Marshall University Marshall Digital Scholar Theses, Dissertations and Capstones 2004 John F. Kennedy and West Virginia, 1960-1963 Anthony W. Ponton Follow this and additional works at: http://mds.marshall.edu/etd Part of the American Politics Commons, Election Law Commons, Political History Commons, Political Theory Commons, Politics Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Ponton, Anthony W., "John F. Kennedy and West Virginia, 1960-1963" (2004). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. Paper 789. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Marshall Digital Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Marshall Digital Scholar. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. John F. Kennedy and West Virginia, 1960-1963. Thesis Submitted to The Graduate College of Marshall University In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts, Department of History by Anthony W. Ponton Dr. Frank Riddel, Committee Chairperson Dr. Robert Sawrey Dr. Paul Lutz Marshall University April 27, 2004 Abstract John F. Kennedy and West Virginia, 1960-1963 By Anthony W. Ponton In 1960, John F. Kennedy, a wealthy New England Catholic, traveled to a rural, Protestant state to contend in an election that few thought he could win. While many scholars have examined the impact of Kennedy’s victory in the West Virginia primary, few have analyzed the importance that his visit to the state in 1960 and his ensuing administration had on West Virginia. Kennedy enacted a number of policies directed specifically toward relieving the poverty that had plagued West Virginia since statehood.