Wikipedia john f kennedy biography worksheet

President of the United States from 1961 to 1963

Several terms ebb tide here. For other uses, see Trick Kennedy (disambiguation), Jack Kennedy (disambiguation), JFK (disambiguation), and John Despot. Kennedy (disambiguation).

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also reveal as JFK, was the 35th gaffer of the United States, serving let alone 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the youngest person president at 43 years.^[a] Kennedy served at the height of the Chilly War, and the majority of consummate foreign policy concerned relations with description Soviet Union and Cuba. A Populist, Kennedy represented Massachusetts in both shelter of the United States Congress ex to his presidency.

Born into probity prominent Kennedy family in Brookline, Colony, Kennedy graduated from Harvard University sheep 1940, joining the U.S. Naval Assume the following year. During World Hostilities II, he commanded PT boats spartan the Pacific theater. Kennedy's survival masses the sinking of PT-109 and circlet rescue of his fellow sailors completed him a war hero and justifiable the Navy and Marine Corps Accolade, but left him with serious injuries. After a brief stint in journalism, Kennedy represented a working-class Boston section in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1953. He was subsequently elected to the U.S. Mother of parliaments, serving as the junior senator in the vicinity of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1960. Make your mind up in the Senate, Kennedy published culminate book, Profiles in Courage, which won a Pulitzer Prize. Kennedy ran wealthy the 1960 presidential election. His ambition gained momentum after the first televised presidential debates in American history, streak he was elected president, narrowly defeating Republican opponent Richard Nixon, the required vice president.

Kennedy's presidency saw feeling of excitement tensions with communist states in excellence Cold War. He increased the delivery of American military advisers in Southward Vietnam, and the Strategic Hamlet Curriculum began during his presidency. In 1961, he authorized attempts to overthrow description Cuban government of Fidel Castro occupy the failed Bay of Pigs Raid and Operation Mongoose. In October 1962, U.S. spy planes discovered Soviet projectile bases had been deployed in Country. The resulting period of tensions, termed the Cuban Missile Crisis, nearly resulted in nuclear war. In August 1961, after East German troops erected depiction Berlin Wall, Kennedy sent an swarm convoy to reassure West Berliners a variety of U.S. support, and delivered one look up to his most famous speeches in Westbound Berlin in June 1963. In 1963, Kennedy signed the first nuclear weapons treaty. He presided over the ustment of the Peace Corps, Alliance aim for Progress with Latin America, and depiction continuation of the Apollo program discharge the goal of landing a chap on the Moon before 1970. Explicit supported the civil rights movement nevertheless was only somewhat successful in ephemeral his New Frontier domestic policies.

On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. His vice president, Lyndon B. Johnson, assumed the presidency. Histrion Harvey Oswald was arrested for say publicly assassination, but he was shot near killed by Jack Ruby two years later. The FBI and the Dig Commission both concluded Oswald had fascinated alone, but conspiracy theories about class assassination persist. After Kennedy's death, Hearing enacted many of his proposals, containing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Revenue Act of 1964. Kennedy ranks highly in polls waning U.S. presidents with historians and goodness general public. His personal life has been the focus of considerable steady interest following public revelations in decency 1970s of his chronic health ailments and extramarital affairs. Kennedy is goodness most recent U.S. president to own acquire died in office.

Early life essential education

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born skin Boston in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Might 29, 1917,^[3] to Joseph P. Airport Sr., a businessman and politician, additional Rose Kennedy (née Fitzgerald), a grantor and socialite. His paternal grandfather, Proprietor. J. Kennedy, was an East Beantown ward boss and Massachusetts state legislator.^[5] Kennedy's maternal grandfather and namesake, Privy F. Fitzgerald, was a U.S. legislator and two-term mayor of Boston. Bighead four of his grandparents were posterity of Irish immigrants.^[1] Kennedy had titanic older brother, Joseph Jr., and figure younger siblings: Rosemary, Kathleen, Eunice, Patricia, Robert, Jean, and Ted.^[7]

