Page semi-protected John F. Kennedy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "JFK", "John Kennedy", and "Jack Kennedy" redirect here. For other uses, see JFK (disambiguation), John Kennedy (disambiguation), and Jack Kennedy (disambiguati on). John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, White House color photo portrait.jpg 35th President of the United States In office January 20, 1961 November 22, 1963 Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson Preceded by Dwight D. Eisenhower Succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson United States Senator from Massachusetts In office January 3, 1953 December 22, 1960 Preceded by Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. Succeeded by Benjamin A. Smith II Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 11th district In office January 3, 1947 January 3, 1953 Preceded by James Michael Curley Succeeded by Tip O'Neill Personal details Born John Fitzgerald Kennedy May 29, 1917 Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. Died November 22, 1963 (aged 46) Dallas, Texas, U.S. Resting place Arlington National Cemetery Political party Democratic Spouse(s) Jacqueline Bouvier (19531963; his death) Relations See Kennedy family Children 4, including Caroline Bouvier, John Jr., and Patrick Bouvier Parents Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Alma mater Harvard University (S.B.) Profession Politician Religion Roman Catholic Signature Cursive signature in ink Military service Allegiance United States of America Service/branch United States Navy Years of service 19411945 Rank US-O3 insignia.svg Lieutenant Unit Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 Battles/wars World War II Solomon Islands campaign Awards Navy and Marine Corps Medal ribbon.svg Navy & Marine Corps Medal Purple Heart BAR.svg Purple Heart American Defense Service ribbon.svg American Defense Service American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg American Campaign Asiatic-Pacific Campaign ribbon.svg Asiatic-Pacific Campaign (3 bronze service stars) World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg World War II Victory[1] John F. Kennedy, White House photo portrait, looking up.jpg This article is part of a series about John F. Kennedy U.S. Navy Service in WWII Why England Slept Profiles in Courage A Nation of Immigrants Family Career in the U.S. Congress Marriage to Jacqueline Bouvier President of the United States Campaign for the Presidency 1960 Inauguration Speech Presidency New Frontier Foreign Policy Doctrine "A Strategy of Peace" Bay of Pigs Cuban Missile Crisis Civil Rights Address Partial Nuclear Test Ban T reaty Clean Air Peace Corps "We choose to go to the Moon" Space programs Mercury Gemini Apollo Assassination and legacy November 22, 1963 State Funeral Eternal Flame Memorials Library Legacy John F Kennedy Signature 2.svg President of the United States v t e John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 November 22, 1963), commonly known as Jack Kennedy or by his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35 th President of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in N ovember 1963. Notable events that occurred during his presidency included the Ba y of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Polic e Week, the establishment of the Peace Corps, the Space Race, the building of th e Berlin Wall, the African-American Civil Rights Movement, and the increased U.S . involvement in the Vietnam War. After military service as commander of Motor Torpedo Boats PT-109 and PT-59 duri ng World War II in the South Pacific, Kennedy represented Massachusetts's 11th c ongressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1953 as a Democrat. Thereafter, he served in the U.S. Senate from that state from 1953 u ntil 1960. Kennedy defeated Vice President and Republican candidate Richard Nixo n in the 1960 U.S. Presidential Election. At age 43, he was the youngest man to have been elected to the office,[2][a] the second-youngest president (after Theo dore Roosevelt, who was 42 when he became president after the assassination of W illiam McKinley). Kennedy was the first person born in the 20th century to serve as president.[3] To date, Kennedy has been the only Roman Catholic president an d the only president to have won a Pulitzer Prize.[4] Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. Lee Harvey Oswal d was arrested that afternoon and charged with the crime that night. Jack Ruby s hot and killed Oswald two days later, before Oswald could be prosecuted. The FBI and the Warren Commission officially concluded that Oswald was the lone assassi n. The United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) agreed with the conclusion that Oswald fired the shots that killed the president, but also concluded that Kennedy was probably assassinated as the result of a conspiracy.