Overview (5)

Mini Bio (1)

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts, to Rose Kennedy (née Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald) and Joseph P. Kennedy. John was named after his maternal grandfather, John "HoneyFitz" Fitzgerald, the mayor of Boston. John was very ill as a child and was given the last rites five times, the first one being when he was a new-born. He was the second of four boys born to an Irish Catholic family with nine children: Joseph Jr., John, Robert F. Kennedy (called Bobby), and Ted Kennedy (born Edward). Because Rose made Joe and Jack (the name his family called him) wear matching clothes, they fought a lot for attention. When John was young, the family moved from Boston to New York. John went to Choate, a private school. Most of the time, though, he was too sick to attend. In the late 1930s, father Joe became the ambassador to England. He took sons John and Robert with him, as well as his wife and daughters Kathleen and Rosemary Kennedy. John went to Princeton, then Harvard, and for his senior thesis, he wrote a piece about why England refused to get into the war until late. It was published in 1940 and called "Why England Slept". His older brother Joe was a pilot during the war, and was killed when the bombs his plane was carrying exploded. Not long after that, John's sister Kathleen and her husband died in a plane crash. In the early 1950s, John ran for Congress in Massachusetts and won. He married Jacqueline Kennedy (née Jacqueline Lee Bouvier) on September 12, 1953. Their daughter, Caroline Kennedy, was born on November 27, 1957 and their son, John Kennedy Jr., was born on November 25, 1960. They also had a stillborn daughter named Arabella and a son named Patrick Bouvier, who died a few days after birth. In 1954, J.F.K. had to have back surgery and in the hospital wrote his second book, "Profiles in Courage". His father always said that his son Joe was going to be President of the U.S.; when he died in World War II, though, that task was passed on to John. He ran for president in 1960 against Richard Nixon and narrowly won. His administration had many conflicts, the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis being key examples. In November 1963, he and Jackie (his wife's nickname) went on a trip to Texas. Everywhere they went there were signs saying "Jack and Jackie." On November 22, 1963, John was to give a speech in Dallas, but on his way an assassin hidden on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository opened fire at Kennedy, who was riding in an open car. Hit twice and severely wounded, Kennedy died in a local hospital at 1:00 P.M. The alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was captured a short time later after shooting and killing a Dallas policeman, and was himself assassinated before he could be thoroughly interrogated, let alone tried. In just a little bit of irony, considering the death of Abraham Lincoln a century earlier, Kennedy was shot in a Ford Lincoln (Lincoln was in Ford's Theater when he was shot). He was laid to rest on his son's third birthday.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: CR

Spouse (1)

Trade Mark (3)

He always put his hand in the pocket of his suit Jacket



Chewed on end of earpice on sunglasses



Boston accent



Trivia (104)

Was the first and to date only Roman Catholic US President.



At age 43 years/236 days at his inauguration, Kennedy was the youngest elected US President.



Was the 35th President of the US, from 1961-63.





Attended the installation in Rome of Pope Pius XII with his parents and family.



In 1956 his wife Jacqueline Kennedy gave birth to their first child, Arabella Kennedy. She was stillborn.



Son John Kennedy Jr. , born 25 November 1960 and died 16 July 1999.

His fourth child, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, died from infant respiratory-distress syndrome two days after his birth in the summer of 1963.



Was instrumental in the creation of the space program, and in just eight years (1961-69) the US sent a man to the moon.





Appointed his brother, Robert F. Kennedy , as US Attorney General. After his appointment, Congress enacted laws to prevent immediate family members from serving in the President's cabinet.



Daughter Caroline Kennedy , born 27 November 1957.

Graduated from the Choate School in Connecticut in 1935.



Was elected to the House of Representatives in 1946 and to the United States Senate in 1952.



In 1940 he wrote the best-selling book "While England Slept", about some of the decisions which led to World War II.



Suffered from Addison's disease.



He created the Peace Corps.



He graduated from Harvard in 1940.



Was named after his grandfather, John Fitzgerald, who was elected mayor of Boston, MA, in 1905.



In 1955 he wrote the book "Profiles in Courage", which won the Pulitzer Prize in Biography or Autobiography in 1957.



Served in the United States Navy during World War II.



He was the youngest man elected President, and the youngest to die.



His father never called him Jack, he always called him Johnny.



Pictured on a 5¢ US memorial postage stamp issued 29 May 1964 (birthday following assassination).



Pictured on the 13¢ US postage stamp in the original Prominent Americans series, issued 29 May 1967 (50th anniversary of his birth).



