Biography
Overview
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts, into a family of Irish Catholic wealth and ambition. His father, Joseph P. Kennedy, was a financier and diplomat who groomed his sons for greatness; his mother, Rose, instilled discipline and faith. Young Jack was sickly, charming, and intellectually curious, always in the shadow of his golden older brother Joe.
He attended Choate and Harvard, wrote a senior thesis about Britain's appeasement of Hitler that became the bestseller 'Why England Slept.' When war came, he volunteered for the Navy and commanded a patrol torpedo boat in the Pacific. On August 2, 1943, a Japanese destroyer rammed PT-109, cutting it in half. Kennedy, despite a back already damaged from football, towed a wounded crewman by clenching the man's life jacket strap in his teeth and swimming for five hours.
JFK’s world, year by year
19171963
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Dated facts
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- 1917John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts, outside Boston, into the prominent Kennedy family.
- 1940He graduated cum laude from Harvard in 1940 with a Bachelor of Arts in government.
- 1943In 1943 he commanded PT-109, which a Japanese destroyer rammed; his rescue of his crew earned him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.
- 1947He represented a Boston district in the U.S. House from 1947 to 1953 and Massachusetts in the Senate from 1953 to 1960.
- 1953He married Jacqueline Bouvier on September 12, 1953, and his Profiles in Courage won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1957.
- 1960Defeating Richard Nixon in 1960, he became the 35th president in 1961, the youngest person elected president and the first Catholic.
- 1961In 1961 he authorized the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion and started the Peace Corps; in October 1962 he faced the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- 1963He was assassinated on November 22, 1963, shot while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas.
Alive at the same time
Overlap Same years; not influence
Wars during this life
- World War I
- World War II
- Chinese Civil War
- Waziristan Campaigns
- Malayan Emergency
- La Violencia (Colombia)
Sources
Primary works and follow-on reading.
Primary Sources
- Inaugural Address (1961)
- Address at Rice University on the Nation’s Space Effort (1962)
- American University Commencement Address (1963)
- Civil Rights Address (1963)
- Reference profile for John F. Kennedy
Further Reading
- An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 - Robert Dallek
- Thirteen Days - Robert F. Kennedy
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about John F. Kennedy.
Who was John F. Kennedy?
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts, into a family of Irish Catholic wealth and ambition. His father, Joseph P. Kennedy, was a financier and diplomat who groomed his sons for greatness; his mother, Rose, instilled discipline and faith. Young Jack was sickly, charming, and intellectually curious, always in the shadow of his golden older brother Joe. He attended Choate and Harvard, wrote a senior thesis about Britain's appeasement of Hitler that became the bestseller 'Why England Slept.' When war came, he volunteered for the Navy and commanded a patrol torpedo boat in the Pacific. On August 2, 1943, a Japanese destroyer rammed PT-109, cutting it in half. Kennedy, despite a back already damaged from football, towed a wounded crewman by clenching the man's life jacket strap in his teeth and swimming for five hours.
What was John F. Kennedy best known for?
JFK is best known as a ruler. 35th U.S. President who navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis, advanced civil rights, and set the Moon landing goal.
When did John F. Kennedy live?
JFK lived 1917-1963 CE, born in 1917 and died in 1963, during the modern period.
Can I chat with an AI version of John F. Kennedy?
Yes, free. Anyone can ask JFK, and a first question needs no account. Every answer is a Simulation in character, grounded in JFK’s real life, work and era. A good first question is: "How do I communicate a bold goal in a way that people actually believe is achievable?"
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