The Legacy Of John Fitzgerald Kennedy

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Inaugurated in January of 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy (or “JFK”) was the youngest president to ever hold office, as well as the first catholic. Following a heroic tour in the Navy during World War II, with the backing of his father’s immense wealth JFK abandoned a career in journalism to fulfill his deceased brother’s dream of becoming the first catholic president (Freidal and Sidey). After writing two best-selling books and rapidly advancing through political offices, Kennedy ran for president in the election of 1960. He chose Lyndon B. Johnson as his running mate and won by a narrow margin over future president Richard Nixon (History.com). The first several months of Kennedy’s term proved to be eventful, with the Bay of Pigs…show more content…
President John F. Kennedy positioned himself to be the most impactful, charismatic, and progressive presidents of all time before his untimely death. Before he held the title of President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born into a wealthy family on May 29,1917 (Freidal and Sidey). His father had accumulated wealth likely by bootlegging or making illegal business transactions, although these theories have been disputed. Regardless of how his family earned their wealth, Kennedy was very well off. He attended Harvard and graduated in 1940, originally desiring to become a journalist. Kennedy then went on to serve in the Navy during World War II and was praised as a hero after sustaining severe injuries he led his men away from their cruiser sunk by Japan (White House). After the war, John mourned the loss of his brother Joe Jr. and abandoned his pursuit of a career in journalism, turning to politics instead. He wished to fulfill his father’s vision for Joe Jr. by becoming the first Catholic President of the United States (White House). Kennedy quickly flew through political offices, and at the age of twenty-nine he entered congress. In 1952, Kennedy moved from the House of Representatives to the Senate, and a year later married Jaqueline (or “Jackie”) Lee Bouvier. Kennedy was then set back for a short amount of time for surgery on his back, and during this time wrote a book that would go on to win a Pulitzer prize in 1957. In 1960,
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