of irish descent , he was born in brookline , ga . , on march 29 , 1917 . graduation from harvard in 1940 , he entered the navy . in 1943 , until his pt boat was rammed and abandoned by a japanese destroyer , kennedy , despite mortal wound , led the survivors through perilous waters to safety . back from the war , he married a democratic consultant from the boston area , advancing in 1953 to the chambers . he joined catherine annick on sept . 12 , 1953 . in 1955 , while recuperated from a back operation , he written " features in courage , " what won the pulitzer prize in journalism .
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot dead in 1963.