John F. Kennedy - A Thousand Days Essays - Kennedy Family

John F. Kennedy - A thousand days John F. Kennedy - A thousand days John F. Kennedy was destined to be president of the United States. He would rather mold history than let history mold itself. John Kennedy was born in Brookline, MA in 1917. His mother was Irish and his father was a graduate of Harvard University and had entered the business world. After their arrival as immigrants, John's grandparents entered politics. John had attended four different schools before attending Harvard. He first attended Dexter School in Brookline where he played football. He was then enrolled at the Riverdale Country Day School in Bronxville, NY because his father had moved for business reason. He had also attended the Canterbury School in New Milford, MA and then he spent his secondary school years at Choate in Wallingford, CT. As a student, Kennedy was average. He had potential of a great intellect and had a capacity to learn but he failed to apply himself. Therefore, he was happy as a B student. In 1946, JFK started down the road mapped out for him by his father. Since Kennedy was more of a scholar than a politician, it wasn't easy when he ran for Congress from Massachusetts' 11th district. Since his family was well known, he fit right in. He served in the House of Representatives for six years. Then in 1952, he ran for the Senate against Henry Cabot Lodge. He won and then began to capture the eyes of men in the Democratic Party. In 1956 he decided to run as the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee, but he lost to the Senator of Tennessee. His effort, however, earned him national prominence, exactly what he wanted. In 1960 he won the Democratic Presidential Contest. From that time on JFK had developed into one of the most effective speakers in the history of the presidency. While a junior member of the Senate in 1952, Kennedy me Jacquelin Lee Bouvier, who was working as a photographer for the Washington Times Herald. On September 12, 1953, they married in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod. Although Kennedy was not born a politician, he learned the trade fast. His quest for presidency started in 1959. His campaign was a very exhausting experience for him. He had planned early on that he would "cover everything, do everything and see everyone." The highlight of the 1960 Presidential Campaign was the series of four television debates between Kennedy and his opponent, Richard M. Nixon. Even off screen, Kennedy had a way of turning the debates to his advantage. When the ratings were in, Kennedy had clearly passed up his opponent by a considerable margin. Many experts believe that his appearance on television was the key factor in winning most of the votes. They said that Nixon came off poorly and even looked poorly. When all the speeches were over, Kennedy returned to Boston to cast his vote at the West End Branch Library. Within a few hours it was clear that Kennedy had been elected to do one of the most demanding jobs in the world. John Kennedy had two children, Caroline and John Jr. Mrs. Kennedy tried very hard to keep them out of the spotlight because she was afraid that it would have an adverse effect on their development. John Jr. loved to hang out in his father's office. John always found time to spend with his family. It was very rare that he didn't unless there was a very hectic issue he had to deal with as president. While the children were cared for much of the time by Maud Shaw, their private nurse, Mrs. Kennedy would take over whenever time allowed. More than anything else, the children of John Kennedy served to personalize and humanize the man. Scenes of the president playing with his children, carrying their teddy bears, listening to their problems and caring for their needs were deeply moving scenes. And when he died, Caroline and John were not yet old enough to understand. Someday they will and they, more than anyone, will be able to remember the human side of the man who worked so long and hard for his country. Maybe Caroline summed it up when she once said, "That's not the president, that's my daddy." Jackie Kennedy was the daughter of a New York banker, John Bouvier and Mrs. Hugh D. Auchincloss of Georgetown. Following a liberal arts education in American schools, Jackie went to Paris to study at the Sorbonne. Just after meeting John Kennedy when she was a freshman senator, she took a job