John F. Kennedy Essay -- essays research papers

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on May 29, 1917, the second oldest in a family of nine children. His great grandparents had succeed to the United States from Ireland in the mid-1800s after a food shortage caused severe poverty in that country. Although their families had not come to the United States with much money, both of John Kennedys grandfathers became political leaders in Boston. One of them, John Fitzgerald, was elected mayor in 1905. John Kennedys father, Joseph Patrick Kennedy became a truly wealthy businessman, an adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the United States Ambassador to Great Britain from 1938 to 1940.John Kennedy moved to New York when he was ten years old. Since the family spent the summer months at their home in Hyannis, Cape Cod, Jack still lived a good part of his life in Massachusetts. After graduating from the Choate School in Connecticut in 1935, he went on to Harvard College and graduated in 1940. That same ye ar he wrote a best-selling book, Why England Slept, well-nigh some of the decisions which led to World struggle II.In 1941, John Kennedy joined the Navy. He became the commander of a small "PT" boat assigned to the battle in the Pacific against the Japanese. One night, piece on patrol, Kennedys boat was rammed by a large enemy ship. Two men in a crew of thirteen were killed, and the rest swam to a close deserted island. They managed to survive, mostly by eating coconuts, until they were rescued a week later.After World War II, John Kennedy had to choose the kind of work he wanted to do. He considered becoming a teacher or a writer but soon decided to run for political office. In 1946, he was elected to the U.S. Congress, representing a district in greater Boston. Kennedy, a Democrat, served three terms in the House of Representatives, and in 1952 he was elected to the U.S. Senate.In 1953, he married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier. The following year he had a serious operation on his back. While recovering from surgery, he wrote a book astir(predicate) several U.S. senators who had risked their careers to iron out for the things in which they believed. The book, called Profiles in Courage, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 1957. That same year, the Kennedys first child, Caroline, was born.Kennedy had narrowly missed being picked as the Democratic Partys prospect for Vice President... ...edy, and that he and Ruby were part of a conspiracy. None of these theories has ever been proven.President Kennedys death caused enormous sadness and grief among all Americans. Most state still remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news of the murder. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Washington for the Presidents funeral, and millions throughout the world watched it on television.As the years stimulate gone by and other Presidents have written their chapters in history, John Kennedys brief time in office s tands out in peoples memories--for his leadership, personality, and accomplishments. Many approve his coolness when faced with difficult decisions--like what to do about the missiles in Cuba. Others admire his ability to inspire people with his articulate speeches. Still others think his compassion and his willingness to fight for new government programs to help the poor, the elderly and the ill were most important. Like all leaders, John Kennedy made mistakes, but he was always hopeful about the future. He believed that people could solve their common problems if they put their countrys interests first and worked together.