(Francis) (1925-1968) US Democratic politician and lawyer. He was presidential campaign manager for his brother John F Kennedy 1960, and as attorney general 1961–64 pursued a racket-busting policy and promoted the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He was also a key aide to his brother. When John Kennedy's successor, Lyndon Johnson, preferred Hubert H Humphrey for the 1964 vice-presidential nomination, Kennedy resigned and was elected senator from New York. In 1968 he campaigned for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, but during a campaign stop in California was assassinated by Sirhan Bishara Sirhan (1944– ), a Jordanian.

F(itzgerald) “Jack” (1917-1963) 35th president of the US 1961–63, a Democrat; the first Roman Catholic and the youngest person to be elected president. In foreign policy he carried through the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, and secured the withdrawal of Soviet missiles from the island 1962. His program for reforms at home, called the New Frontier, was posthumously executed by Lyndon Johnson. Kennedy was assassinated while on a visit to Dallas on 22 Nov 1963. Lee Harvey Oswald (1939–1963), who was shot dead within a few days by Jack Ruby (1911–1967), was named as the assassin.
background
Son of financier Joseph Kennedy, John was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, educated at Harvard and briefly at the London School of Economics, and served in the navy in the Pacific during World War II, winning the Purple Heart and the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.
early political career
After a brief career in journalism he was elected to the House of Representatives 1946. At this point he was mainly concerned with domestic politics and showed few signs of the internationalism for which he later became famous. In 1952 he was elected to the Senate from Massachusetts, defeating Republican Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr, one of Eisenhower's leading supporters. In 1953 he married socialite Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (1929–1995).
presidential candidate
Kennedy made his name as a supporter of civil rights' legislation and as a prominent internationalist, but his youth and his Roman Catholicism were considered serious barriers to the White House. His victory in all seven primaries that he entered, however, assured his place as Democratic candidate for the presidency 1960. His program was a radical one, covering promises to deal with both civil rights and social reform. On television Kennedy debated well against the Republican candidate Richard Nixon, yet went on to win the presidency by one of the narrowest margins ever recorded.
presidency
Critics suggest style was more important than substance in the Kennedy White House, but he inspired a generation of idealists and created an aura of positive activism. He brought academics and intellectuals to Washington as advisers, and his wit and charisma combined with political shrewdness disarmed many critics. His inaugural address, with its emphasis on the “new frontier”, was reminiscent of Roosevelt. In fact Kennedy did not succeed in carrying through any major domestic legislation, though, with the aid of his brother Robert Kennedy, the Attorney-General, desegregation continued and the Civil Rights Bill was introduced. He created the Peace Corps, volunteers who give various types of health, agricultural, and educational aid overseas, and he proposed the Alliance for Progress for aid to Latin America.
foreign affairs
It was in foreign affairs that Kennedy's presidency was most notable. Early in 1961 came the fiasco of the Bay of Pigs, which, though partially carried over from the previous administration, was undoubtedly Kennedy's responsibility. This was redeemed by his masterly handling of the Cuban missile crisis 1962, where his calm and firm approach had a prolonged effect on US–Soviet relations. The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 1963, achieved a further lessening of tension. Kennedy's internationalism won him a popular European reputation not attained by any of his predecessors. He visited W Europe 1961 and 1963, and was tumultuously received on each occasion. The US involvement in the Vietnam War began during Kennedy's administration.
assassination
On 22 Nov, while on a tour of Texas, Kennedy was shot while driving through Dallas and died shortly afterwards. His presumed assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was himself shot 24 Nov while under arrest. Kennedy's death caused worldwide grief and his funeral was attended by heads of state and their representatives from all over the world. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
conspiracy theories
In the 30 years following his assassination, more than 2,000 books were published about his death and a number of conspiracy theories put forward, mostly involving the KGB, FBI, or CIA. The case was investigated by a special commission headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren. The commission determined that Oswald acted alone. Oswald was a malcontent who had gone to live in the USSR in 1959 and later returned. Ruby was a Dallas nightclub owner.

(Moore) “Ted” (1932-) US Democratic politician. He aided his brothers John and Robert Kennedy in their presidential campaigns of 1960 and 1968 respectively, and entered politics as a senator from Massachusetts 1962. He failed to gain the presidential nomination 1980, largely because of questions about his delay in reporting an automobile crash at Chappaquiddick Island, near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in 1969, in which his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, was drowned.
He is a spokesman for liberal causes including national health and gun control.

(1928-) US novelist. He wrote the Albany Trilogy consisting of Legs 1976, about the gangster “Legs” Diamond; Billy Phelan’s Greatest Game 1983, about a pool player; and Ironweed 1984 (Pulitzer Prize), about a baseball player’s return to the city of Albany, New York. He also wrote Quinn’s Book 1988.

(1956-) English violinist. He is credited with expanding the audience for classical music. His 1986 recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons sold more than 1 million copies. He retired from the classical concert platform 1992.
Kennedy was educated at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Surrey, England, and the Juilliard School of Music, New York. He has allied Menuhin's ethic of openness and populism to modern marketing techniques. By cultivating a media image that challenges conventional standards of dress and decorum, he has succeeded in attracting young audiences to carefully understated performances of J S Bach, Max Bruch, and Alban Berg. His repertoire of recordings also includes jazz.

(1888-1969) US industrialist and diplomat; ambassador to the UK 1937–40. A self-made millionaire, he ventured into the film industry, then set up the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for Franklin D Roosevelt. He groomed each of his sons—Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr (1915–1944), John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Edward Kennedy—for a career in politics. His eldest son, Joseph, was killed in action with the naval air force in World War II.

(1936-) US jurist, appointed associate justice of the US Supreme Court 1988. A conservative, he wrote the majority opinion in Washington v Harper 1990 that the administration of medication for mentally ill prisoners, without the prisoner’s consent, is permissible.
Kennedy was born in Sacramento, California, and attended Stanford University (spending his fourth year at the London School of Economics) and the Harvard Law School. He established a private law practice in California 1962–75. He taught constitutional law at McGeorge School of Law of the University of the Pacific 1965–88 and was appointed judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit 1976. He was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Reagan.
He supported the majority opinion in the 1989 case, Texas v Johnson, that ruled that the burning of the US flag in protest was protected by the First Amendment. In Saffle v Parks 1990 he wrote the opinion that a writ of habeas corpus may be obtained only according to the laws in force at the time of a prisoner’s conviction.

35th President of the United States; established the Peace Corps; assassinated in Dallas (1917-1963); Also called: JFK.

1. City in Minnesota (USA); zip code 56733.
2. Town in Alabama (USA); zip code 35574.