In 1961 he was chosen as Time Magazine's "Man of the Year".





During a stopover in Palm Beach, FL, en route to Dallas, TX, on November 17, 1963, a private screening of Tom Jones - Zwischen Bett und Galgen (1963) was organized for him. It was the last film he saw.



During his tenure at the White House, Kennedy, like Herbert Hoover before him, refused to accept a presidential salary.



While in office, the family Secret Service code names were: Lancer (The President); Lace ( Jacqueline Kennedy ); Lyric ( Caroline Kennedy ); Lark ( John Kennedy Jr. ). "SS-100-X" was the code for the 1961 Presidential Lincoln Continental four door convertible limousine (model 74A).



Although he was the youngest person elected president, he was not the youngest person to become president. That was Theodore Roosevelt , who became president after William McKinley was shot.

US Senator from Massachusetts from 1953-61.





His Vice President, Texas congressman Lyndon B. Johnson , campaigned against him for the presidential spot in 1960, and Kennedy later chose him to be his Vice President because he needed Johnson to win over southern voters. John's brother, Robert F. Kennedy , disliked Johnson intensely and the feeling was mutual.

Was a natural speed reader. He could read about 2,500 wpm (ten times the average reading speed). He would read six newspapers from front to back while he had breakfast.





In stark contrast to his own poor physical health, his younger brother Robert F. Kennedy was a very strong and physically active man who enjoyed hiking and canoeing among other outdoor sports.



His favorite film was Spartacus (1960).



His funeral took place on the same day as that of Lee Harvey Oswald and Officer J.D. Tippit , the Dallas policeman who was killed by Oswald.



His assassination inspired journalist Hunter S. Thompson to create his famous phrase, "Fear and Loathing".



The Lincoln Continental convertible limousine (plate: GG 300) in which he and then Texas governor John Connally and wife Nellie Connally were riding in on the day of Kennedy's assassination is on display in a museum in Dearborn, MI.

In the course of his famous 1963 speech near the Berlin Wall, Kennedy had meant to say, "Ich bin Berliner" (I am a Berliner). Since nationalities in German are not preceded by articles, Kennedy actually said, "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am one with the people of Berlin). The urban legend that it translates into "I am a jelly donut" is a myth, since the pastry is known in Germany as "pfannkuchen" (pan cake).





Was portrayed by Martin Sheen in the miniseries Kennedy (1983).



The second of only two US presidents to be entombed in Arlington National Cemetery, the first being William Howard Taft



He had numerous bizarre distant connections with the 16th US president, Abraham Lincoln



Although privately he suffered from numerous illnesses and ailments, he insisted on a public image of rugged fitness and masculinity. Following his infamous debate against Richard Nixon , he spent a week in Florida tanning and working out on the beach. He was often photographed playing football with younger brother Robert F. Kennedy , working out and playing various sports with his family. In one famous photograph, he is pictured wearing a leather jacket, jeans and sunglasses, casually leaning against a wall. In reality, he was so exhausted from getting over a virus and the job, that he literally fell asleep standing up.

Grandson of Congressman John F. Fitzgerald.





Was an avid reader, and at one point expressed his fondness for the James Bond novels of Ian Fleming . He said that a particular favorite was "From Russia with Love". For this reason, the producers of the Bond series made James Bond 007 - Liebesgrüße aus Moskau (1963) the second Bond film.

Was a Fourth-Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, belonging to both the Bunker Hill No. 62 and the Bishop Cheverus General Assembly.





Fourth US president to be assassinated (unsuccessful attempts had been made on Presidents Andrew Jackson and Harry S. Truman , and on President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt ) and the seventh president to die in office.



He was a big fan of the Boston Red Sox baseball team. This was something instilled in him by his grandfather, Boston mayor John Francis Fitzgerald (aka "Honey Fitz"), who was himself a member of The Royal Rooters, a turn-of-the-century Red Sox fan club.



His sister Jean Kennedy Smith was US ambassador to Ireland from June 1993-September 1998.

His portrait appears on the US half-dollar coin.



The street Rue John-F-Kennedy in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is named in his honor.





When he died in 1963 he left an estate estimated at $10 million, all of which derives from trust funds established by his father, Joseph P. Kennedy



PT 109--the boat that he commanded during World War II--was mentioned on more than one occasion on the television series, McHale's Navy (1962), Kennedy is referred to, but he is never mentioned by name. On at least one episode, however, PT 109 is seen backing out of the dock next to the one where McHale's PT boat is, although no one can be seen on it.



