Kennedy was born into a wealthy political family in Brookline, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in 1940, before joining the U.S. He was subsequently elected to the U.S. Senate and served as the junior Senator from Massachusetts from 1953 to 1960. While in the Senate, Kennedy published his book, Profiles in Courage, which won a Pulitzer Prize. In the 1960 presidential election, he narrowly defeated Republican opponent Richard Nixon, who was the incumbent vice president. All four of his grandparents were children of Irish immigrants. Kennedy had an elder brother, Joseph Jr., and seven younger siblings: Rosemary, Kathleen ('Kick'), Eunice, Patricia, Robert ('Bobby'), Jean, and Edward ('Ted').
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