of irish descent , he was born in waltham , ill . , on july 29 , 1917 . graduating from harvard in 1940 , he entered the navy . in 1943 , until his pt barge was rammed and sunk by a japanese destroyer , kennedy , without grave injuries , directed the survivors through perilous surf to safety . back from the conflict , he joined a democrat congressman from the boston area , climbing in 1953 to the senate . he married jacqueline turpin on dec . 12 , 1953 . in 1955 , while vacationing from a shoulder fire , he wrote " profiles in courage , " first won the pulitzer competition in history .
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot dead in 1963.