John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States (1961-63), was, at the age of 43, the youngest man and the first Roman Catholic ever elected to the presidency. Rich, handsome, elegant, and articulate, he aroused great admiration at home and abroad. His assassination in Dallas, Tex., in November 1963 provoked outrage and widespread mourning. His term of office as president was too short, however, to permit safe judgments about his place in history.
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