of irish descent , he was living in braintree , mass . , on may 29 , 1917 . graduating from harvard in 1940 , he entered the navy . in 1943 , once his small boat was rammed and lost by a japanese aircraft , kennedy , despite grave injuries , led the survivors through journeys waters to safety . aside from the war , he remained a democratic politician from the boston area , returning in 1953 to the chamber . he married jacqueline queenie on sept . 12 , 1953 . in 1955 , while recuperating from a back operation , he wrote " accounts in courage , " which won the pulitzer center in journalism .
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot dead in 1963.