How old was jfk when he became president

1961–1968: The Presidencies of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson

President John F. Kennedy assumed office on January 20, 1961, following an eight-year career in the Senate. The first Catholic president, Kennedy was also the second youngest to ever serve in the office. In his inaugural address, Kennedy proclaimed “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” Kennedy came into the presidency determined to reenergize the foreign policy establishment. To that end, he assembled a team of young White House and National Security Council advisers—the so-called “best and the brightest”—which included McGeorge Bundy, Walt Rostow, Ted Sorensen and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.

President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson at Legislative Leaders Meeting, February 7, 1961. (Abbie Rowe. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston)

Kennedy selected Dean Rusk, a tacitur

John F. Kennedy

President of the United States from 1961 to 1963

Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see John Kennedy (disambiguation), Jack Kennedy (disambiguation), JFK (disambiguation), and John F. Kennedy (disambiguation).

John F. Kennedy

Oval Office portrait, 1963

In office
January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
Vice PresidentLyndon B. Johnson
Preceded byDwight D. Eisenhower
Succeeded byLyndon B. Johnson
In office
January 3, 1953 – December 22, 1960
Preceded byHenry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Succeeded byBenjamin A. Smith II
In office
January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1953
Preceded byJames Michael Curley
Succeeded byTip O'Neill
Born

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


(1917-05-29)May 29, 1917
Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedNovember 22, 1963(1963-11-22) (aged 46)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Manner of deathAssassination
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Children4, including Caroline, John Jr., an

John Fitzgerald Kennedy: The First One Hundred Years

Civil Rights

In the years between the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870 and John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961, the federal government took little action to correct racial disparities within the United States. In the early 1960s, African Americans still faced harsh inequalities. Racial discrimination resulted in limited access to education, employment, healthcare, and housing. Protection from violence was not guaranteed, and intimidation at voting stations kept many from having their voices heard.

During the Kennedy presidency, the Civil Rights Movement gained attention as the actions of peaceful activists stirred violent reactions. Kennedy was reluctant for the federal government to become involved but as images of burning buses, police brutality, and other hate crimes filled the American media, Kennedy grew to understand the need for federal action. He ordered National Guard troops to protect African American students denied entry at the University of Alabama. Later that day, he addressed Americans in a televis

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