[ 5] Since the 1960s, information concerning Kennedy's private life has come to light . Details of Kennedy's health problems with which he struggled have become bette r known, especially since the 1990s. Although initially kept secret from the gen eral public, reports of Kennedy being unfaithful in marriage have garnered much press. Kennedy ranks highly in historians' polls of U.S. presidents, although a slight gap exists between his public reputation and his standing among academics ,[6] with the public generally more commendatory. Contents [hide] 1 Early life and education 2 Military service (194145) 3 Congressional career 3.1 U.S. House of Representatives (19471953) 3.2 U.S. Senate (19531960) 4 1960 presidential election 5 Presidency (19611963) 5.1 Foreign policy 5.1.1 Cuba and the Bay of Pigs Invasion 5.1.2 Cuban Missile Crisis 5.1.3 Latin America and communism 5.1.4 Peace Corps 5.1.5 Southeast Asia 5.1.6 American University speech 5.1.7 West Berlin speech 5.1.8 Israel 5.1.9 Iraq 5.1.10 Ireland 5.1.11 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 5.2 Domestic policy 5.2.1 Economy 5.2.2 Federal and military death penalty 5.2.3 Civil rights 5.2.4 Civil liberties 5.2.5 Immigration 5.2.6 Native American relations 5.3 Space policy 5.3.1 Cap over the Wall speech at Brooks AFB 5.3.2 Excerpt from "Cap Over the Wall" speech, 21 November 1963 6 Assassination 6.1 Funeral 7 Administration, Cabinet, and judicial appointments 196163 7.1 Judicial appointments 7.1.1 Supreme Court 7.1.2 Other courts 8 Image, social life, and family 8.1 Children 8.2 "Camelot Era" 8.3 Health 8.4 Personal tragedies 8.5 Extramarital relationships 9 Ancestry 10 Legacy 10.1 Eponyms 10.2 Memorials 11 Coat of arms 12 Media 13 See also 14 Notes 15 References 16 Bibliography 17 Further reading 17.1 Primary sources 17.2 Historiography and memory 18 External links Early life and education John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born at 83 Beals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts, on May 29, 1917,[7] to businessman/politician Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Sr. (18881969) and philanthropist/socialite Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald-Kennedy (189019 95). His father was the oldest son of businessman/politician Patrick Joseph "P. J." Kennedy (18581929) and Mary Augusta Hickey-Kennedy (18571923). His mother was the daughter of Boston Mayor John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald (18631950) and Mary Josephine "Josie" Hannon-Fitzgerald (18651964). All four of his grandparents were the children of immigrants from Ireland.[1] His brothers were Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Jr. (19151944), Robert Francis "B obby" Kennedy (19251968), and Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (19322009). Joseph Jr. wa s killed in action during World War II. Robert was JFK's attorney general and th en a senator; Ted was a long serving senator from 1962 until his death in 2009. His sisters were Rose Marie "Rosemary" Kennedy (19182005), Kathleen Agnes "Kick" Kennedy (19201948), Eunice Mary Kennedy (19212009), Patricia Helen "Pat" Kennedy ( 19242006), and Jean Ann Kennedy (born 1928). Kennedy lived in Brookline for 10 years and attended the Edward Devotion School, the Noble and Greenough Lower School, and the Dexter School through 4th grade. In 1927, the Kennedy family moved to a stately twenty-room Georgian-style mansio n at 5040 Independence Avenue (across the street from Wave Hill) in the Hudson H ill neighborhood of Riverdale, Bronx, New York City. Kennedy attended the River Campus of Riverdale Country School, a private school for boys, from 5th-7th grad e. Two years later, they moved to 294 Pondfield Road in the New York City suburb of Bronxville, New York, where Kennedy was a member of Scout Troop 2.[1] The Ke nnedy family spent summers at their home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts and Chris tmas and Easter holidays at their winter home in Palm Beach, Florida. In Septemb er 1930, Kennedynow 13 years oldattended the Canterbury School in New Milford, Con necticut. In late April 1931, he required an appendectomy, after which he withdr ew from Canterbury and recuperated at home.[8] The Kennedy family at Hyannisport in 1931 with Jack at top left in white shirt. Ted was born the following year. In September 1931, Kennedy was sent to the The Choate School in Wallingford, Con necticut for 9th through 12th grade. His older brother had already been at Choat e for two years as a football player and leading student. He spent his first yea rs at Choate in his older brother's shadow, and compensated for this with rebell ious behavior which attracted a coterie. Their most notorious stunt was to explo de a toilet seat with a powerful firecracker. In the ensuing chapel assembly, th e strict headmaster George St. John brandished the toilet seat and spoke of cert ain "muckers" who would "spit in our sea". The defiant Kennedy took the cue and named his group The Muckers Club, which included roommate and friend Kirk LeMoyn e "Lem" Billings.[9] During his Choate years, Kennedy was beset by health problems that culminated in 1934 with his emergency hospitalization at Yale New Haven Hospital where doctor s thought he might have leukemia.[10] In June 1934, he was admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, the ultimate diagnosis there was colitis.[10] Ke nnedy graduated from Choate in June of the following year.