President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United
States.
Served as President: 1961-1963
Vice President: Lyndon B. Johnson
Party: Democrat
Age at inauguration: 43
Born: May 29, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts
Died: November 22, 1963. Killed by an assassin's bullet in
Dallas, Texas
Married: Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy
Children: Caroline, John
Nickname: JFK, Jack
Biography:
What is John F. Kennedy most known for?
John F. Kennedy is most famous for being assassinated early
in his presidency. He is also famous for the Bay of Pigs
invasion and the Cuban missile crisis.
Growing Up
John grew up in a wealthy and powerful political family in
Brookline, Massachusetts. It was also a big family as he had
three brothers and five sisters. John's father Joe had the
dream that one of his sons would become president. He sent
them to the best schools and expected that his oldest son,
Joe Jr., would be president one day.
John graduated from Harvard in 1940 with honors. He then
traveled to Great Britain to be with his father who was the
U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain at the time. Here he learned
firsthand about World War II and realized that the U.S. would
likely be involved before it was over. He tried to join the army,
but couldn't get in because he had a bad back. So he joined
the Navy and was in command of a patrol torpedo boat when
it was sunk. He survived and became something of a war
hero. Sadly, his older brother Joe wasn't as lucky and died in
combat during the war.
Before He Became President
When Joe Jr. died, John's father turned to John to become
president. He got John involved in politics and helped John to
get elected to the U.S. Congress in 1947. John served as
congressman for six years and then became a U.S. Senator
in 1953.
Kennedy ran for president in 1960 against current Vice
President Richard Nixon. He won in one of the closest
elections in history.
John F. Kennedy's Presidency
When Kennedy was elected he gave one of the most stirring
inaugural speeches in history. In this speech he said the
famous words "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask
what you can do for your country." His presidency was
marked by major events in the Cold War. These events
included the building of the Berlin Wall in Germany by the
communists, the Bay of Pigs, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Bay of Pigs
Just a few months after becoming president, Kennedy
decided to try and help Cuban rebels overthrow the
communist Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Unfortunately, the
invasion failed miserably when the CIA-assisted rebels were
soundly defeated. This event is called the Bay of Pigs
because of the name of the bay where the invasion took
place.
Cuban Missile Crisis
In 1962 the United States discovered that the Soviet Union
was building secret missile bases in Cuba. These missiles
would be able to strike the U.S. with nuclear bombs. In the
coming days the U.S. and the Soviet Union came close to
nuclear war. The U.S. quarantined Cuba in order to keep the
missiles out. After negotiations, the Soviet Union agreed to
dismantle the bases. In return, the U.S. agreed to never
attack Cuba and to remove missiles from Turkey.
How did he die?
On November 22, 1963 John F. Kennedy was shot by Lee
Harvey Oswald while riding in a convertible car in Dallas,
Texas.
Fun Facts about John F. Kennedy
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He was the first president who was a Boy Scout.
He was the youngest ever to be elected president (Teddy
Roosevelt was the youngest president, but he came into
office due to the death of President McKinley).
His grandfather, John Fitzgerald, was mayor of Boston
and a U.S. Congressman.
He won the Pulitzer Prize in history for the book Profiles
in Courage.
Bobby Kennedy, John's younger brother, was one of his
key advisors and headed up the Justice Department
while John was president. Bobby later ran for president,
but was assassinated before the election.
He was credited in starting the Peace Corp.