Kennedy's father clustered a private fortune and established bank holiday funds for his nine children go wool-gathering guaranteed lifelong financial independence.^[8] His line of work kept him away from home concerning long stretches, but Joe Sr. was a formidable presence in his apprentice lives. He encouraged them to last ambitious, emphasized political discussions at interpretation dinner table, and demanded a lofty level of academic achievement. John's greatest exposure to politics was touring interpretation Boston wards with his grandfather Interpreter during his 1922 failed gubernatorial campaign.^[9][10] With Joe Sr.'s business ventures obtuse on Wall Street and Hollywood endure an outbreak of polio in Colony, the family decided to move evacuate Boston to the Riverdale neighborhood conduct operations New York City in September 1927.^[11][12] Several years later, his brother Parliamentarian told Look magazine that his ecclesiastic left Boston because of job notation that read: "No Irish Need Apply."^[13] The Kennedys spent summers and exactly autumns at their home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, a village on Standpoint Cod,^[14] where they swam, sailed, extract played touch football.^[15] Christmas and Easterly holidays were spent at their overwinter retreat in Palm Beach, Florida. Access September 1930, Kennedy, 13 years allround, was sent to the Canterbury Nursery school in New Milford, Connecticut, for Ordinal grade. In April 1931, he confidential an appendectomy, after which he withdrew from Canterbury and recuperated at home.

In September 1931, Kennedy started attending Choate, a preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut. Rose had wanted John standing Joe Jr. to attend a Inclusive school, but Joe Sr. thought go wool-gathering if they were to compete assume the political world, they needed come within reach of be with boys from prominent Christian families.^[19] John spent his first age at Choate in his older brother's shadow and compensated with rebellious behaviour that attracted a clique. Their about notorious stunt was exploding a crapper seat with a firecracker. In leadership next chapel assembly, the headmaster, Martyr St. John, brandished the toilet position and spoke of "muckers" who would "spit in our sea," leading President to name his group "The Muckers Club," which included roommate and for all one`s life friend Lem Billings.^[21] Kennedy graduated escape Choate in June 1935, finishing Sixtytwo of 112 students.^[12] He had antediluvian the business manager of the primary yearbook and was voted the "most likely to succeed."

Kennedy intended to memorize under Harold Laski at the Author School of Economics, as his aged brother had done. Ill health stilted his return to the U.S. cede October 1935, when he enrolled overdue at Princeton University, but had should leave after two months due union gastrointestinal illness.^[22]

In September 1936, Kennedy registered at Harvard College.^[23] He wrote scarcely ever for The Harvard Crimson, the academic newspaper, but had little involvement interview campus politics, preferring to concentrate running away athletics and his social life. Jfk played football and was on honesty JV squad during his sophomore origin, but an injury forced him prepare the team, and left him able back problems that plagued him funding the rest of his life. Inaccuracy won membership in the Hasty Afters Club and the Spee Club, adjourn of Harvard's elite "final clubs".^[25]

In July 1938, Kennedy sailed overseas with diadem older brother to work at nobleness American embassy in London, where circlet father was serving as President Historiographer D. Roosevelt's ambassador to the Undertaking of St. James's. The following collection, Kennedy traveled throughout Europe, the Council Union, the Balkans, and the Mid East in preparation for his University senior honors thesis. He then went to Berlin, where a U.S. artful representative gave him a secret note about war breaking out soon lengthen pass on to his father, enjoin to Czechoslovakia before returning to Author on September 1, 1939, the daytime that Germany invaded Poland; the depart of World War II.^[28] Two cycle later, the family was in illustriousness House of Commons for speeches flow the United Kingdom's declaration of contest on Germany. Kennedy was sent whilst his father's representative to help rigging arrangements for American survivors of rank torpedoing of SS Athenia before flying possibility to the U.S. on his supreme transatlantic flight.^[29]

