| Joseph P. Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| |
| 35th President of the United States | |
| In office January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961 | |
| Vice President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Thomas E. Dewey |
| Succeeded by | Nelson Rockefeller |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 6, 1888 Boston, Massachusetts, the  United States of America
|
| Died | November 18, 1969 (aged 81) Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, the  United States of America
|
| Political party | Liberal Party |
| Spouse(s) | Rose Fitzgerald (m. 1914) |
| Children | 9, including John, Robert and Ted |
| Occupation | Politician, businessman, investor |
| Religion | Christianity (Roman Catholicism) |
Joseph Patrick Kennedy Sr. (September 6, 1888 – November 18, 1969) was an American businessman, investor, and politician who served as the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961). Kennedy was a leading member of the Liberal Party and of the Irish Catholic community. He was born to a political family in East Boston, Massachusetts. He embarked on a career in business and investing, amassing large fortunes from a wide range of business industries across the United States.
Initially a Liberal reformer, Kennedy supported Progressive Franklin D. Roosevelt during the latter's early years in the presidency. In return, Roosevelt appointed Kennedy to be the first chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1934, and he later directed the Maritime Commission in 1935. However, he became increasingly conservative at the dawn of World War II and staunchly critical of Roosevelt in domestic and foreign issues during the wartime.
Kennedy was temporarily sidelined in the political scene with the rise of Wendell Willkie in the Liberal presidential nominations in 1940 and 1944. He remained active behind the scene in promoting a conservative, anti-New Deal coalition of Liberal-Republican fusion tickets in the local and state levels. Younger Liberal politicians such as Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon were brought under his wing during this period. As the Liberal presidential nominee, he was defeated by the Progressive candidate, Thomas E. Dewey, in the 1948 election.
After his defeat in 1948, Kennedy led the Liberal Party permanent shift to the political right. His anti-communist rhetoric resonated to the conservative voters especially during the early stage of Cold War and this political outlook swayed many conservative votes from the Republicans. In the 1952 presidential election, Kennedy narrowly defeated Progressive candidate Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., who was the incumbent Vice President. Kennedy was the last president born in the 19th century and also the first (and only, so far) Roman Catholic to occupy that office.
