Who Was John F. Kennedy?: Who Was...?

Who Was John F. Kennedy?: Who Was...?

Yona Zeldis McDonough

Language: English

Pages: 112

ISBN: 0448437430

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub


The man who saved the lives of his PT-109 crewmen during WWII and became the 35th president fought-and won-his first battle at the age of two-and-a-half, when he was stricken with scarlet fever. Although his presidency was cut short, our nation's youngest elected leader left an indelible mark on the American consciousness and now is profiled in our Who Was...? series. Included are 100 black-and-white illustrations as well as a timeline that guides readers through this eventful period in history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the boats cost more lives than they saved. After five months in the Pacific searching for enemy ships, PT-109 was torn in half by a Japanese destroyer. Once Kennedy realized that the wrecked pieces of the boat would sink, he ordered his men to swim to Plum Pudding Island, three miles away. Jack refused to leave Patrick McMahon, who was badly burned, to die alone. Instead, he placed Patrick on top of him, back to back. Jack took the long strap from Patrick’s life jacket and clenched it in his

recognized. Later, he regretted using his wartime experiences to help his campaign. “There’s something wrong about parlaying a sunken PT boat into a congressional seat.” Jack’s big family joined the campaign. His sisters Jean, Eunice, and Pat rang doorbells and handed out leaflets. His mother organized tea parties and receptions. Even Teddy Kennedy, the baby of the family at fourteen, ran errands for his older brother. These efforts—and Jack’s own—were rewarded when Jack won the election. In

musicians, and architects. Jackie was equally comfortable, whether hosting a poetry reading, a formal dinner, a ballet performance, or a party onboard the presidential yacht. When the Kennedys went to France, the first lady made a huge hit with President Charles de Gaulle and all the French people. Jack joked that he would be remembered as “the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris.” Jack loved being president. On a typical day, he was up by seven-thirty. He quickly read several

newspapers, had a hot bath, ate breakfast, and dressed. By eight-thirty or nine, he was at work in the Oval Office. In the basement of the White House, Jackie found a very old desk and had it moved to the Oval Office. It had belonged to President Rutherford B. Hayes. The desk was made of wood from a ship that had been shipwrecked in 1854. President Kennedy loved the desk. The coconut shell with the carved message for help sat on top of it—a reminder of when the PT-109 had been shipwrecked.

this, he wanted someone in his cabinet whom he could trust completely. Bobby was that person. Lyndon Johnson, the vice president, did not get along with Bobby Kennedy. He often felt left out of important decisions. In 1962 the youngest Kennedy, Teddy, ran for senator in Massachusetts. He won. It was the same job that his brother Jack had once held. Teddy was only thirty. Now people saw the Kennedys as a dynasty—the most important family in the United States. Americans had strong feelings about

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