John F.
Kennedy
BackGround
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in November of 1917 to the wealthy Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Kennedy in the affluent neighborhood of Brookline, Massachusetts. Growing up, JFK found himself in the shadow of his older brother Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., and battling a series of illnesses. Although the expectations were not high for their second son, JFK still got to go to a private institution, Choate, where, as mentioned by Alexis Coe in Town and Country, he “barely pulled a ‘gentleman’s C’, managing just a 73 in French and a 69 in Latin.” Yet the institution still had interest in him. This can be attributed to several factors, including a 119 on an IQ score test, but also several generous gifts given to the school by the Kennedy family, including a “moving picture machine”. Even Joe Jr. helped to lay a positive foundation which JFK could take up at the school through strong sporting prowess and an active role in the academic community.
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Following his primary education, JFK, like most members of his family, attended Harvard University. Through this period of his life he really grew up, focusing more on his schooling and making a name for himself. Additionally, through his family connections, he found opportunities and experiences throughout the world. By this time his father was the US ambassador to the United Kingdom as it was on the brink of the second world war. Between spending time in Great Britain and traveling across Europe with friends from school, JFK developed a more cosmopolitan attitude, and gained experience in international relations. His Harvard thesis developed into the 1940 book Why England Slept, at least in part a result of the opportunities JFK got as a result of his family's international and domestic political connections and wealth.
A political Leap
It was in his military career where JFK as an individual, and not just a Kennedy, earned respect. As a commander of torpedo boats in the Pacific Theater of WWII, he found himself in charge of many men and in the heat of combat. After his ships were damaged in a battle, he overcame injuries to lead his troops, even carrying one, to a nearby island to save them.
Following the war, JFK followed in the footsteps of his predecessors and pursued a political career. With family influence, money, and a shining military career, JFK was elected as Massachusetts 11th district
Representative in 1947 and only 6 years later as a Massachusetts senator. Ronald Kessler, in his work The Sins of the Father: Joseph P. Kennedy and the Dynasty he Founded outlines how it was JFK’s father who, following Joseph Kennedy Jr’s death pushed JFK into politics, going so far as to pressure the 11th district’s previous Representative, James Michael Curley with a bribe of $12,000 and campaign help for Curley’s run for mayor of Boston, opening up the position for the next member of the Kennedy patriarchy. These positions provided a platform from which JFK would soon become the 35th President of the United States, a title he held until his assassination.