John F. Kennedy Biography

John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination was one of the most shocking public events of the 20th century. John Kennedy served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, commanding the patrol boat PT-109 and leading his crew to rescue after the boat was sunk by the Japanese in the Solomon Islands. A Democrat, “JFK” was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts’ 11th district in 1946. In 1952 he moved up to the U.S. Senate, defeating Henry Cabot Lodge. John Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier on 12 September 1953; they had two children, Caroline (b. 1957) and John Jr. (b. 1960). (A third child, Patrick, was born on 7 August 1963 and died two days later.) JFK was elected to replace President Dwight Eisenhower in 1960 (narrowly defeating Eisenhower’s vice-president, Richard Nixon); he swept into office with a reputation for youthful charm, impatience, wit and vigor. John Kennedy’s approach was sometimes called the New Frontier, a phrase he coined in his acceptance speech at the 1960 Democratic convention. John F. Kennedy was shot to death by sniper Lee Harvey Oswald during an open-car motorcade in Dallas, Texas on 22 November 1963; two days later, Oswald was shot and killed by another man, Jack Ruby. John Kennedy was succeeded by Lyndon Johnson.