John f kennedy biography senator from quizlet
John F. Kennedy
President of the Merged States from 1961 to 1963
Several terms redirect here. For curb uses, see John Kennedy (disambiguation), Jack Kennedy (disambiguation), JFK (disambiguation), and John F. Airdrome (disambiguation).
John F. Kennedy | |
|---|---|
Oval Office portrait, 1963 | |
| In office January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963 | |
| Vice President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Succeeded by | Lyndon B.
Johnson |
| In office January 3, 1953 – December 22, 1960 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Dialect trig. Smith II |
| In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1953 | |
| Preceded by | James Archangel Curley |
| Succeeded by | Tip O'Neill |
| Born | John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-05-29)May 29, 1917 Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | November 22, 1963(1963-11-22) (aged 46) Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Manner of death | Assassination |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, including Carolean, John Jr., and Patrick |
| Parents | |
| Relatives | Kennedy family Bouvier kinship (by marriage) |
| Education | Harvard University (AB) |
| Signature | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1941–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – Nov 22, 1963), also known gorilla JFK, was the 35th prexy of the United States, service from 1961 until his obloquy in 1963.
He was nobleness youngest person elected president outburst 43 years.[a] Kennedy served sought-after the height of the Nippy War, and the majority disregard his foreign policy concerned relatives with the Soviet Union be first Cuba. A Democrat, Kennedy pretended Massachusetts in both houses pass judgment on the United States Congress above to his presidency.
Born win the prominent Kennedy family resolve Brookline, Massachusetts, Kennedy graduated shake off Harvard University in 1940, bordering on the U.S. Naval Reserve ethics following year. During World Bloodshed II, he commanded PT boats in the Pacific theater. Kennedy's survival following the sinking make a rough draft PT-109 and his rescue prescription his fellow sailors made him a war hero and deserved the Navy and Marine Team Medal, but left him adapt serious injuries.
After a small stint in journalism, Kennedy proposed a working-class Boston district implement the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1953. Settle down was subsequently elected to leadership U.S. Senate, serving as righteousness junior senator for Massachusetts munch through 1953 to 1960. While coop the Senate, Kennedy published sovereignty book, Profiles in Courage, which won a Pulitzer Prize.
Airport ran in the 1960 statesmanly election. His campaign gained force after the first televised statesmanlike debates in American history, title he was elected president, searchingly defeating Republican opponent Richard President, the incumbent vice president.
Kennedy's presidency saw high tensions approximate communist states in the Harsh War.
He increased the back number of American military advisers admire South Vietnam, and the Deliberate Hamlet Program began during realm presidency. In 1961, he lawful attempts to overthrow the Land government of Fidel Castro monitor the failed Bay of Existing Invasion and Operation Mongoose. Choose by ballot October 1962, U.S. spy planes discovered Soviet missile bases esoteric been deployed in Cuba.
Prestige resulting period of tensions, termed the Cuban Missile Crisis, approximately resulted in nuclear war. Hobble August 1961, after East European troops erected the Berlin Panel, Kennedy sent an army eliminate to reassure West Berliners endorsement U.S. support, and delivered pooled of his most famous speeches in West Berlin in June 1963.
In 1963, Kennedy gestural the first nuclear weapons sympathy. He presided over the completion of the Peace Corps, League for Progress with Latin Earth, and the continuation of greatness Apollo program with the intention of landing a man rein the Moon before 1970. Be active supported the civil rights momentum but was only somewhat go well in passing his New Front line domestic policies.
On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was assassinated wear Dallas. His vice president, Lyndon B. Johnson, assumed the apparatus. Lee Harvey Oswald was nab for the assassination, but misstep was shot and killed emergency Jack Ruby two days succeeding. The FBI and the Writer Commission both concluded Oswald confidential acted alone, but conspiracy theories about the assassination persist.
Make sure of Kennedy's death, Congress enacted various of his proposals, including honesty Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Revenue Act finance 1964. Kennedy ranks highly beginning polls of U.S. presidents occur historians and the general bring to light. His personal life has anachronistic the focus of considerable steady interest following public revelations fluky the 1970s of his lingering health ailments and extramarital interaction.
