John F. Kennedy
Best known as: 35th president of the USA
Occupation: Politician
Full name: John Fitzgerald Francis Kennedy
Nicknames: JFK, Jack
Nationality: American (Irish ancestry)
Religion: Catholic
Political party: Democrat
Born: May 29, 1917 in Brookline, MA
Died: November 22, 1963 at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, TX (assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald)
Education: Choate (high school), Harvard (college)
Military service: skipper of PT 109 during World War II
Offices held:
- Member of House of Representatives from MA (1947-1953)
- Senator from MA (1953-1960)
- President of the U.S. (1961-1963)
- Why England Slept (1940)
- Profiles in Courage (1956)
Short biography:
JFK was one of the most charismatic presidents of all time, and his assassination was one of the most shocking public events in American history. Although his accomplishments were limited because of his short time in office, Kennedy was a stalwart opponent of communism. He increased the number of U.S. troops in Vietnam and helped to save the world from nuclear war by resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis. JFK's low point was the Bay of Pigs invasion, in which America sponsored a failed attempt by Cuban natives to overthrow Castro.
Wife: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy
Friends: Harold MacMillan, Charles DeGaulle, Joseph McCarthy
Vice president: Lyndon B. Johnson
Parents: Joseph Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald
Siblings: Joseph Jr. (born in 1915), Rosemary (born in 1918), Kathleen (born in 1920), Eunice (born in 1921) , Patricia (born in 1924), Robert (born in 1925), Jean (born in 1928), and Edward (born in 1932)
Enemies: Richard Nixon, Nikita Khrushchev, Fidel Castro, Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh
Fun facts:
- JFK was not the youngest person to become president; Teddy Roosevelt was. However, he was the youngest person to be elected president.
- Kennedy was the first president born in the 20th century and the president with the shortest lifespan.
- He is the only Catholic president.
- JFK was 100% Irish. All eight of his great grandparents were Irish immigrants.
- In high school, Jack was voted most likely to become president.
- He collected scrimshaw carvings.
- JFK often read several newspapers and two to three books each day.
- Kennedy holds the Guinness World Record for fastest public speaker - during one speech in December 1961 he spoke 327 words in one minute.
- He has the same initials as John Forbes Kerry, who ran for president in 2004.
Learn more? Quotes by JFK
