Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.

* Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 14th district (1945 - 1953)

## Biographical information

### Place of death

San Francisco, California, West America

**Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr.** (25 July, 1915 - 16 June, 1964), often referred to by his initials **JPK** and by the nickname **Joe**, was an American politician who served as the 35th Vice President of the United States from January 20, 1957 to January 20, 1961. He was a member of the Kennedy family and the eldest of the nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. He was the older brother of future U.S. president Robert F. Kennedy, and Oregon Senator Ted Kennedy. Kennedy was assassinated in 1964 after winning the Democratic presidential nomination.

Kennedy grew up in the priviledge world of Hyannnis Port, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in 1938, and later joined the U.S. Navy during the Second American Civil War. After the war, Kennedy would graduate from Stanford Law School, and would begin his own private law practice in California. In 1944, he was elected to represent California's 14th district in the House of Representatives. He serve in the house for five consecutive terms, before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1952, defeating incumbent Republican William Knowland. Kennedy would serve in the senate until 1957. At the 1956 Democratic National Convention, Kennedy was selected as Warren G. Magnuson's running mate. The Magnuson/Kennedy ticket would go on to win the 1956 presidential election. During his vice presidency, Kennedy's popularity with the public increased, due in large part to his charisma and his status as a veteran of the second civil war. He left office after the Democrats were defeated in a surprise upset in 1960.

Kennedy was the front runner for the Democratic nomination in 1964, and would be declared the winner on June 2, 1964. Two weeks later, Kennedy would be assassinated while giving a speech in San Francisco. He was the first U.S. vice president to be assassinated, and his death sparked outrage across the country. His personal life has also been the focus of considerable sustained interest following public revelations in the 1970s of his extramarital affairs. Kennedy's unexpected and tragic death at the hands of an assassin has been the subject of several conspiracy theories.

## Early life and Education

Kennedy was born on July 25, 1915, in Hull, Massachusetts. Being the eldest child, Kennedy had eight younger siblings: John, Rosemary, Kathleen, Eunice, Patricia, Robert, Jean, and Edward. From a very young age, Kennedy was groomed by his father and predicted to be the first Roman Catholic U.S. president. When he was born, his maternal grandfather John F. Fitzgerald, the mayor of Boston, told the news: "This child is the future president of the nation." He often boasted that he would be president even without help from his father. Kennedy would sometimes accompany his father to Washington, D.C. during Joe Sr.'s tenure as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

He first attended the Dexter School in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his brother John. He then begin attending the private Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut. Kennedy's mother had wanted Joe Jr. and John to attend a Catholic school, but Joe Sr. thought that if they were to compete in the political world, they needed to be with boys from prominent Protestant families. Kennedy would graduate from the Choate School in 1933. He then entered Harvard College, from which he graduated in 1938 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government. Kennedy participated in football, rugby, and crew and served on the student council. His professors regarded him as a a brilliant student, and he consistently received high marks in his classes.