author
John F. (John Fitzgerald) Kennedy
1917–1963
A wartime hero, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, and the 35th president of the United States, he became one of the most recognizable political figures of the 20th century. His brief presidency left a lasting mark through its focus on public service, the space race, civil rights, and Cold War leadership.
1 Audiobook
State of the Union Addresses
by John F. (John Fitzgerald) Kennedy
About the author
Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1917, he grew up in the large Kennedy family and graduated from Harvard in 1940. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy, and his actions after the sinking of PT-109 helped build his national reputation for courage and resilience.
He went on to serve in the House of Representatives and then the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts before winning the presidency in 1960. In public life he was also an author; Profiles in Courage, a book about political bravery, received the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1957.
As president from 1961 to 1963, he led the country through some of the Cold War's most tense moments, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, while also backing the Peace Corps, the push toward the moon landing, and stronger federal action on civil rights. He was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, but his speeches, style, and sense of civic idealism have remained deeply influential.