He is mentioned in the lyrics of the songs "Killer Queen" by Queen , "Hey Manhattan!" by Prefab Sprout and "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel



The Oscar-winning "High Hopes" (from Eine Nummer zu groß (1959)) was Kennedy's official presidential campaign song.



Considered his younger brother Robert F. Kennedy to be his top advisor and closest friend. Bobby similarly felt the same way about Jack and was "utterly devastated" by Jack's death in 1963. Friends and family said that, after his brother's death, Bobby was never the same man.



Despite their later close bond, he and brother Robert F. Kennedy were not close growing up. This was due, in part, to the eight-year age difference between them. It was not until Jack, during his third term as a Massachusetts congressman, took a seven-week trip through the Far East and parts of the Middle East, and took Bobby (who had just graduated from law school) with him that they grew closer. During the trip the duo discovered their mutual similarities and forged the deep bond that would last until Jack's death. Jack appointed Bobby his campaign manager in 1952 and in 1960 he was reportedly so close to Bobby that while he was President he would often ask "Where's Bobby?" during important meetings, and would finally relax when Bobby showed up. For his part, Bobby's devout loyalty to Jack was often ridiculed and parodied by the media. Bobby, loving to poke fun at himself, often joked, "If I find the guy who says I'm too ruthless, I'll kill him".

During his entire political career, he never once lost a single election.





Journalist Jeff Greenfield (who later became a speech writer for Robert F. Kennedy ) described Jack as "the guy who looked like your cool older brother".

When he visited Ireland in late June 1963, he became the first sitting U.S. President to set foot on Irish soil.



Was the first Irish-American Catholic president (several previous presidents, none of whom were Catholic, had varying degrees of Irish-born ancestors).



Was the first US President to be born in the 20th century.





After the parade through Dallas, Kennedy was scheduled to attend a Texas barbecue and then spend the night at Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson 's ranch. Johnson had organized a whip-cracking and sheep-herding demonstration for Kennedy's entertainment.

The Kennedy assassination (Nov. 22, 1963) occurred on a Friday. The 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination (Nov. 22, 2013) also fell on a Friday. Friday November 22, 2019 was also the 56th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. The next time the anniversary occurs on a Friday will be November 22, 2024.



His great-grandfather, Patrick Kennedy, was a very poor Irish immigrant who emigrated to America in the fall of 1848. He fell sick from cholera and died in his Boston home on November 22, 1858, exactly 105 years to the day of JFK's assassination.





His younger sister, Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy , married English politician and soldier William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, in the spring of 1944. This angered father Joseph P. Kennedy , who hated the idea of his Irish-American daughter marrying an English man.



His older sister, Rosemary Kennedy , was born with learning deficits and had to be placed in alternative school. This shamed their father, Joseph P. Kennedy , who wanted all of his Kennedy children to be perfect in every way. In 1941 he forced Rosemary to undergo a lobotomy that went devastatingly wrong, causing her to become mentally incapacitated for the rest of her life.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis he secretly agreed to remove US missiles from Turkey and Italy, and publicly announced that the United States would never invade Cuba again.





He refused to provide air support for the Bay of Pigs invasion, even though Dwight D. Eisenhower had provided air support for the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'etat.

He increased the number of American soldiers in South Vietnam, and tolerated an illegal coup d'état there on 1-2 November 1963.



His official height was six foot, although Kennedy himself said he was 5'11".



Has an airport named after him in New York.



Pictured on a USA nondemoninated commemorative stamp issued 20 February 2017. Price on first day of issue was 49¢. The stamp was issued in sheets of 12; the sheet's selvage featured the official White House portrait painted by Aaron Shikler.





Caused the Skybolt Crisis in December 1962 when he almost canceled the UK's nuclear deterrent, until being informed it would likely bring down Harold Macmillan 's government.

Over two thousand books have been written about the events surrounding his assassination.



Personally ordered the Bay of Pigs invasion on 4 April 1961.



The failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the construction of the Berlin Wall, and a negotiated settlement between the pro-Western government of Laos and the Pathet Lao communist movement made Kennedy believe that another failure to stop Communist expansion would fatally damage U.S. credibility with its allies and his own reputation. Kennedy was thus determined to "draw a line in the sand" and prevent a Communist victory in Vietnam.



Served 1,037 days as the 35th President of the USA (20 Jan. 1961 - 22 Nov. 1963).



In November 2017 newly released documents showed Kennedy considered manufacturing or obtaining Soviet aircraft in March 1962 in order to launch an attack on American or friendly bases that could then provide an excuse for war.



