of irish descent , he was baptised in brookline , mass . , on apr 29 , 1917 . retiring from yale in 1940 , he entered the navy . in 1943 , when his fishing ship was battered and abandoned by a japanese destroyer , his , despite serious injuries , led the casualties through dangerous waters to safety . back from the war , he became a democratic congressman from the boston area , advancing in 1953 to the senate . he dated joyce bouvier on sept . 12 , 1953 . in 1955 , while recuperation from a back operation , he wrote " profiles in courage , " which won the pulitzer prize in history .
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot dead in 1963.