American Visionary: John F. Kennedy’s Life and Times Organized by Wiener Schiller Productions in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Curated by Lawrence Schiller Project Coordinator: Susan Bloom All images are 11 x 14 inches All frames are 17 x 20 inches 1.1 The Making of JFK John “Jack” Fitzgerald Kennedy at Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts, circa 1918. Photographer unknown (Corbis/Getty Images) The still-growing Kennedy family spent summers in Hull, Massachusetts on the Boston Harbor up to the mid-1920s, before establishing the family compound in Hyannis Port. 1.2 The Making of JFK A young Jack in the ocean, his father nearby, early 1920s. Photographer Unknown (John F. Kennedy Library Foundation) Kennedy’s young life was punctuated with bouts of illness, but he was seen by his teachers as a tenacious boy who played hard. He developed a great love of reading early, with a special interest in British and European history. 1.3 The Making of JFK Joseph Kennedy with sons Jack (left) and Joseph Patrick Jr., Brookline, Massachusetts, 1919. Photographer Unknown (John F. Kennedy Library Foundation) In 1919 Joe Kennedy began his career as stockbroker, following a position as bank president which he assumed in 1913 at age twenty-five. By 1935, his wealth had grown to $180 million; the equivalent to just over $3 billion today. Page 1 Updated 3/7/17 1.4 The Making of JFK The Kennedy children, June, 1926. Photographer Unknown (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) Left to right: Joe Jr., Jack, Rose Marie, Kathleen, and Eunice, taken the year Joe Kennedy Sr. rented the family summer home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. 1.5 The Making of JFK Traveling Europe on break from college, The Hague, 1937. Photographer Unknown (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) During prep school Kennedy’s instructors often remarked that he was a disorganized student whose work rarely matched his abilities, but an astute housemaster noted, “…when he grows up enough to gain seriousness of purpose, he will make a real contribution.” 1.6 The Making of JFK The Kennedy family at home, Bronxville, New York, 1937. Bradford Bachrach (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) Left to right: Joe Sr., Pat, Jack, Jean, Eunice, Bobby, Kathleen, Teddy, Rosemary, Joe Jr., and Rose. 1.7 The Making of JFK Vatican City, 1939. Photographer Unknown (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) During Joe Sr.’s service as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, the Kennedy family attends the coronation of Pope Pius XII. Later that year, JFK would spend his second college semester working at the American embassy in Paris, and travel to Poland, Moscow, and Berlin. Page 2 Updated 3/7/17 1.8 The Making of JFK On the dance floor, London, 1939. Peter Hunter (Magnum Photos) Eunice Kennedy’s eighteenth birthday party, during the family’s extended stay at the Embassy residence. While Joseph Kennedy was Ambassador to Britain, the whole family enjoyed a privileged social and diplomatic life. 1.9 The Making of JFK Harvard University graduation, Cambridge, Massachusetts, June, 1940. Photographer Unknown (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) In prep school, the highest grade Kennedy received in public speaking was, remarkably, C+. At Harvard, Jack excelled; he made the Dean’s list, graduated cum laude, and published his senior thesis under the title of Why England Slept, which was a bestseller. 1.10 The Making of JFK Lieutenant Kennedy, Solomon Islands, South Pacific, 1943. Photographer Unknown (Corbis Historical/Getty Images) When Kennedy applied to the U.S. Army’s Officer Candidate School, he was rejected due to back problems, ulcers, and asthma. A year later, he was granted an exception and joined the U.S. Naval Reserve, which led to his position as commander of the patrol torpedo boat PT-109. Page 3 Updated 3/7/17 1.11 The Making of JFK Navy Marine Corps medal ceremony, Boston, Massachusetts, June 12, 1944. Photographer Unknown (Bettmann/Getty Images) On his thirty-first mission, a Japanese destroyer sank Kennedy’s torpedo boat in the South Pacific. Two members of his crew died; Kennedy led the rest to safety, and was awarded the Navy Marine Corps Medal for “extremely heroic conduct as Commanding Officer.” 1.12 The Making of JFK Photo booth portrait, 1953. N/A (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) The Senator and his new wife pose in an automated photo booth, possibly taken during their honeymoon. Before accepting his marriage proposal, Jackie, an avid equestrienne, confided to a friend that she might actually be marrying a man who was allergic to horses, something she’d normally never have considered. 