Following the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961 Kennedy continued to plan for a military invasion of Cuba. By August 1962, his administration had a more detailed invasion plan for Cuba. A memo from 8 August 1962 shows U.S. military planners estimated they would need 261,000 troops and between 10 to 15 days to invade Cuba, oust its dictator, Fidel Castro, and take control of the country. The plan included using 71,000 soldiers and 35,000 Marines on the ground in Cuba and another 29,000 soldiers in support positions. Major units involved would include two Army airborne divisions, an infantry brigade, an armored combat command, a naval amphibious attack force and 17 Air Force tactical fighter squadrons and 53 troop carrier or transport squadrons.



On 30 November 1961 covert operations against Fidel Castro's government in Cuba were officially authorized by Kennedy under the name Operation Mongoose.



He only smoked cigars in public, although privately he also smoked cigarettes.



He is broached in Dragon's "April Sun In Cuba.".



During Kennedy's presidency the Strategic Hamlet Program was introduced. This failed badly and drove a large number of South Vietnamese peasants into supporting the North Vietnamese Communists. The forcible moving of peasants into secure compounds was supported by Ngo Dinh Diem and did a great deal to further the opposition to his regime in the South.



He is brought up in Dream Academy's "Life In A Northern Town.".



His youngest child Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, who was born on August 7, 1963 and lived only two days, was the only child born to an incumbent U.S. President and First Lady during the 20th Century.



Was the first U.S. President inaugurated while having a living grandparent (Mary Josephine Hannon Fitzgerald). Sadly, she ended up outliving him by less than a year.



He was a fan of Superman, allowing DC comics to use his likeness as the President (often credited as himself) in a few stories.



Personal Quotes (52)

Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.



[5/25/61, in a special address to Congress] I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.



[1/20/61 inaugural address, on joint US/Soviet scientific ventures] Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors.



[1/30/61, State of the Union address] In a very real sense, it will not be one man going to the moon . . . it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there.



Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.



Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.



[6/26/63, speech in West Berlin, Germany] Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was "Civis Romanus sum". Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is "Ich bin ein Berliner". All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner!".



I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for victories or defeats in battle or in politics but for our contributions to the human spirit.



Victory has a thousand fathers but defeat is an orphan.



Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.





[privately, about Richard Nixon ] Richard Nixon's a conservative . . . and if he became President, we could expect Republican policy would switch to the right. He is a filthy, lying son-of-a-bitch, and a very dangerous man.

All my life, I've known better than to depend on the experts.



[9/12/62, speech at Rice University, Houston, TX] We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to measure and organize the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.





[on Marlon Brando ] The greatest womanizer who ever set foot in Hollywood.

Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.





Harry S. Truman ] regards an open convention as one which studies all the candidates, reviews their records and then takes his advice.

[6/10/63, in a commencement address] The United States, as the world knows, will never start a war. We do not want a war. We do not now expect a war. This generation of Americans has already had enough--more than enough--of war and hate and oppression.



We shall do our part to build a world of peace where the weak are safe and the strong are just. We are not helpless before the task or hopeless of its success. Confident and unafraid, we must labor on--not towards a strategy of annihilation but towards a strategy of peace.



In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's futures. And we are all mortal.



Our problems are manmade. Therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.





The civil rights movement should thank God for [ Eugene 'Bull' Connor ]. He's helped it as much as Abraham Lincoln

[after the Bay of Pigs invasion] The advice of those who were brought in on the executive branch was unanimous, and the advice was wrong. And I was responsible.



[1962] If anybody is around to write after this, they are going to understand that we made every effort to find peace and every effort to give our adversary room to move. I am not going to push the Russians an inch beyond what is necessary.



[in the fall of 1960] I suppose if I win, my poon days are over.





[1960, joking with a supporter] Do you realize the responsibility I carry? I'm the only person between [ Richard Nixon ] and the White House.

[1961] We are probably strong enough to prevent one nation from unleashing nuclear weapons on another. But we can't prevent infiltration, assassination, sabotage, bribery, any of the weapons of guerrilla warfare. One guerrilla can pin down 12 conventional soldiers, and we've got nothing equivalent.





[in 1960, to Benjamin C. Bradlee , on how he intended to announce the appointment of brother Robert F. Kennedy to the position of US Attorney General] Well, I think I'll open the door of the Georgetown house some morning about 2:00 A.M., look up and down the street, and if there's no one there, I'll whisper, "It's Bobby".

[November 1961] This chimpanzee who is flying in space took off at 10:08. He reports that everything is perfect and working well.





