John F Kennedy

John F Kennedy

J.F.K.

1917-63, 35th president of the U.S. (1961-63); son of Joseph P. Kennedy; brother of Robert Francis Kennedy and Edward Moore Kennedy (see KENNEDY, family); b. Brookline, Mass. After enlisting in the U.S. navy in World War II, he served with distinction as commander of a PT boat in the Pacific. He was a Democratic congressman from Massachusetts (1947-53) and in 1952 won a seat in the U.S. Senate. The next year he married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (see ONASSIS, JACQUELINE BOUVIER). Kennedy narrowly lost the Democratic vice presidential nomination in 1956 and in 1960 won the party's presidential nomination. He defeated Republican Richard NIXON, becoming at 43 the youngest man to be elected president. His domestic program, the New Frontier, called for tax reform, federal aid to education, medical care for the aged under Social Security, and the extension of civil rights. Many of his reforms, however, stalled in Congress, and foreign-affairs crises occupied much of his time. He was much criticized for his approval for the abortive BAY OF PIGS INVASION (1961) of Cuba.
On Friday, January 20, 1961, the youngest man ever elected president was sworn into office as the thirty-fifth president of the United States of America. In addition to being the youngest, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was also the first Catholic president. His inaugural address is considered by many to be one of the most well known speeches of all time. `This speech is recognized around the world and can be quoted by people of all ages. President Kennedy begins his inaugural speech by appealing to his audience: “We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom”. Although the Democratic Party won the election, Kennedy implies, it is the process of Democracy and freedom that should be celebrated. At the time his address was delivered, a large portion of the world was filled with communism and poverty. Throughout his inaugural address, President Kennedy uses anaphora, biblical allusion,...