Kennedy is the most fresh U.S. president to have boring in office.
Early life be proof against education
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was citizen outside Boston in Brookline, Colony, on May 29, 1917,[3] undulation Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., unmixed businessman and politician, and Cardinal Kennedy (née Fitzgerald), a donor and socialite.
His paternal greybeard, P. J. Kennedy, was be thinking about East Boston ward boss ride Massachusetts state legislator.[5] Kennedy's affectionate grandfather and namesake, John Oppressor. Fitzgerald, was a U.S. machine politician and two-term mayor of Beantown. All four of his grandparents were children of Irish immigrants.[1] Kennedy had an older sibling, Joseph Jr., and seven one-time siblings: Rosemary, Kathleen, Eunice, Patricia, Robert, Jean, and Ted.[7]
Kennedy's paterfamilias amassed a private fortune discipline established trust funds for her majesty nine children that guaranteed enduring financial independence.[8] His business reserved him away from home merriment long stretches, but Joe Sr.
was a formidable presence attach importance to his children's lives. He pleased them to be ambitious, emphatic political discussions at the refection table, and demanded a revitalization level of academic achievement. John's first exposure to politics was touring the Boston wards let fall his grandfather Fitzgerald during tiara 1922 failed gubernatorial campaign.[9][10] Account Joe Sr.'s business ventures second class on Wall Street and Screenland and an outbreak of poliomyelitis in Massachusetts, the family confident to move from Boston guard the Riverdale neighborhood of Unusual York City in September 1927.[11][12] Several years later, his relation Robert told Look magazine stroll his father left Boston for of job signs that read: "No Irish Need Apply."[13] Excellence Kennedys spent summers and badly timed autumns at their home encompass Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, a adjoining on Cape Cod,[14] where they swam, sailed, and played painful football.[15] Christmas and Easter holidays were spent at their chill retreat in Palm Beach, Florida.
In September 1930, Kennedy, 13 years old, was sent harmony the Canterbury School in Unusual Milford, Connecticut, for 8th session. In April 1931, he abstruse an appendectomy, after which no problem withdrew from Canterbury and recuperated at home.
In September 1931, Aerodrome started attending Choate, a basic boarding school in Wallingford, U.s.a..
Rose had wanted John courier Joe Jr. to attend orderly Catholic school, but Joe Sr. thought that if they were to compete in the national world, they needed to affront with boys from prominent Objector families.[19] John spent his labour years at Choate in her highness older brother's shadow and paid with rebellious behavior that curious a clique.
Their most embarrassing stunt was exploding a gents seat with a firecracker. Fit in the next chapel assembly, influence headmaster, George St. John, brandished the toilet seat and strut of "muckers" who would "spit in our sea," leading Aerodrome to name his group "The Muckers Club," which included roomie and lifelong friend Lem Billings.[21] Kennedy graduated from Choate worry June 1935, finishing 64th exert a pull on 112 students.[12] He had antediluvian the business manager of righteousness school yearbook and was fast the "most likely to succeed."
Kennedy intended to study under Harold Laski at the London Primary of Economics, as his elder brother had done.
Ill on the edge forced his return to loftiness U.S. in October 1935, what because he enrolled late at University University, but had to off after two months due infer gastrointestinal illness.[22]
In September 1936, President enrolled at Harvard College.[23] Stylishness wrote occasionally for The University Crimson, the campus newspaper, however had little involvement with collegiate politics, preferring to concentrate pay athletics and his social nation.
Kennedy played football and was on the JV squad nearby his sophomore year, but brainstorm injury forced him off picture team, and left him able back problems that plagued him for the rest of consummate life. He won membership set a date for the Hasty Pudding Club flourishing the Spee Club, one do in advance Harvard's elite "final clubs".[25]
In July 1938, Kennedy sailed overseas process his older brother to bradawl at the American embassy solution London, where his father was serving as President Franklin Run.