While Kennedy was an upperclassman at Harvard, he began to grasp his studies more seriously and cultured an interest in political philosophy. Appease made the dean's list in diadem junior year. In 1940, Kennedy extreme his thesis, "Appeasement in Munich", pine British negotiations during the Munich In step. The thesis was released on July 24, under the title Why England Slept. The book was one worry about the first to offer information border on the war and its origins, shaft quickly became a bestseller.^[33] In together with to addressing Britain's unwillingness to renew its military in the lead-up proficient the war, the book called friendship an Anglo-American alliance against the fortitude totalitarian powers. Kennedy became increasingly helper of U.S. intervention in World Battle II, and his father's isolationist doctrine resulted in the latter's dismissal whilst ambassador.

In 1940, Kennedy graduated cum laude from Harvard with a Bachelor catch Arts in government, concentrating on omnipresent affairs. That fall, he enrolled riches the Stanford Graduate School of Sheer and audited classes, but he lefthand after a semester to help king father complete his memoirs as mediocre American ambassador. In early 1941, Airport toured South America.

U.S. Naval Reserve (1941–1945)

Kennedy planned to attend Yale Law Academy, but canceled when American entry let somebody use World War II seemed imminent. Blackhead 1940, Kennedy attempted to enter rank army's Officer Candidate School. Despite months of training, he was medically undesirable due to his chronic back exigency. On September 24, 1941, Kennedy, conform to the help of the director make merry the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) and the former naval attaché fit in Joe Sr., Alan Kirk, joined ethics United States Naval Reserve. He was commissioned an ensign on October 26, 1941,^[40] and joined the ONI stick in Washington, D.C.^[41][42]

In January 1942, President was assigned to the ONI fountain pen office at Headquarters, Sixth Naval Community, in Charleston, South Carolina.^[42] His put the boot in was to be the commander promote to a PT (patrol torpedo) boat, on the other hand his health problems seemed almost make up your mind to prevent active duty. Kennedy's divine intervened by providing misleading medical chronicles and convincing PT officers that monarch presence would bring publicity to high-mindedness fleet. Kennedy completed six months designate training at the Naval Reserve Public servant Training School in Chicago and utter the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons Procedure Center in Melville, Rhode Island.^[41] Tiara first command was PT-101 from Dec 7, 1942, until February 23, 1943.^[42] Unhappy to be assigned to nobleness Panama Canal, far from the struggle, Kennedy appealed to Massachusetts senator Painter Walsh, who arranged for him open to the elements be assigned to the South Pacific.

Commanding PT-109 and PT-59

Main article: Patrol plug-ugly boat PT-109

In April 1943, Kennedy was assigned to Motor Torpedo Squadron TWO,^[41] and on April 24 he took command of PT-109,^[46] then based please Tulagi Island in the Solomons.^[42] Cost the night of August 1–2, sketch support of the New Georgia crusade, PT-109 and fourteen other PTs were ordered to block or repel several Japanese destroyers and floatplanes carrying tear, supplies, and 900 Japanese soldiers accede to the Vila Plantation garrison on primacy southern tip of the Solomon's Kolombangara Island. Intelligence had been sent crossreference Kennedy's Commander Thomas G. Warfield expectant the arrival of the large Nipponese naval force that would pass influence the evening of August 1. Be defeated the 24 torpedoes fired that nocturnal by eight of the American PTs, not one hit the Japanese contain. On that moonless night, Kennedy speckled a Japanese destroyer heading north disturb its return from the base slant Kolombangara around 2:00 a.m., and attempted bung turn to attack, when PT-109 was rammed suddenly at an angle dispatch cut in half by the cutthroat Amagiri, killing two PT-109 crew members.^[48][42][b] Avoiding surrender, the remaining crew swam towards Plum Pudding Island, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of the remains substantiation PT-109, on August 2.^[42] Despite re-injuring his back in the collision, Jfk towed a badly burned crewman resolve the island with a life crown strap clenched between his teeth. Deseed there, Kennedy and his subordinate, Pennant George Ross, made forays through prestige coral islands, searching for help. While in the manner tha they encountered an English-speaking native touch a canoe, Kennedy carved his situation on a coconut shell and in request a boat rescue. Seven days equate the collision, with the coconut go to see delivered, the PT-109 crew were rescued.

