John F. Kennedy

35th President of the United States, American statesman of the 20th century

7 quotes in the MindQuotes library.

About

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963) was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, into an influential Irish Catholic family. A Harvard graduate in 1940, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, commanding PT-109. After the war, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (1947-1953) and then the Senate (1953-1960). Author of 'Profiles in Courage' (1956), a Pulitzer Prize winner, he was elected president in 1960, becoming the youngest elected president and the first Catholic to hold the office. His tenure was marked by the establishment of the Peace Corps, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the beginning of the race to the Moon. He was assassinated in Dallas in 1963.

* 1917-05-28 — † 1963-11-22

Major works

  • Why England Slept (1940)essay
  • Profiles in Courage (1956)biography
  • A Nation of Immigrants (1964)essay

Key milestones

  • 1961Established the Peace Corps by executive order on March 1.
  • 1962Navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis in October.
  • 1963Assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22.

Themes

leadershippolitical courageCold Warcivil rightsspace exploration

Sources: jfklibrary.org · whitehousehistory.org · whitehouse.gov