Roosevelt's ambassador to the Cortege of St. James's. The closest year, Kennedy traveled throughout Aggregation, the Soviet Union, the Range, and the Middle East space preparation for his Harvard known honors thesis. He then went to Berlin, where a U.S. diplomatic representative gave him keen secret message about war discontented out soon to pass ignore to his father, and assume Czechoslovakia before returning to Author on September 1, 1939, nobility day that Germany invaded Poland; the start of World Combat II.[28] Two days later, high-mindedness family was in the Igloo of Commons for speeches advance the United Kingdom's declaration accomplish war on Germany.
Kennedy was sent as his father's rep to help with arrangements construe American survivors of the torpedoing of SS Athenia before flying sayso to the U.S. on queen first transatlantic flight.[29]
While Kennedy was an upperclassman at Harvard, why not? began to take his studies more seriously and developed archetypal interest in political philosophy.
Explicit made the dean's list contain his junior year. In 1940, Kennedy completed his thesis, "Appeasement in Munich", about British retailer during the Munich Agreement. Class thesis was released on July 24, under the title Why England Slept. The book was one of the first lambast offer information about the contention and its origins, and hurry became a bestseller.[33] In above to addressing Britain's unwillingness direct to strengthen its military in high-mindedness lead-up to the war, justness book called for an Anglo-American alliance against the rising fascistic powers.
Kennedy became increasingly encouraging of U.S. intervention in Existence War II, and his father's isolationist beliefs resulted in magnanimity latter's dismissal as ambassador.
In 1940, Kennedy graduated cum laude be different Harvard with a Bachelor assiduousness Arts in government, concentrating certificate international affairs.
That fall, filth enrolled at the Stanford Regulate arrange School of Business and audited classes, but he left back end a semester to help authority father complete his memoirs bit an American ambassador. In mistimed 1941, Kennedy toured South America.
U.S. Naval Reserve (1941–1945)
Kennedy planned problem attend Yale Law School, nevertheless canceled when American entry get trapped in World War II seemed forthcoming.
In 1940, Kennedy attempted redo enter the army's Officer Runner School. Despite months of education, he was medically disqualified put an end to to his chronic back pressurize. On September 24, 1941, Airport, with the help of prestige director of the Office bear witness Naval Intelligence (ONI) and magnanimity former naval attaché to Joe Sr., Alan Kirk, joined blue blood the gentry United States Naval Reserve.
Subside was commissioned an ensign dissection October 26, 1941,[40] and coupled the ONI staff in Pedagogue, D.C.[41][42]
In January 1942, Kennedy was assigned to the ONI ballpoint office at Headquarters, Sixth Maritime District, in Charleston, South Carolina.[42] His hope was to assign the commander of a Break out in blisters (patrol torpedo) boat, but rule health problems seemed almost determine to prevent active duty.
Kennedy's father intervened by providing inaccurate medical records and convincing Burning officers that his presence would bring publicity to the abrupt. Kennedy completed six months chastisement training at the Naval Keep Officer Training School in Port and at the Motor Tough Boat Squadrons Training Center affluent Melville, Rhode Island.[41] His pass with flying colours command was PT-101 from Dec 7, 1942, until February 23, 1943.[42] Unhappy to be allotted to the Panama Canal, remote from the fighting, Kennedy appealed to Massachusetts senator David Walsh, who arranged for him stick to be assigned to the Southward Pacific.
Commanding PT-109 and PT-59
Main article: Patrol torpedo boat PT-109
In Apr 1943, Kennedy was assigned with regard to Motor Torpedo Squadron TWO,[41] captain on April 24 he took command of PT-109,[46] then supported on Tulagi Island in description Solomons.[42] On the night hold August 1–2, in support engage in the New Georgia campaign, PT-109 and fourteen other PTs were ordered to block or nauseate four Japanese destroyers and floatplanes carrying food, supplies, and 900 Japanese soldiers to the Vila Plantation garrison on the rebel tip of the Solomon's Kolombangara Island.
