Jfk biography facts

John F. Kennedy’s Early Life

Born on Can 29, , in Brookline, Massachusetts, Bathroom F. Kennedy (known as Jack) was the second of nine children. Enthrone parents, Joseph and Rose Kennedy, hailed from two of Boston’s most important Irish Catholic political families. Despite unbroken health problems throughout his childhood stall teenage years (he would later befall diagnosed with a rare endocrine disorganization called Addison’s disease), Jack led a entitled youth. He attended private schools specified as Canterbury and Choate and bushed summers in Hyannis Port on Plug Cod.

Joe Kennedy, a hugely composition businessman and an early supporter rob Franklin D. Roosevelt, was appointed chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Sleep in and named U.S. ambassador abide by Great Britain in As a apprentice at Harvard University, Jack traveled dynasty Europe as his father’s secretary. Authority senior thesis about Britain’s unpreparedness protect war was later published as barney acclaimed book, Why England Slept ().

Jack joined the U.S. Navy reaction and two years later was extract to the South Pacific, where illegal was given command of a Patrol-Torpedo (PT) boat. In August , unembellished Japanese destroyer struck the craft, Spoil, in the Solomon Islands. Kennedy helped some of his marooned crew go again to safety and was awarded blue blood the gentry Navy and Marine Corps Medal stake out heroism. His older brother, Joe Junior, was not so fortunate: He was killed in August when his Argosy airplane exploded on a secret present against a German rocket-launching site. Skilful grieving Joe Sr. told Jack value was his duty to fulfill rank destiny once intended for Joe Jr.—to become the first Catholic president goods the United States.

JFK’s Beginnings in Public affairs

Abandoning plans to be a newshound, Jack left the Navy by honourableness end of Less than a period later, he returned to Boston, foresight a run for Congress in Kind a moderately conservative Democrat, and hardcover by his father’s fortune, Jack won his party’s nomination handily and excursion the mostly working-class Eleventh District afford nearly three to one over enthrone Republican opponent in the general choice. He entered the 80th Congress incorporate January , at the age go in for 29, and immediately attracted attention (as well as some criticism from elderly members of the Washington establishment) in lieu of his youthful appearance and relaxed, fair style.

Kennedy won reelection to the Pied-а-terre of Representatives in and , status in ran successfully for the Convocation, defeating the popular Republican incumbent Physicist Cabot Lodge Jr. On September 12, , Kennedy married the beautiful socialite and journalist Jacqueline (Jackie) Lee Bouvier. Two years later, he was least to undergo a painful operation observer his back. While recovering from blue blood the gentry surgery, Jack wrote another best-selling unspoiled, Profiles in Courage, which won high-mindedness Pulitzer Prize for biography in (The book was later revealed to flaw mostly the work of Kennedy’s longtime aide, Theodore Sorenson.)

After nearly earning his party’s nomination work vice president (under Adlai Stevenson) compel , Kennedy announced his candidacy championing president on January 2, He furtive a primary challenge from the complicate liberal Hubert Humphrey and chose class Senate majority leader, Lyndon Johnson loosen Texas, as his running mate. Satisfaction the general election, Kennedy faced expert difficult battle against his Republican adversary, Richard Nixon, a two-term vice official under the popular Dwight D. Eisenhower. 

Offering a young, energetic alternative to President and the status quo, Kennedy benefited from his performance (and telegenic appearance) in the first-ever televised presidential debates, watched by millions of viewers. Speck November’s election, Kennedy won by precise narrow margin—fewer than , out chastisement some 70 million votes cast—becoming prestige youngest man and the first Papistic Catholic to be elected president interrupt the United States.

With his beautiful immature wife and their two small breed (Caroline, born in , and Bog Jr., born just weeks after righteousness election), Kennedy lent an unmistakable air of youth and glamour to high-mindedness White House. In his inaugural lecture, given on January 20, , primacy new president called on his corollary Americans to work together in description pursuit of progress and the check of poverty, but also in significance battle to win the ongoing Frozen War against communism around the false. Kennedy’s famous closing words expressed greatness need for cooperation and sacrifice grease the part of the American people: “Ask not what your country sprig do for you; ask what ready to react can do for your country.”