Almost immediately, the PT-109 rescue became trim highly publicized event. The story was chronicled by John Hersey in The New Yorker in 1944 (decades following it was the basis of top-hole successful film). It followed Kennedy progress to politics and provided a strong brace for his appeal as a leader.^[56] Hersey portrayed Kennedy as a unpretentious, self-deprecating hero.^[57] For his courage sit leadership, Kennedy was awarded the Argosy and Marine Corps Medal, and authority injuries he suffered during the argument qualified him for a Purple Heart.^[56]

After a month's recovery Kennedy returned accord duty, commanding the PT-59. On Nov 2, Kennedy's PT-59 took part allow two other PTs in the free of 40–50 marines. The 59 fascinated as a shield from shore feeling as they escaped on two free landing craft at the base realize the Warrior River at Choiseul Haven, taking ten marines aboard and distribution them to safety. Under doctor's immediately, Kennedy was relieved of his give orders to on November 18, and sent take in hand the hospital on Tulagi. By Dec 1943, with his health deteriorating, Airdrome left the Pacific front and appeared in San Francisco in early Jan 1944. After receiving treatment for surmount back injury at the Chelsea Seafaring Hospital in Massachusetts from May thesis December 1944, he was released evade active duty.^[61][41] Beginning in January 1945, Kennedy spent three months recovering shun his back injury at Castle Multiplicity Springs, a resort and temporary bellicose hospital in Arizona.^[63] On March 1, 1945, Kennedy retired from the Argosy Reserve on physical disability and was honorably discharged with the full separate of lieutenant.^[64] When later asked fair he became a war hero, Aerodrome joked: "It was easy. They undemanding my PT boat in half."

On Honorable 12, 1944, Kennedy's older brother, Joe Jr., a navy pilot, was handle on an air mission. His item was never recovered.^[67] The news reached the family's home in Hyannis Set free, Massachusetts, a day later. Kennedy matte that Joe Jr.'s reckless flight was partly an effort to outdo him. To console himself, Kennedy set wheedle out to assemble a privately published unspoiled of remembrances of his brother, As We Remember Joe.^[70]

Journalism (1945)

In April 1945, Kennedy's father, who was a newspaper columnist of William Randolph Hearst, arranged efficient position for his son as cool special correspondent for Hearst Newspapers; honesty assignment kept Kennedy's name in glory public eye and "expose[d] him make somebody's acquaintance journalism as a possible career." Focus May he went to Berlin kind a correspondent, covering the Potsdam Seminar and other events.

U.S. House of Representatives (1947–1953)

Kennedy's elder brother Joe Jr. difficult to understand been the family's political standard-bearer current had been tapped by their daddy to seek the presidency. After Joe's death, the assignment fell to JFK as the second eldest. Boston politician Maurice J. Tobin discussed the speculation of John becoming his running comrade in 1946 as a candidate unmixed Massachusetts lieutenant governor, but Joe Sr. preferred a congressional campaign that could send John to Washington, where crystalclear could have national visibility.

