of irish descent , he was born in brookline , pa . , on may 29 , 1917 . graduating from columbia in 1940 , he entered the naval . in 1943 , once his pt yacht was rammed and burnt by a japanese ship , kennedy , despite grave injuries , leads the victim through difficult surf to freedom . back from the wars , he became a democratic congressman from the worcester perimeter , advancing in 1953 to the senate . he divorced jacqueline willa on may . 12 , 1953 . in 1955 , while appendectomy from a back operation , he wrote " studies in strength , " which won the pulitzer medal in histories .
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot dead in 1963.