Was born the second of nine children of the entrepreneur and diplomat Joseph P. Kennedy and his wife Rose. That the Kennedy boys will one day go into politics, is out of the question for their ambitious father. At an early age, his nine children learned that life is all about winning. After completing high school, John F. Kennedy studied Political Science at Harvard University from 1936 to 1940. His bachelor thesis deals with the ‘appeasement policy’, that is the British government’s appeasement policy in the 1930s. The work was later released under the title ‘Why England Slept’ by Joe Kennedy. In 1941, John F. Kennedy joined the navy and later became a lieutenant. In the Pacific War, which begins a year later, he volunteers for service on a torpedo patrol boat. In this mission, he saved a teammate. It is unclear how glorious his role in this military incident really was. However, both John F. Kennedy and his father told the story wisely and to their advananget, and the young Kennedy became a war hero. In the mid-1940s his older brother Joseph Jr. crashed by plane on a military mission for which he had volunteered.
In the family it is clear that now John F. takes over the role of his older brother. He sets out to conquer the highest political office in the country. The money and the relationships of his father also helped him. In November 1946, he ran for the Democratic Party in Boston with the slogan: ‘A new generation presents a leader’ and was elected to the House of Representatives. Shortly after the „Addison disease” was detected, a disease of the immune system. The consequences were an extreme susceptibility to infections and permanent fatigue. In addition, he had chronic back pains, which resulted from a sport accident, and a bowel disease. To fight the symptoms, John F. Kennedy must take daily cortisone and strong analgesics. But his physical condition, which was kept secret from the public as much as possible, didn’t stop the ambitious young politician from pursuing his career.
Before the Senate elections, the Kennedy clan moves into the election campaign. With a smart strategy in which, for example, the female voters are particularly courted, and a targeted PR work, ‘JFK’ elected in 1952 in the Senate. On September 12 1953 Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier with whom he will have three children. Caroline, JFK Jr. and Patrick who died two days after his birth. John F. Kennedy remains a senator for eight years. During this time, he brought two heavy back operations behind him. While in the hospital, he began to write a book, which later appears under the title ‘Profiles in Courage’. The bestseller was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. After recovering, he prepared for his most important election campaign: he wants to announce his candidacy for the presidency in 1960. The bill went up and in the summer of the same year ‘JFK’ is nominated by the Democratic Party. For the first time in American history, the election campaign was also on television.
For Kennedy, who was able to sell himself to the media, which was a great advantage, because he used it in a television debate with his Republican opponent Richard Nixon. Also in this election campaign ‘JFK’ was again supported by the entire Kennedy clan. However, Joe Kennedy, who kept himself in the background as a person, again used his contacts to the press and finances his son’s numerous travels and campaigns. He also donated large sums, for example, to Protestant clergy, who then work for the Catholic candidate. Robert Kennedy, who supported his older brother as an election campaign manager, was one of his closest advisers, he played a special role during this period. On January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States of America by a narrow margin. The 43-year-old politician at the time of his election made use of the spirit of optimism in the early 1960s.
He called his domestic policy program ‘New Frontier’, which should particularly appeal to the younger generation. Among other things, he wanted to reform the education, health and tax system. In 1963 Kennedy began campaigning for a next term. On November 22 he visited Dallas Texas. When driving with an open car through the city, he was hit by shots in the head and neck. Kennedy was dead immediately. To date, it is unclear who is behind the murder of ‘JFK’. Some suggest that the CIA, the FBI or the Secret Service are responsible. But the mafia, exiled Cubans and Fidel Castro himself are also associated with the murder. As John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States of America, on November 25, 1963 at the Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington D.C. is buried, millions of people around the world mourn him. The death of Kennedy plunged the world into deep sadness and incomprehension.
