Who is kennedy

After a summer visit to England and other countries in Europe, Jack returned to Harvard more eager to learn about history and government and to keep up with current events. Joe and Jack frequently received letters from their father in England, who informed them of the latest news regarding the conflicts and tensions that everyone feared would soon blow up into a full-scale war.

They both had strong armies and wanted to take land from other countries. By this time, Jack was a senior at Harvard and decided to write his thesis on why Great Britain was unprepared for war with Germany. It was later published as a book called Why England Slept.

In June , Jack graduated from Harvard. Soon after graduating, both Joe and Jack joined the Navy. Joe was a flyer and sent to Europe, while Jack was made Lieutenant Lt. Kennedy had a crew of twelve men whose mission was to stop Japanese ships from delivering supplies to their soldiers.

On the night of August 2, , Lt. A Japanese destroyer suddenly became visible. But it was traveling at full speed and headed straight at them. Holding the wheel, Lt. Kennedy tried to swerve out of the way, but to no avail. The much larger Japanese warship rammed the PT, splitting it in half and killing two of Lt. The others managed to jump off as their boat went up in flames. Kennedy was slammed hard against the cockpit, once again injuring his weak back.

Patrick McMahon, one of his crew members, had horrible burns on his face and hands and was ready to give up. In the darkness, Lt. Kennedy managed to find McMahon and haul him back to where the other survivors were clinging to a piece of the boat that was still afloat. At sunrise, Lt. Kennedy led his men toward a small island several miles away.

Despite his own injuries, Lt. Six days later two native islanders found them and went for help, delivering a message Jack had carved into a piece of coconut shell. The next day, the PT crew was rescued. He died a year later when his plane blew up during a dangerous mission in Europe. When he returned home, Jack was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his leadership and courage. With the war finally coming to an end, it was time to choose the kind of work he wanted to do.

After serious discussions with Jack about his future, Joseph Kennedy convinced him that he should run for Congress in Massachusetts' eleventh congressional district, where he won in As the years went on, John F. Kennedy, a Democrat, served three terms six years in the House of Representatives, and in he was elected to the US Senate.

Soon after being elected senator, John F. Kennedy, at 36 years of age, married 24 year-old Jacqueline Bouvier, a writer with the Washington Times-Herald. While recovering from surgery, he wrote a book about several US Senators who had risked their careers to fight for the things in which they believed. The book, called Profiles in Courage , was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for biography in John F.

Kennedy was becoming a popular politician. In he was almost picked to run for vice president. Kennedy nonetheless decided that he would run for president in the next election.

He began working very long hours and traveling all around the United States on weekends. On July 13, the Democratic party nominated him as its candidate for president. Kennedy asked Lyndon B.

Johnson, a senator from Texas, to run with him as vice president. Nixon in a very close race. At the age of 43, Kennedy was the youngest man elected president and the first Catholic. Before his inauguration, his second child, John Jr. His father liked to call him John-John. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Bush Bill Clinton George W. Help inform the discussion Support the Miller Center.

University of Virginia Miller Center. John F. Kennedy: Life Before the Presidency. Breadcrumb U. Presidents John F. Kennedy John F. The Political Climb After being discharged from the Navy, John Kennedy worked briefly as a reporter for the Hearst newspapers, and in , the twenty-nine-year-old Kennedy won election to the US Congress representing a working-class Boston district. Marc J. More Resources John F. Kennedy Presidency Page. Kennedy Life in Brief.

Life Before the Presidency Current Essay. Campaigns and Elections. Domestic Affairs. His older brother, Joe Jr. A grieving Joe Sr. Abandoning plans to be a journalist, Jack left the Navy by the end of Less than a year later, he was back in Boston preparing for a run for Congress in He entered the 80th Congress in January , at the age of 29, and immediately attracted attention as well as some criticism from older members of the Washington establishment for his youthful appearance and relaxed, informal style.

Kennedy won reelection to the House of Representatives in and , and in ran successfully for the Senate, defeating the popular Republican incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.

Two years later, he was forced to undergo a painful operation on his back. While recovering from the surgery, Jack wrote another best-selling book, Profiles in Courage , which won the Pulitzer Prize for biography in He defeated a primary challenge from the more liberal Hubert Humphrey and chose the Senate majority leader, Lyndon Johnson of Texas , as his running mate.

In the general election, Kennedy faced a difficult battle against his Republican opponent, Richard Nixon, a two-term vice president under the popular Dwight D. Offering a young, energetic alternative to Nixon and the status quo, Kennedy benefited from his performance and telegenic appearance in the first-ever televised debates, watched by millions of viewers.

With his beautiful young wife and their two small children Caroline, born in , and John Jr. In his inaugural address, given on January 20, , the new president called on his fellow Americans to work together in the pursuit of progress and the elimination of poverty, but also in the battle to win the ongoing Cold War against communism around the world.

An early crisis in the foreign affairs arena occurred in April , when Kennedy approved the plan to send 1, CIA-trained Cuban exiles in an amphibious landing at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. Intended to spur a rebellion that would overthrow the communist leader Fidel Castro , the mission ended in failure, with nearly all of the exiles captured or killed.

Two months later, East German troops began erecting a wall to divide the city. Kennedy sent an army convoy to reassure West Berliners of U. Kennedy clashed again with Khrushchev in October during the Cuban missile crisis.

After learning that the Soviet Union was constructing a number of nuclear and long-range missile sites in Cuba that could pose a threat to the continental United States, Kennedy announced a naval blockade of Cuba. Professor Fredrik Logevall examines the U. Speeches View His Speeches. January 20, Inaugural Address audio icon transcript icon.

June 11, Address on Civil Rights audio icon transcript icon. Meeting on Berlin audio icon. Meeting on Soviet Arms Shipments to Cuba audio icon. Meeting on U-2 Incident audio icon. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States on January 20, Download Image. Featured Video. Why Vietnam? Featured Publications. The Presidential Recordings John F.