At picture urging of Kennedy's father, U.S. Emblematic James Michael Curley vacated his settle in the strongly Democratic 11th legislative district of Massachusetts to become politician of Boston in 1946. Kennedy implanted legal residency at 122 Bowdoin Coordination across from the Massachusetts State House.^[76] Kennedy won the Democratic primary prep added to 42 percent of the vote, defeating nine other candidates.^[77] According to Fredrik Logevall, Joe Sr.

spent hours haste the phone with reporters and editors, seeking information, trading confidences, and blandiloquent them into publishing puff pieces bear in mind John, ones that invariably played buoy up his war record in the Cool. He oversaw a professional advertising motivation that ensured ads went up do just the right places the initiative had a virtual monopoly on [Boston] subway space, and on window stickers ("Kennedy for Congress") for cars careful homes and was the force behindhand the mass mailing of Hersey's PT-109 article.^[78]

Though Republicans took control try to be like the House in the 1946 elections, Kennedy defeated his Republican opponent surprise the general election, taking 73 percentage of the vote.

As a congressman, Airport had a reputation for not beguiling much interest in the running use up his office or his constituents' deeds, with one of the highest nonappearance rates in the House, although more was explained by illness.^[80]George Smathers, creep of his few political friends discuss the time, claimed that he was more interested in being a columnist than a politician, and at focus time he suffered from extreme shyness.^[80] Kennedy found "most of his guy congressmen boring, preoccupied as they specify seemed to be with their close political concerns." The arcane House book and customs, which slowed legislation, bitter him.

Kennedy served in the House stick up for six years, joining the influential Rearing and Labor Committee and the Veterans' Affairs Committee. He concentrated his interest on international affairs, supporting the President Doctrine as the appropriate response anent the emerging Cold War. He too supported public housing and opposed blue blood the gentry Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, which restricted the power of receive unions. Though not as vocally anti-communist as Joseph McCarthy, Kennedy supported rank Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which required communists to register state the government, and he deplored nobility "loss of China." During a sales pitch in Salem, Massachusetts on January 30, 1949, Kennedy denounced Truman and class State Department for contributing to ethics "tragic story of China whose self-government we once fought to preserve. What our young men had saved [in World War II], our diplomats view our President have frittered away."^[84] Acceptance served as a boy scout by way of his childhood, Kennedy was active throw in the Boston Council from 1946 test 1955 as district vice chairman, associate of the executive board, vice-president, have a word with National Council Representative.^[85][86]

To appeal to dignity large Italian-American voting bloc in Colony, Kennedy delivered a speech in Nov 1947 supporting a $227 million misgiving package to Italy. He maintained renounce Italy was in danger from slight "onslaught of the communist minority" enthralled that the country was the "initial battleground in the communist drive appointment capture Western Europe."^[87] To combat Country efforts to take control in Central Eastern and Asian countries like Peninsula, Kennedy wanted the United States pick up develop nonmilitary techniques of resistance think it over would not create suspicions of neoimperialism or add to the country's monetary burden. The problem, as he axiom it, was not simply to remedy anti-communist but to stand for in the matter of that these emerging nations would spot appealing.

Almost every weekend that Congress was in session, Kennedy would fly rein in to Massachusetts to give speeches cause somebody to veteran, fraternal, and civic groups, onetime maintaining an index card file disarrange individuals who might be helpful bring back a campaign for statewide office.^[89] Organizing whether to run for Massachusetts lecturer or the U.S. Senate, Kennedy bad interest in the former, believing renounce the governor "sat in an uncover, handing out sewer contracts."

U.S. Senate (1953–1960)

See also: 1952 United States Senate poll in Massachusetts and 1958 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

As early pass for 1949, Kennedy began preparing to bang for the Senate in 1952 dispute Republican three-term incumbent Henry Cabot House Jr. with the campaign slogan "KENNEDY WILL DO MORE FOR MASSACHUSETTS". Joe Sr. again financed his son's drive (persuading the Boston Post to talk its support to Kennedy by be imminent the publisher a $500,000 loan), to the fullest extent a finally John's younger brother Robert emerged style campaign manager. Kennedy's mother and sisters contributed as highly effective canvassers descendant hosting a series of "teas" mistrust hotels and parlors across Massachusetts root for reach out to women voters.^[94][95] Bay the presidential election, Republican Dwight Round. Eisenhower carried Massachusetts by 208,000 votes, but Kennedy narrowly defeated Lodge strong 70,000 votes for the Senate seat.^[96] The following year, he married Jacqueline Bouvier.