[1962, to Theodore Sorensen ] If we solve the Berlin problem without war, Cuba will look pretty small. And if there is a war, Cuba won't matter much, either.

Some people have their liberalism "made" by the time they reach their late 20s. I didn't. I was caught in crosscurrents and eddies. It was only later that I got into the stream of things.



I must say, in defense of our own country, if the United States had not emphasized the military since 1945, the shape of the globe would be very different than it is today. So that those who feel that we overemphasize it might consider the fate of freedom if we had not emphasized it.



[June 11, 1963] It is not enough to pin the blame on others, to say this is the problem of one section of one country or another, or deplore the fact that we face. A great change is at hand, and our task, our obligation, is to make that revolution, than change, peaceful and constructive for all. Those who do nothing are inviting shame, as well as violence. Those who act boldly are recognizing right, as well as reality.



[June 11, 1963] If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a restaurant open to the public, if he cannot send his children to the best public school available, if he cannot vote for the public officials who will represent him, if, in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place? Who among us would then be content with the counsels of patience and delay?



[1962] Too often in the past we have thought of the artist as an idler and dilettante and of the lover of arts as somehow sissy or effete. We have done both an injustice. The life of the artist is, in relation to his work, stern and lonely. He has labored hard, often among deprivation, to perfect his skill. He has turned aside from quick success in order to strip his vision of everything secondary or cheapening. His working life is marked by intense application and intense discipline. As for the lover of arts, it is he who, by subjecting himself to the sometimes disturbing experience of art, sustains the artist - and seeks only the reward that his life will, in consequence, be the more fully lived.





It is only after you wield the powers of the presidency that you get hated. [ Wayne Morse ], [ Jimmy Hoffa ], Al Hayes, etc., all hate me now merely because of one bill. Presidents are bound to be hated unless they are as bland as [ Dwight D. Eisenhower ].

[November 22, 1963, upon arriving in Dallas, Texas] We're really in nut country now.



[March 1962] I sometimes think we are too much impressed by the clamor of daily events. Newspaper headlines and the television screens give us a short view . . . Yet it is the profound tendencies of history, and not the passing excitements, that will shape our future.



[1960] Once you say you're going to settle for second that's what happens to you in life, I find.



[on Inauguration Day, January 21, 1961] The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavour will light our country and all who serve it - and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.



[on Inauguration Day, January 20, 1961] Together, let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.



[to 49 Nobel Prize winners who came for dinner] This is the most extraordinary collection of talent that has ever gathered at the White House--with the possibility of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.



We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or watch - we are going back from whence we came.



We don't have a prayer of staying in Vietnam. Those people hate us. They are going to throw our asses out of there at any point. But I can't give up that territory to the Communists and get the American people to re-elect me.



There is no complete evidence that Hitler died. The Russians doubt that he is dead.



[on the United Nations] In practice, I doubt that it will prove effective in the sense of its elaborate mechanics being frequently employed or vitally decisive in deterring war or peace.



We are going to put a man on the surface of the Moon.



The room where Hitler is supposed to have met his death showed scorched walls and traces of fire. There is no complete evidence, however, that the body that was found was Hitler's body.



Capitalism is on the way out - although many Englishmen feel this is not applicable to England. Socialism is inefficient; I will never believe differently, but you can feed people in a socialistic state, and that may be what will insure its eventual success.



After visiting these two places you can easily see how that within a few years Hitler will emerge from the hatred that surrounds him now as one of the most significant figures who ever lived. He had boundless ambition for his country, which rendered him a menace to the peace of the world, but he had a mystery about him in the way that he lived and in the manner of his death that will live and grow after him. He had in him the stuff of which legends are made.



[from his inaugural address, 1961] Let us go forth to lead the land we love, ask His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.



[in a December 18, 1962 article in Look magazine] We know that a totalitarian society can promote the arts in its own way - that it can arrange for splendid productions of opera and ballet, as it can arrange for the restoration of ancient and historic buildings. But art means more than the resuscitation of the past: it means the free and unconfined search for new ways of expressing the experience of the present and the vision of the future. When the creative impulse cannot flourish freely, when it cannot freely select its methods and objects, when it is deprived of spontaneity, then society severs the root of art.



[in a speech at Amherst College, October 16, 1963] We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth. [...] In free society art is not a weapon and it does not belong to the spheres of polemic and ideology. Artists are not "engineers of the soul." It may be different elsewhere. But democratic society - in it, the highest duty of the writer, the composer, the artist is to remain true to himself and to let the chips fall where they may ...

