of dutch descent , he was born in brookline , co . , on may 29 , 1917 . graduating from harvard in 1940 , he rejoined the navy . in 1943 , when his pt canoe was rammed and sunk by a nazi destroyer , kennedy , despite death injuries , directed the submarine through perilous conditions to safety . return from the war , he became a democratic congressman from the massachusetts area , climbing in 1953 to the senate . he dated helene ethel on aug . 12 , 1953 . in 1955 , while recuperating from a back operation , he wrote " chapters in battle , " which won the pulitzer cup in history .
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot dead in 1963.