John F. Kennedy (U.S. president)
John F. Kennedy (b. on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts) was the 35th president of the United States. He served from 1961 until his assassination on November 22, 1963.
Kennedy was a member of the Democratic Party. His vice president was Lyndon B. Johnson, who succeeded him upon his death.
Kennedy was president during the Cold War and dealt with a number of international situations during his presidency, including the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Prior to serving as president, Kennedy served in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. He also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.[1]
Biography
Timeline of life events
Below is an abbreviated outline of Kennedy's professional and political career:[1]
- 1917: Born in Brookline, Massachusetts
- 1940: Graduated from Harvard University
- 1941-1945: Served in the U.S. Navy during World War II
- 1947-1953: Served in the U.S. House of Representatives
- 1953-1960: Served in the U.S. Senate, representing Massachusetts
- 1960: Elected president of the United States
- 1961: Authorized the Bay of Pigs invasion
- 1961: Created the Peace Corps and the Alliance for Progress
- 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis occurs
- 1963: Negotiated the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, easing Cold War tensions
- 1963: Sent a civil rights bill to Congress, which eventually passed as the Civil Rights Act of 1964
- November 22, 1963: Died after being shot by Lee Harvey Oswald
Before the presidency
Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on May 29, 1917. He attended Harvard University and graduated in 1940. Kennedy enrolled in the U.S. Navy in 1941 and served until 1945. In 1943, his boat was rammed by a Japanese ship and split in half. Kennedy was injured and led the other survivors to an island, where they were later rescued. He was later awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for "extremely heroic conduct" and a Purple Heart following the incident.
Kennedy was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1947 and served for six years before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1953. He served in the Senate until he was elected President in 1960. Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard Nixon, receiving 50 percent of the popular vote to Nixons' 49.8 percent. Democratic senator Harry F. Byrd received the remaining 0.2 percent of the vote. Kennedy won a larger majority in the electoral votes, defeating Nixon 303-219. At age 43, Kennedy was the second youngest president in history, behind Theodore Roosevelt at age 42, and the first Catholic president.[1][2]
Presidency
Kennedy's presidency was dominated by foreign affairs issues in the Cold War era. Kennedy founded the Peace Corps as a volunteer program to assist people overseas. He also created the Alliance for Progress to increase economic ties with Latin America and stem the flow of communism in the region. In April 1961, Kennedy authorized the Bay of Pigs invasion in an attempt to overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro. The invasion was considered a failure.[1] The Berlin Wall was erected later that year, becoming the symbol of the Cold War.
Kennedy's greatest challenge came in 1962 with the Cuban Missile Crisis, which placed the world on the brink of nuclear war.[1] It was discovered that the Soviet Union had sent nuclear missiles to Cuba, which had the ability to strike the United States. Following this discovery, Kennedy ordered the island to be blockaded. To some analysts at the time, nuclear war seemed imminent. The crisis was ended when the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for Kennedy's promise not to invade Cuba, and to remove American missiles from Turkey. Cold War tensions were later eased when Kennedy negotiated the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with Great Britain and the Soviet Union in 1963.
Among Kennedy's domestic actions were proposed income tax cuts, minimum wage increases, and his announced goal of putting a man on the moon. Civil rights was also a major issue during his presidency, and Kennedy sent a civil rights bill to Congress in 1963, which would ultimately pass as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas. He was succeeded by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.[1]
Personal
Kennedy was married to Jacqueline Kennedy from 1953 until his death in 1963. Together they had three children: Caroline, John F. Kennedy Jr., and Patrick Kennedy.
Elections
1960 presidential election
In 1960, Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon (R) in the general election for the United States presidency.
| U.S. presidential election, 1960 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic |  John F. Kennedy/Lyndon Johnson |
50% | 34,220,984 | 303 | |
| Republican | Richard Nixon/Henry Lodge | 49.8% | 34,108,157 | 219 | |
| Democratic | Harry Byrd* | 0.2% | 116,248 | 15 | |
| Total Votes | 68,445,389 | 537 | |||
| Election results via: 1960 official election results | |||||
*15 electors chose to cast their vote for Virginia Senator Harry Byrd rather than the candidate they had pledged to vote for.[3]
Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1 percent of the vote. Those candidates included: Eric Haas, Rutherford Decker, Orval Faubus, Farrell Dobbs, Charles Sullivan, J. Bracken Lee, C. Benton Coiner, Lars Daly, Clennon King, and Merritt Curtis.[4]
State of the Union addresses
Every year in office, the president of the United States addresses Congress on the present state of affairs as well as the administration's goals for the coming year.[5] Following are pages with information on Kennedy's State of the Union addresses.
See also
External links
- Presidential Library and Museum website
- Official White House biography
- C-Span video on the Kennedy presidency
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Biography.com, "John F. Kennedy," accessed July 11, 2018
- ↑ 270towin.com, "1960 Presidential Election," accessed July 11, 2018
- ↑ 270 to win, "1960 Presidential election," accessed November 24, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "1960 Presidential Election Results," accessed November 21, 2015
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The President’s State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications," January 24, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) |
President of the United States 1961-1963 |
Succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson (D) |
| |||||||
