John Fitzgerald Kennedy
At a Glance
Term: 35th President of the United States (1961-1963)
Born: May 29, 1917, Brookline, MA
Nickname: "JFK," "Jack"
Education: Harvard College (graduated 1940)
Religion: Roman Catholic
Marriage: Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (1929-1994), September 12, 1953
Children: Caroline Bouvier (1957- ); John Fitzgerald, Jr. (1960-1999); Patrick Bouvier (1963)
Career: Author, U.S. Navy Officer, Journalist, Public Official
Political Party: Democrat
Writings: Why England Slept (1940); Profiles in Courage (1956)
Died: Nov. 22, 1963, Dallas, TX
Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
A Life in Brief: John F. Kennedy was born into a rich, politically connected Boston family of Irish-Catholics. He and his eight siblings enjoyed a privileged childhood of elite private schools, sailboats, servants, and summer homes. More....
Inaugural Address (January 20, 1961)
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Presidential Speech ArchiveEssays on John Fitzgerald Kennedy and His Administration
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John Fitzgerald Kennedy
A Life in Brief • Life Before the Presidency • Campaigns and Elections • Domestic Affairs • Foreign Affairs • Death of the President • Family Life • The American Franchise • Impact and Legacy • Key Events |
| First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy |
| Vice President Lyndon Johnson (1961 - 1963) |
| Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (1961 - 1963) |
| Secretary of State Dean Rusk (1961 - 1963) |
| Postmaster General J. Edward Day (1961 - 1963) • John A. Gronouski (1963) |
| Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall (1961 - 1963) |
| Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon (1961 - 1963) |
| Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy (1961 - 1963) |
| Secretary of Labor Arthur J. Goldberg (1961 - 1962) • W. Willard Wirtz (1962 - 1963) |
| Secretary of Agriculture Orville L. Freeman (1961 - 1963) |
| Secretary of Commerce Luther Hodges (1961 - 1963) |
| Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Abraham Ribicoff (1961 - 1962) • Anthony J. Celebrezze (1962 - 1963) |
Consulting Editor: David Coleman
Professor Coleman is an assistant professor at the University of Virginia and Chair of the Presidential Recordings Program, overseeing the John F. Kennedy project, at the Miller Center of Public Affairs. His writings include:
Real-World Nuclear Deterrence: The Making of International Strategy (Co-authored with Joseph Siracusa, Praeger Security International, 2006)
Depression to Cold War: A History of America from Herbert Hoover to Ronald Reagan (Co-authored with Joseph Siracusa, Praeger Publishers, 2002)
Presidential Speeches
Below are selections from the Miller Center's John Fitzgerald Kennedy speech collection. To view the Miller Center's other speeches by John Fitzgerald Kennedy or by another President, please click the link below.
September 12, 1960 - Address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association
January 20, 1961 - Inaugural Address
Miller Center Scholarship and Speakers
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Watch Miller Center flash transcripts of secret White House recordings of Kennedy discussing Cuba; Civil Rights; Vietnam. Full Miller Center Flash Transcript Archive.
Listen to John Seigenthaler’s 1984 presentation at the Miller Center on
The Kennedy Presidency and Civil Rights.
During his presidency, John Kennedy authorized an unsuccessful covert operation to invade Cuba. Click here to learn more about the Miller Center's National War Powers Commission.
Click here to learn more about the Center’s National Commission on Presidential Disability and the 25th Amendment and its relationship to Kennedy.
Scripps Library Reference Resources
Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center's Scripps Library that are designed to help students and scholars quickly conduct their research.
Information on John Fitzgerald Kennedy's Private and Public Papers
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