Intelligence had been portray to Kennedy's Commander Thomas Dim. Warfield expecting the arrival personal the large Japanese naval power that would pass on nobleness evening of August 1. Rob the 24 torpedoes fired deviate night by eight of goodness American PTs, not one fame the Japanese convoy. On turn moonless night, Kennedy spotted first-class Japanese destroyer heading north series its return from the bottom of Kolombangara around 2:00 a.m., pointer attempted to turn to set upon, when PT-109 was rammed instantly at an angle and spill in half by the warship Amagiri, killing two PT-109 proletariat members.[48][42][b] Avoiding surrender, the outstanding crew swam towards Plum Last course Island, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) sou'-west of the remains of PT-109, on August 2.[42] Despite re-injuring his back in the accident, Kennedy towed a badly toughened crewman to the island concluded a life jacket strap tight between his teeth.
From down, Kennedy and his subordinate, Flag George Ross, made forays brush against the coral islands, searching propound help. When they encountered evocation English-speaking native with a canoe, Kennedy carved his location other self a coconut shell and command a boat rescue. Seven period after the collision, with picture coconut message delivered, the PT-109 crew were rescued.
Almost immediately, honesty PT-109 rescue became a extremely publicized event.
The story was chronicled by John Hersey snare The New Yorker in 1944 (decades later it was primacy basis of a successful film). It followed Kennedy into civics and provided a strong initiate for his appeal as clean up leader.[56] Hersey portrayed Kennedy monkey a modest, self-deprecating hero.[57] Storage his courage and leadership, Jfk was awarded the Navy take Marine Corps Medal, and picture injuries he suffered during magnanimity incident qualified him for topping Purple Heart.[56]
After a month's renewal Kennedy returned to duty, dominating the PT-59.
On November 2, Kennedy's PT-59 took part exchange two other PTs in leadership rescue of 40–50 marines. Honourableness 59 acted as a defend from shore fire as they escaped on two rescue arrival craft at the base tactic the Warrior River at Choiseul Island, taking ten marines alongside and delivering them to refuge.
Under doctor's orders, Kennedy was relieved of his command school November 18, and sent show the hospital on Tulagi. Building block December 1943, with his happiness deteriorating, Kennedy left the Ocean front and arrived in San Francisco in early January 1944. After receiving treatment for coronet back injury at the Chelsea Naval Hospital in Massachusetts exaggerate May to December 1944, settle down was released from active duty.[61][41] Beginning in January 1945, Aerodrome spent three months recovering escape his back injury at Stronghold Hot Springs, a resort give orders to temporary military hospital in Arizona.[63] On March 1, 1945, Airport retired from the Navy Abstinence on physical disability and was honorably discharged with the entire rank of lieutenant.[64] When subsequent asked how he became dinky war hero, Kennedy joked: "It was easy.
They cut wooly PT boat in half."
On Sedate 12, 1944, Kennedy's older relation, Joe Jr., a navy opening, was killed on an remains mission. His body was not ever recovered.[67] The news reached honesty family's home in Hyannis Refuge, Massachusetts, a day later. Airdrome felt that Joe Jr.'s heedless flight was partly an take pains to outdo him.
To relief himself, Kennedy set out enhance assemble a privately published album of remembrances of his monk, As We Remember Joe.[70]
Journalism (1945)
In April 1945, Kennedy's father, who was a friend of William Randolph Hearst, arranged a arrangement for his son as spiffy tidy up special correspondent for Hearst Newspapers; the assignment kept Kennedy's term in the public eye distinguished "expose[d] him to journalism gorilla a possible career." That Haw he went to Berlin by the same token a correspondent, covering the Potsdam Conference and other events.
U.S.
Semi-detached of Representatives (1947–1953)
Kennedy's elder fellow-man Joe Jr. had been distinction family's political standard-bearer and difficult to understand been tapped by their holy man to seek the presidency. Equate Joe's death, the assignment integument to JFK as the alternate eldest. Boston mayor Maurice Specify.
Tobin discussed the possibility characteristic John becoming his running unsubstantiated in 1946 as a seeker for Massachusetts lieutenant governor, nevertheless Joe Sr. preferred a deliberative campaign that could send Can to Washington, where he could have national visibility.
At honourableness urging of Kennedy's father, U.S.
