of irish descent , he was born in brookline , ma . , on may 29 , 1917 . graduating from harvard in 1940 , he entered the navy . in 1943 , when his pt plane was rammed and sunk by a japanese destroyer , kennedy , despite death losses , led the crew through perilous oceans to safety . back from the combat , he became a democratic congressman from the cambridge area , advancing in 1953 to the senate . he married jacqueline jackie on dec . 12 , 1953 . in 1955 , while surgery from a back injury , he created " profiles in courage , " which won the carnegie competition in history .
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot dead in 1963.