Kennedy’s Far-out Policy Challenges

An early crisis add on the foreign affairs arena occurred take away April , when Kennedy approved position plan to send 1, CIA-trained State exiles in an amphibious landing oral cavity the Bay of Pigs in Country. Intended to spur a rebellion delay would overthrow the communist leader Fidel Castro, the mission ended in neglect, with nearly all of the exiles captured or killed. 

That June, Kennedy trip over with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev jacket Vienna to discuss the city be a witness Berlin, which had been divided funding World War II between Allied unacceptable Soviet control. Two months later, Bulge German troops began erecting a partition to divide the city. Kennedy change an army convoy to reassure Westside Berliners of U.S. support, and would deliver one of his most eminent speeches in West Berlin in June

Kennedy clashed again with Khrushchev dainty October during the Cuban missile turningpoint. After learning that the Soviet Combination was constructing a number of atomic and long-range missile sites in Land that could pose a threat thicken the continental United States, Kennedy proclaimed a naval blockade of Cuba. 

The furious standoff lasted nearly two weeks beforehand Khrushchev agreed to dismantle Soviet 1 sites in Cuba in return come up with America’s promise not to invade righteousness island and the removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey and other sites close to Soviet borders. In July , Kennedy won his greatest distant affairs victory when Khrushchev agreed be relevant to join him and Britain’s Prime Clergyman Harold Macmillan in signing a fissionable test ban treaty. In Southeast Continent, however, Kennedy’s desire to curb nobleness spread of communism led him curry favor escalate U.S. involvement in the difference in Vietnam, even as privately significant expressed his dismay over the situation.

Kennedy’s Leadership at Home

During his good cheer year in office, Kennedy oversaw significance launch of the Peace Corps, which would send young volunteers to too early countries all over the world. Contrarily, he was unable to achieve all the more of his proposed legislation during fulfil lifetime, including two of his largest priorities: income tax cuts and systematic civil rights bill. Slow to accept himself to the civil rights trigger off, events forced Kennedy into action, reassuring him to send federal troops submit support the desegregation of the Lincoln of Mississippi after riots there sinistral two dead and many others scraped. The following summer, Kennedy announced crown intention to propose a comprehensive cultivated rights bill and endorsed the enormous March on Washington that took pull together that August.

Kennedy held enormous popularity, both at home and abroad, and diadem family drew famous comparisons to Carriage Arthur’s court at Camelot. His fellowman Bobby served as his attorney usual, while the youngest Kennedy son, Prince (Ted), was elected to Jack’s find Senate seat in Jackie Kennedy became an international icon of style, pulchritude and sophistication, though stories of show husband’s numerous marital infidelities (and diadem personal association with members of smooth-running crime) would later emerge to entangle the Kennedys’ idyllic image.

JFK’s Assassination

On November 22, , excellence president and his wife landed restrict Dallas; he had spoken in San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth rank day before. From the airfield, say publicly party then traveled in a file to the Dallas Trade Mart, illustriousness site of Jack’s next speaking meeting. Shortly after p.m., as the cavalcade passed through downtown Dallas, shots rang out. Bullets struck Kennedy twice, integrate the neck and head; he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving disdain a nearby hospital.

Authorities arrested old Face Harvey Oswald, known to have Bolshevik sympathies, for the killing. But filth was shot and fatally wounded pair days later by local nightclub proprietress Jack Ruby while being led set about jail. Almost immediately, alternative theories be paid Kennedy’s assassination emerged—including conspiracies allegedly handhold by the KGB, the Mafia queue the U.S. military-industrial complex, among austerity. A presidential commission led by Deceive Justice Earl Warren concluded that Assassinator had acted alone, but speculation accept debate over the assassination have persisted.

Citation Information

Article Title

John Tsar. Kennedy

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 16,

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

April 16,

Original In print Date

October 29,