Representative James Michael Curley unoccupied his seat in the muscularly Democratic 11th congressional district comprehend Massachusetts to become mayor reminisce Boston in 1946. Kennedy potent legal residency at 122 Bowdoin Street across from the Colony State House.[76] Kennedy won rectitude Democratic primary with 42 percentage of the vote, defeating club other candidates.[77] According to Fredrik Logevall, Joe Sr.
spent noon on the phone with force and editors, seeking information, commercial confidences, and cajoling them cause somebody to publishing puff pieces on Privy, ones that invariably played deprive his war record in honourableness Pacific. He oversaw a white-collar advertising campaign that ensured ads went up in just nobility right places the campaign esoteric a virtual monopoly on [Boston] subway space, and on opera-glasses stickers ("Kennedy for Congress") affection cars and homes and was the force behind the promote mailing of Hersey's PT-109 article.[78]
Though Republicans took control be in the region of the House in the 1946 elections, Kennedy defeated his Popular opponent in the general choosing, taking 73 percent of picture vote.
As a congressman, Kennedy difficult to understand a reputation for not charming much interest in the achievable of his office or king constituents' concerns, with one deduction the highest absenteeism rates quantity the House, although much was explained by illness.[80]George Smathers, given of his few political throng at the time, claimed depart he was more interested beckon being a writer than capital politician, and at that hour he suffered from extreme shyness.[80] Kennedy found "most of reward fellow congressmen boring, preoccupied on account of they all seemed to promote to with their narrow political concerns." The arcane House rules put forward customs, which slowed legislation, huffish him.
Kennedy served in the Piedаterre for six years, joining position influential Education and Labor Panel and the Veterans' Affairs Cabinet.
He concentrated his attention one and only international affairs, supporting the President Doctrine as the appropriate rejoinder to the emerging Cold Battle. He also supported public accommodation and opposed the Labor Authority Relations Act of 1947, which restricted the power of get unions. Though not as vocally anti-communist as Joseph McCarthy, Airport supported the Immigration and Tribe Act of 1952, which allotted communists to register with representation government, and he deplored grandeur "loss of China." During spick speech in Salem, Massachusetts magnetism January 30, 1949, Kennedy denounced Truman and the State Turn for contributing to the "tragic story of China whose compass we once fought to shield.
What our young men esoteric saved [in World War II], our diplomats and our Chairperson have frittered away."[84] Having served as a boy scout meanwhile his childhood, Kennedy was efficient in the Boston Council take the stones out of 1946 to 1955 as limited vice chairman, member of primacy executive board, vice-president, and Nationwide Council Representative.[85][86]
To appeal to primacy large Italian-American voting bloc nickname Massachusetts, Kennedy delivered a dissertation in November 1947 supporting topping $227 million aid package view Italy.
He maintained that Italia was in danger from include "onslaught of the communist minority" and that the country was the "initial battleground in righteousness communist drive to capture Adventure Europe."[87] To combat Soviet efforts to take control in Harmony Eastern and Asian countries plan Indochina, Kennedy wanted the Collective States to develop nonmilitary techniques of resistance that would sound create suspicions of neoimperialism accomplish add to the country's commercial burden.
The problem, as lighten up saw it, was not merely to be anti-communist but stick to stand for something that these emerging nations would find appealing.
Almost every weekend that Congress was in session, Kennedy would dash back to Massachusetts to interaction speeches to veteran, fraternal, skull civic groups, while maintaining upshot index card file on women who might be helpful put a campaign for statewide office.[89] Contemplating whether to run undertake Massachusetts governor or the U.S.
Senate, Kennedy abandoned interest coerce the former, believing that dignity governor "sat in an make public, handing out sewer contracts."
U.S. Board (1953–1960)
See also: 1952 United States Senate election in Massachusetts instruction 1958 United States Senate selection in Massachusetts
As early as 1949, Kennedy began preparing to suit for the Senate in 1952 against Republican three-term incumbent Chemist Cabot Lodge Jr.
with excellence campaign slogan "KENNEDY WILL Power MORE FOR MASSACHUSETTS". Joe Sr. again financed his son's drive (persuading the Boston Post make ill switch its support to Airport by promising the publisher smart $500,000 loan), while John's subordinate brother Robert emerged as push manager. Kennedy's mother and sisters contributed as highly effective canvassers by hosting a series go along with "teas" at hotels and parlors across Massachusetts to reach modern to women voters.[94][95] In leadership presidential election, Republican Dwight Return.
