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Early Life
Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy was the second of nine children. His parents, Joseph and Rose Kennedy. -
Education
Jack led a privileged youth, attending private schools such as Canterbury and Choate and spending summers in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod -
Joined the U.S. Navy
Japanese destroyer struck the craft, PT-109, in the Solomon Islands. Kennedy helped his marooned and was awarded the Medal for heroism. His brother was killed. -
JFK’S Beginnings in Politics
He was back in Boston preparing for a run for Congress in 1946. He entered the 80th Congress at the age of 29, and immediately attracted attention -
Political Successfull
Kennedy won reelection to the House of Representatives in 1948 and 1950, -
Private Life
Kennedy married the beautiful socialite and journalist Jacqueline (Jackie) Lee Bouvier. -
First Book & Surgery
Kennedy underwent several spinal operations. Often absent from the Senate, he was at times critically ill. During his convalescence, he published Profiles in Courage -
Re-election in the Senate
Kennedy defeating his Republican opponent, Boston lawyer Vincent J. Celeste, by a wide margin. It was during his re-election campaign that Kennedy's press secretary at the time, Robert E. Thompson -
Presidential Election
Kennedy initiated his campaign for president in the Democratic primary election -
Journey to Power
In September and October, Kennedy appeared with vice president and Republican candidate Richard Nixon in the first televised U.S. presidential debates in U.S. history. -
The Winner Is...
Kennedy defeated Nixon in one of the closest presidential elections of the 20th century. In the national popular vote, Kennedy led Nixon by just two-tenths of one percent. -
Presidency
John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president at noon. In his inaugural address he spoke of the need for all Americans to be active citizens. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Kennedy faced a dilemma: if the U.S. attacked the sites, it might lead to nuclear war with the U.S.S.R., but if the U.S. did nothing, it would be faced with the increased threat from close-range nuclear weapons. On a personal level, Kennedy needed to show resolve in reaction to Khrushchev, especially after the Vienna summit -
The Organization Of America States
The Organization of American States gave unanimous support to the removal of the missiles. The president exchanged two sets of letters with Khrushchev, to no avail. The U.S. publicly promised never to invade Cuba and privately agreed to remove its missiles in Turkey -
Move to the White House
With his beautiful young wife and their two small children (Caroline, born in 1957, and John Jr., born just weeks after the election), Kennedy lent an unmistakable aura of youth and glamour to the White House. -
Peace Corps
As one of his first presidential acts, Kennedy asked Congress to create the Peace Corps. Through this program, Americans volunteer to help underdeveloped nations in areas such as education, farming, health care, and construction. The organization grew to 5,000 members -
Kennedy’s Foreign Policy Challenges
Kennedy approved the plan to send 1,400 CIA-trained Cuban exiles in an amphibious landing at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. overthrow the communist leader Fidel Castro, the mission ended in failure. That June, Kennedy met with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna to discuss the city of Berlin,. -
Civil rights
The following summer, Kennedy announced his intention to propose a comprehensive civil rights bill and endorsed the massive March on Washington that took place that August -
Kennedy's Relationship
Jackie Kennedy became an international icon of style, beauty and sophistication, though stories of her husband’s numerous marital infidelities (and his personal association with members of organized crime) would later emerge to complicate the Kennedys’ idyllic image. -
JFK's Assassination
The president and his wife landed in Dallas; he had spoken in San Antonio. From the airfield, the party then traveled in a motorcade to the Dallas Trade Mart, the site of Jack’s next speaking engagement. Shortly after 12:30 p.m., as the motorcade was passing through downtown Dallas, shots rang out; Kennedy was struck twice, in the neck and head, and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a nearby hospital.
