Of Irish descent, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in Brookline,
Massachusetts, on May 29, 1917.

Graduating from Harvard in 1940, he entered the Navy and served his
country with distinction. Upon his return from the war, he became a
Democratic Congressman from the Boston area, advancing to the
Senate. He married Jacqueline Bouvier on September 12, 1953.

In 1955, while recuperating from a back operation, he wrote Profiles in
Courage, which won the Pulitzer Prize in history.

In 1956 Kennedy almost gained the Democratic nomination for Vice
President, and four years later was a first ballot nominee for President.
JFK narrowly defeated Richard M. Nixon in the popular vote, and
became the first Roman Catholic President.

John F Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President on January 20,
1961.

In his inaugural speech he spoke about the need for all Americans to
be active citizens. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what
you can do for your country.”

On November 22, 1963 when he was hardly past his first thousand
days in office, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was killed by an assassin’s
bullets as his motorcade wound through Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was
the youngest man elected President; he was the youngest to die.

Most people still remember exactly where they were and what they
were doing when they heard news of the murder. I guess you would
call it a defining moment. I can still remember my elementary school
teacher telling us of this historic moment, and the feeling of disbelief
and disconnect in the classroom. What a waste, what a horrible
waste, and what a loss for all of us.