John F. Kennedy was the youngest man ever elected President of the United States, and the first Catholic ever to hold that office. His vision and vitality were immortalized in the concept of the New Frontier, a spirited re-dedication to American ideals. Although he died by an assassin's bullet with his work unfinished, his impact on the American political scene was enormous.

From his father, a self-made millionaire, Jack acquired his respect for hard work and the desire to excel. Frustrated as a boy by unfavorable comparisons with his brilliant older brother, he was a mediocre student until his final years at Harvard, when his concern for conditions in Europe aroused his interest in international affairs. In World War II, he showed his courage under fire when his PT boat was destroyed and he saved his men against great odds.

Kennedy entered politics at the urging of his family and was elected to Congress for three consecutive terms. Only after he won a seat to the Senate did he begin to forge the liberal political philosophy that became his credo.

Dramatic changes occurred in Kennedy's life during his years in the Senate. He married the charming Jacqueline Bouvier. He had a close brush with death when surgery was performed on his back, and he wrote Profiles in Courage, a book that earned him a Pulitzer Prize.

During his presidential campaign, especially in the celebrated TV debates with Richard Nixon, he emerged as a brilliant statesman rather than a politician.

As President, JFK showed his idealism in establishing the Peace Corps, exhibited courage in his conduct during the steel crisis and with the Russian missiles in Cuba, and at the same time acknowledged his own naivete in the Bay of Pigs fiasco.

In bringing the spirit of the New Frontier to the American people and to people throughout the world, President Kennedy revived a concept of courage and determination that is his legacy.

From the book