John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his death in 1963.Kennedy oversaw the beginning of the USA's involvement in the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Space Race by assigning the federal government to meet the goal of landing a man on the moon, the building of the Berlin Wall, the creation of the Peace Corps and the Alliance for Progress in Latin America.

John F. Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was the second of nine children of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. He was known as Jack. Growing up, Joe and Rose Kennedy were among the wealthiest and most influential Irish Catholic political families in Boston. Jack’s father, Joe Kennedy, was an extremely successful businessman who made a fortune on Wall Street. Like his oldest brother Joe Jr., who was born in 1915, Jack suffered from several chronic health problems throughout his childhood and teenage years, including colitis, scarlet fever, and, later, a rare endocrine disorder called Addison’s disease.

Despite his health issues, Jack enjoyed the privileged life of an aristocratic young man. He attended private schools such as Canterbury and Choate and spent his summers in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod. He graduated from Harvard University in 1940, just as the United States was on the brink of entering World War II. Joe Kennedy’s early support of Franklin D. Roosevelt earned him a position as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1934, and Roosevelt named him U.S. ambassador to Great Britain in 1937.

While his father traveled for work, Jack took advantage of his new status as “ambassador’s son,” touring Europe with his father and meeting world leaders. His trip informed his classwork at Harvard, where he wrote his senior thesis around the idea that Great Britain was unprepared for war. His thesis was later published in 1940 as the acclaimed book Why England Slept.

Kennedy wanted to join the U.S. Navy as soon as the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After lengthy medical evaluations, he finally was accepted in late 1942. Two years later, Kennedy was sent to the South Pacific. There, he was put in charge of a Patrol-Torpedo (PT) boat.

In August 1943, a Japanese destroyer struck the PT-109 Jack commanded. Jack and his crew were stranded in the Solomon Islands for days. Although several of the men were badly injured, and one was killed outright by the crash, Jack helped the wounded men to safety.

Because he swam several miles through dangerous ocean waters to attract help, Jack was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for gallantry. His oldest brother and the crown prince of the Kennedy dynasty, Joe Jr., did not fare as well. On August 12, 1944, Joe Jr.’s Navy airplane exploded in flight, killing him. Joe Sr. allegedly told John that it was his duty to fulfill Joe Jr.’s destiny-to become the first Catholic president of the United States.

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