John F Kennedy Biography

John F. Kennedy, born on May 29th 1917, grew up to become one of the most popular and influential presidents of The United States in all of its political history. Born into a wealthy and prominent family, John was raised throughout childhood by his adoring mother, Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald, a Boston debutante, and his father, Joseph Kennedy Sr., a successful banker claiming his fortune from the stock market following World War I. Joe Kennedy Sr. went on to a government career as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and as an ambassador to Great Britain. His father was a competitive man, always edging John and his siblings to be the best they could be. John F. Kennedy's sister Eunice later recalled, "I was twenty-four before I

knew I didn't have to win something every day."
After graduating from Choate and spending one semester at Princeton, Kennedy transferred to Harvard University in 1936. There, he proved his well-established academic pattern, excelling in the classes he mostly enjoyed, but then showing only average student credentials due to his active social life. Nevertheless, as an upperclassman, Kennedy finally grew serious about his studies and began to realize his potential. His father had been appointed Ambassador to Great Britain, and on an extended visit in 1939, Kennedy decided to research and write a senior thesis on why Britain was so unprepared to fight against Germany in World War II. The paper was so praised it was later on published under the name of Why England Slept.
Ensuing his graduation from Harvard, Kennedy joined the U.S Navy. His first assignment, commanding a patrol torpedo boat, the PT-109, earned him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for leading the survivors of the crash between his boat and a Japanese warship to a nearby island, where they were rescued soon after.
Upon his discharge from the Navy, in 1946 at the age of 29, Kennedy decided to run for the U.S House of Representatives.

Taken by his status as a war hero, his family connections and his father's money, Kennedy won the election easily. Be that as it may, Kennedy found the work to be rather dull and non-impactful. Hence, in 1952, seeking greater influence and desiring greater power, Kennedy pursued a seat in the U.S Senate. According to one of his aids, his victory in this was mostly a result of his personality, stating "He was the new kind of political figure that people were looking for that year, dignified and gentlemanly and well-educated and intelligent, without the air of superior condescension."
Shortly after his election, he met a beautiful young woman by the name of Jacqueline Bouvier. The two were to be later married and conceive 3 children: Caroline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Jr., and Patrick Kennedy. During his career and balance between politics and family life, JFK wrote another book, Profiles in Courage, winning the 1957 Pulitzer Prize for biography. Kennedy still remains as the only American president to win a Pulitzer

Prize.
Kennedy's eight-year Senate career was mostly indifferent. Bored by the Massachusetts-specific issues on which he had to spend much of his time, Kennedy was more drawn to the international challenges posed by the Soviet Union's growing nuclear arsenal and the Cold War battle for the hearts and minds of Third World nations. In 1960, Kennedy decided to run for president. Against his opponent Richard Nixon, the two would debate over several political and economic matters; Kennedy beating him by staying calm and relaxed, where Nixon was tense and pallid. On November 8, 1960, Kennedy defeated Nixon by close to nothing in order to become the 35th president of the United States of America.
At the age of 43, Kennedy was the second youngest president, the first catholic president, and the first president born in the 20th century.

Kennedy's greatest accomplishments during his short time as president came in the area of foreign affairs. Working on the capitalist section of his career focus, Kennedy created the Peace Corps in 1961. By the end of the century, over 170,000 Peace Corps volunteers served in 135 countries. Also in 1961, Kennedy created the Alliance for Progress to create greater economic ties with Latin America, in hopes of annihilating poverty and stopping the spread of communism in said region. In June 1963, Kennedy successfully negotiated the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with Great Britain and the Soviet Union, helping to ease Cold War tensions. It was one of his proudest accomplishments.
On November 21, 1963, President Kennedy flew to Dallas, Texas for a campaign appearance. The next day, November 22, Kennedy, rode through the cheering crowds in downtown Dallas in a Lincoln Continental convertible. From an upstairs window of a nearby building, a 24-year-old named Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine with Soviet sympathies, shot upon the car, hitting the president. Kennedy died at Parkland Memorial Hospital shortly after.
John F. Kennedy will always be remembered as one of the most cheerful and helpful presidents in the history of the United States. His memory will continue to live on in our books as well as in our

hearts.