The 50th Anniversary of the John F Kennedy Assassination
In 1960, at the age of 43, Senator John F. Kennedy won the Democratic nomination for the Office of The President of The United States. It was in early November of that year that Sen. Kennedy made a campaign run through Connecticut.
In early November of that year, after a hard fought campaign against then Vice President Richard Nixon, Kennedy paid a visit to Connecticut. He also spent time in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven.
It was in Waterbury however, that Kennedy cemented his ties to the state as he was greeted by crowds reaching over 30,000 citizens at 3 am.
Two days later, on Tuesday November 8th, he was elected to office in one of the closest contests in our nation’s history. He was the first President ever born in the 20th century and the youngest person ever elected to the office. His charismatic manner made him popular with the American people. Even though his history was born of wealth, he showed a caring and genuine sense of humanity that allowed him to relate to all people.
He again came to Waterbury as President to help democratic candidates in October of 1962, and was greeted in Waterbury by an estimated 55,000 people as he gave his speech in support of the campaigning candidates as well.
On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade through Dallas TX. He was the 4th President to be assassinated in office. In the days following that event, continuous media coverage captivated a world and again showed the subsequent killing of the prime suspect in a police station.
President Kennedy had demonstrated in his less than 3 years in office enthusiasm and leadership that defied his youth and tried to unify a nation in support of world peace.
History alone will decide if President Kennedy was a good, competent or even a great President. For those that remember that first campaign visit to Connecticut, he will just be fondly remembered. I was 12 years old on that day, and remember being released from school and running home to view the coverage. The disbelief and grief were strong then, as they are today especially with the memory of waiting on the cold downtown Waterbury CT green for a glimpse of history.
The 50th Anniversary of the John F Kennedy Assassination
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