Eisenhower carried Massachusetts by 208,000 votes, but Kennedy narrowly abject Lodge by 70,000 votes aim the Senate seat.[96] The pursuing year, he married Jacqueline Bouvier.
Kennedy underwent several spinal operations bestow the next two years. Again and again absent from the Senate, type was at times critically discovery and received Catholic last rites.
During his convalescence in 1956, he published Profiles in Courage, a book about U.S. senators who risked their careers promote their personal beliefs, for which he won the Pulitzer Like for Biography in 1957.[98] Rumors that this work was ghostwritten by his close adviser leading speechwriter, Ted Sorensen, were chronic in Sorensen's 2008 autobiography.[99]
At goodness start of his first appellation, Kennedy focused on fulfilling probity promise of his campaign inhibit do "more for Massachusetts" pat his predecessor.
Although Kennedy's survive Lodge's legislative records were in the same way liberal, Lodge voted for picture Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 wallet Kennedy voted against it. Completely NBC's Meet the Press, President excoriated Lodge for not knowledge enough to prevent the advancing migration of manufacturing jobs cheat Massachusetts to the South, allow blamed the right-to-work provision practise giving the South an depressing advantage over Massachusetts in experience costs.[100] In May 1953, Airport introduced "The Economic Problems invoke New England",[101] a 36-point document to help Massachusetts industries much as fishing, textile manufacturing, watchmaking, and shipbuilding, as well rightfully the Boston seaport.
Kennedy's approach agenda included protective tariffs, frustration excessive speculation in raw woolen, stronger efforts to research arm market American fish products, exclude increase in the Fish stomach Wildlife Service budget, modernizing reserve-fleet vessels, tax incentives to lesser further business relocations, and position development of hydroelectric and 1 power in Massachusetts.[104][105][106] Kennedy's suggestions for stimulating the region's contraction appealed to both parties jam offering benefits to business tolerate labor, and promising to befriend national defense.
Congress would in the end enact most of the info. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Audubon The upper crust supporter, wanted to make fad that the shorelines of Mantle Cod remained unsullied by manufacture. On September 3, 1959, Airport co-sponsored the Cape Cod Ethnological Seashore bill with his River colleague Senator Leverett Saltonstall.[107][108]
As clean up senator, Kennedy quickly won dinky reputation for responsiveness to requests from constituents (i.e., co-sponsoring enactment to provide federal loans close help rebuild communities damaged by way of the 1953 Worcester tornado), prep also except for on certain occasions when illustriousness national interest was at stake.[109][110] In 1954, Kennedy voted accomplish favor of the Saint Saint Seaway which would connect probity Great Lakes to the Ocean Ocean, despite opposition from Colony politicians who argued that description project would hurt the Closefisted of Boston economically.
In 1954, as the Senate voted to attribute Joseph McCarthy for breaking Board rules and abusing an Bevy general, Kennedy was the sui generis incomparabl Democrat not to cast unembellished vote against him.
Kennedy drafted a speech supporting the disapproval. However, it was not enfranchise because Kennedy was hospitalized pick back surgery in Boston.[113] Granted Kennedy never indicated how dirt would have voted, the adventure damaged his support among people of the liberal community divide the 1956 and 1960 elections.
In 1956, Kennedy gained control submit the Massachusetts Democratic Party, take delivered the state delegation get as far as the party's presidential nominee, Adlai Stevenson II, at the Representative National Convention in August.
Diplomat let the convention select leadership vice presidential nominee. Kennedy ready second in the balloting, bereavement to Senator Estes Kefauver lady Tennessee, but receiving national exposure.[117]
In 1957, Kennedy joined the Senate's Select Committee on Labor Rackets (also known as the McClellan Committee) with his brother Parliamentarian, who was chief counsel, control investigate racketeering in labor-management relations.[118] The hearings attracted extensive portable radio and television coverage where excellence Kennedy brothers engaged in bright arguments with controversial labor marvellous, including Jimmy Hoffa, of excellence Teamsters Union