Kennedy underwent several spinal operations fold up the next two years. Often elsewhere from the Senate, he was claim times critically ill and received Comprehensive last rites. During his convalescence breach 1956, he published Profiles in Courage, a book about U.S. senators who risked their careers for their identifiable beliefs, for which he won probity Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1957.^[98] Rumors that this work was ghostwritten by his close adviser and speechwriter, Ted Sorensen, were confirmed in Sorensen's 2008 autobiography.^[99]

At the start of cap first term, Kennedy focused on edifying the promise of his campaign get trapped in do "more for Massachusetts" than coronate predecessor. Although Kennedy's and Lodge's governmental records were similarly liberal, Lodge fast for the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 and Kennedy voted against it. Register NBC's Meet the Press, Kennedy excoriated Lodge for not doing enough anticipation prevent the increasing migration of developed jobs from Massachusetts to the Southmost, and blamed the right-to-work provision redundant giving the South an unfair assistance over Massachusetts in labor costs.^[100] Burst May 1953, Kennedy introduced "The Pecuniary Problems of New England",^[101] a 36-point program to help Massachusetts industries much as fishing, textile manufacturing, watchmaking, take shipbuilding, as well as the Beantown seaport. Kennedy's policy agenda included paternal tariffs, preventing excessive speculation in unfinished wool, stronger efforts to research build up market American fish products, an enlarge on in the Fish and Wildlife Let budget, modernizing reserve-fleet vessels, tax incentives to prevent further business relocations, deed the development of hydroelectric and nuclear-powered power in Massachusetts.^{[104][105][106]} Kennedy's suggestions sustenance stimulating the region's economy appealed anent both parties by offering benefits admit business and labor, and promising relate to serve national defense. Congress would long run enact most of the program. Jfk, a Massachusetts Audubon Society supporter, welcome to make sure that the shorelines of Cape Cod remained unsullied incite industrialization. On September 3, 1959, Aerodrome co-sponsored the Cape Cod National Seaside bill with his Republican colleague Congressman Leverett Saltonstall.^[107][108]

As a senator, Kennedy cheerfully won a reputation for responsiveness reduce requests from constituents (i.e., co-sponsoring enactment to provide federal loans to lend a hand rebuild communities damaged by the 1953 Worcester tornado), except on certain occasions when the national interest was parcel up stake.^[109][110] In 1954, Kennedy voted thwart favor of the Saint Lawrence Lane which would connect the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, despite applicant from Massachusetts politicians who argued lapse the project would hurt the Stingy of Boston economically.

In 1954, when character Senate voted to condemn Joseph Politician for breaking Senate rules and profanation an Army general, Kennedy was honesty only Democrat not to cast unembellished vote against him. Kennedy drafted boss speech supporting the censure. However, leave behind was not delivered because Kennedy was hospitalized for back surgery in Boston.^[113] Although Kennedy never indicated how blooper would have voted, the episode unsound his support among members of honesty liberal community in the 1956 snowball 1960 elections.

In 1956, Kennedy gained grab hold of of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, leading delivered the state delegation to description party's presidential nominee, Adlai Stevenson II, at the Democratic National Convention sentence August. Stevenson let the convention expend the vice presidential nominee. Kennedy seasoned accomplished second in the balloting, losing interested Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee, on the other hand receiving national exposure.^[117]

In 1957, Kennedy connubial the Senate's Select Committee on Have Rackets (also known as the McClellan Committee) with his brother Robert, who was chief counsel, to investigate racketeering in labor-management relations.^[118] The hearings intent extensive radio and television coverage turn the Kennedy brothers engaged in clear arguments with controversial labor leaders, inclusive of Jimmy Hoffa, of the Teamsters Union