy “My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Elected in 1960 as the 35th president of the United States, 43-year-old John F. Kennedy became the youngest man and the first Roman Catholic to hold that office. His assassination on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, sent shockwaves around the world and turned the all-too-human Kennedy into a larger-than-life heroic figure. John F. Kennedy was born into one of America’s wealthiest families, a reputation as a military hero into a successful run for Congress, and confronted mounting Cold War tensions in Cuba, Vietnam and elsewhere.
Kennedy had a privileged upbringing. Born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy was the second of nine children. His parents, Joseph and Rose Kennedy, were members of two of Boston’s most prominent Irish Catholic political families. Despite persistent health problems throughout his childhood and teenage years, he would later be diagnosed with a rare endocrine disorder called Addison’s disease, John led a privileged youth, attending private schools such as Canterbury and Choate and spending summers in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod. As a student at Harvard University, John traveled in Europe as his father’s secretary. His senior thesis about British’s unpreparedness for war was later published as an acclaimed book, “Why England Slept”. Abandoning plans to be a journalist, John left the Navy by the end of 1944. Less than a year later, he was back in Boston preparing for a run for Congress in 1946. As a moderately conservative Democrat, and backed by his father’s fortune, Jack won his party’s nomination handily and carried the mostly working-class Eleventh District. He entered the 80th Congress in January 1947, at 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
Kennedy had a privileged upbringing. Born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy was the second of nine children. His parents, Joseph and Rose Kennedy, were members of two of Boston’s most prominent Irish Catholic political families. Despite persistent health problems throughout his childhood and teenage years, he would later be diagnosed with a rare endocrine disorder called Addison’s disease, John led a privileged youth, attending private schools such as Canterbury and Choate and spending summers in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod. As a student at Harvard University, John traveled in Europe as his father’s secretary. His senior thesis about British’s unpreparedness for war was later published as an acclaimed book, “Why England Slept”. Abandoning plans to be a journalist, John left the Navy by the end of 1944. Less than a year later, he was back in Boston preparing for a run for Congress in 1946. As a moderately conservative Democrat, and backed by his father’s fortune, Jack won his party’s nomination handily and carried the mostly working-class Eleventh District. He entered the 80th Congress in January 1947, at 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
Cited: Page Freidel, Frank, and Hugh Sidey. "John F. Kennedy." The White House. The White House, 2006. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. History.com Staff. "John F. Kennedy." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. "John F. Kennedy." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2015. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. "Life of John F. Kennedy." - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. JFK Library Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.