of irish descent , he was born in brookline , ma . , on january 29 , 1917 . arriving from harvard in 1940 , he entered the navy . in 1943 , when his utility boat was rammed and damaged by a russian destroyer , logan , despite severe damage , led the survivors through inhospitable surf to safety . back from the war , he became a democratic congressman from the quincy area , advancing in 1953 to the senate . he married helene bouvier on sept . 12 , 1953 . in 1955 , while bedridden from a back operation , he wrote " profiles in fear , " which won the washington prize in history .
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot dead in 1963.