1.13 The Making of JFK Jack and Jackie stroll Georgetown with Ethel Kennedy, Washington, D.C., May 8, 1954. Orlando Suero (Ullstein Bild/Getty Images) Prior to meeting Jack, Bouvier worked for the Washington Times-Herald as reporter and photographer for a daily Q&A feature. She’d studied at the University of Grenoble in France, the Sorbonne in Paris, and had earned a BA in French literature from George Washington University. Page 4 Updated 3/7/17 1.14 The Making of JFK Wedding day, Newport, Rhode Island, September 12, 1953. Lisa Larsen (The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images) By the time they married, Senator Kennedy was receiving considerable attention from the national press. Their wedding was the social event of the season, attended by 1,200 guests, among them diplomats, senators, and notable members of old-guard society, and reportedly drew two thousand spectators outside the church. 1.15 The Making of JFK With daughter Caroline, Georgetown, Washington, D.C., March 25, 1958. Ed Clark (The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images) Two years before JFK announced his presidential run, The North American Newspaper Alliance broke the news of Jackie’s pregnancy, writing, “A vital element has been added to the well-planned and generously financed campaign to make Senator Jack Kennedy President of the United States.” 1.16 The Making of JFK Kennedy for Congress headquarters, Boston, Massachusetts, September, 1946. Photographer Unknown (, The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images) The 28-year-old son of a millionaire with no first-hand experience in politics was an unlikely candidate for Massachusetts’ blue-collar Eleventh District, but Joe Sr.’s promotional savvy and political connections provided an edge that was surpassed only by JFK’s reputation as a war hero. 1.17 The Making of JFK The congressman films a commercial for his 1952 Senate run. Yale Joel (The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images) As Senator, Kennedy was a strong supporter of housing legislation for lower-income Americans, and introduced a bill to raise the minimum wage. It was during this period that he worked on his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Profiles in Courage. Page 5 Updated 3/7/17 1.18 The Making of JFK Campaign event, Worcester, Massachusetts, May 18, 1952. Photographer Unknown (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) Recuperating from back surgery, the congressman greets women at a campaign tea with sisters Pat and Eunice, and mother Rose. The Kennedy women were valuable in facilitating female voter outreach in all JFK’s elections; local, state, and national. 1.19 The Making of JFK First-year congressman, age twenty-eight, with a longshoremen’s union official, Boston, 1946. Photographer Unknown (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) Kennedy was initially ambivalent about running for public office, but a motivated Joe Sr. helped lead Jack’s way toward a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served three terms. 1.20 The Making of JFK The McClellan Committee hearings, Washington, D.C., March, 1957. Photographer Unknown (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) Foreign affairs and domestic labor issues were Kennedy’s primary legislative interests while Senator; famously investigating corruption within American labor unions on The McClellan Committee, which demonstrated his abilities as a lawmaker. His brother Robert served as chief council. 1.21 The Making of JFK The Democratic National Convention, Chicago, Illinois, August 16, 1956. Photographer Unknown (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) Kennedy among his supporters at the Democratic National Convention, where he lost that year’s bid for Vice President. Nonetheless, the exposure put him on a national stage; recognition he would build upon into his 1960 presidential campaign. Page 6 Updated 3/7/17 1.22 The Making of JFK An “unofficial” campaign visit to Coos Bay, Oregon, 1959. Jacques Lowe (The Jacques Lowe Estate) By the time Kennedy formally announced his presidential run in 1960, he’d been campaigning for his party’s nomination for nearly three years. This was a strategic and necessary effort; he was considered a long shot in a crowded field of favored Democratic competitors. 1.23 The Making of JFK Senator Kennedy and fiancée Jacqueline Bouvier, Life magazine photo shoot, Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, June 1953. Hy Peskin (Archive Photos/Getty Images) From the moment they announced their engagement, Jack and Jackie were a couple to watch, in no small part due to the efforts of Joe Kennedy, who astutely understood the power of an image and the importance of the press. 1.24 The Making of JFK Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, 1957. Philippe Halsman (Magnum Photos) His experience on the committees for Foreign Relations and Labor and Public Welfare while serving as Senator helped Kennedy develop and refine the ideology that would lead his presidential campaign. Page 7 Updated 3/7/17 2.1 The Road to the White House Walking the pier, Nantucket, Massachusetts, July 19, 1960. Photographer Unknown (Bettmann/Getty Images) Just days after a decisive win at the Democratic National Convention with over fifty percent of the vote to become the party’s nominee, The Kennedys catch the attention of well-wishers as they head to their yacht, Marlin, for a cruise on the Nantucket Sound.