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Biography
President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was the 35th Presidentof the United States. Served as President: 1961­1963
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: John F. Kennedy by Cecil Stoughton, White House
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. JFK inspects Mercury capsule John F. Kennedy's Presidency by Cecil Stoughton, White House
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
John F. Kennedy by Aaron Shikler
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.