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John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963
Born Brookline, Massachusetts
When elected to the U.S. Senate in 1953, Democrat John Fitzgerald Kennedy was no stranger to the U.S. Capitol Building, having served Massachusetts in the House of Representatives from 1947 to 1953. He then won the Senate seat from Republican incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., even though the Republican candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower carried Massachusetts in the presidential election. During his time in the Senate, Kennedy was especially responsive to constituent issues, despite suffering major health issues in the first years of his term. At the height of Joseph McCarthy's Red Scare, Kennedy condemned the senator's methods. In doing so, he risked political backlash in his home state, where McCarthy was popular. As senator, Kennedy crusaded for labor reform and civil rights, concerns that would characterize his political career. In 1961, eight years after being elected senator, Kennedy would become the thirty-fifth president of the United States.
Arnold A. Newman, 1953 |