Biography of Preisdent Jack P. Kennedy (Crazy Days)

Here's a rough draft of the biography for the Preisdent Kennedy of my upcoming ATL Crazy Days (I'm also working on the biographies of Presidents Humphrey and Reagan currently). Any criticisms, comments, or suggestions would be much appreciated.

A brief biography of President Jack P. Kennedy (1915-1990)

Jack P. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on May, 15, 1915, the second oldest in a family of nine children. His great grandparents had come to the United States from Ireland in the mid-1800s after a famine caused severe poverty in that country. Although their families had not come to the United States with much money, both of Jack Kennedy's grandfathers became political leaders in Boston. One of them, John Fitzgerald, was elected mayor in 1905. Jack P. Kennedy's father, Joseph Patrick Kennedy became a very wealthy businessman, an adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the United States Ambassador to Great Britain from 1938 to 1940.

Jack Kennedy moved to New York when he was 12 years old. Since the family spent the summer months at their home in Hyannis, Cape Cod, Jack still lived a good part of his life in Massachusetts. As a boy and a young man, he traveled to other parts of the United States and to other countries. After graduating from the Choate School in Connecticut in 1931 (at the age of 16) he went to Harvard. Kennedy wrote his thesis on the need for Britain and the west to defend itself against Nazi Germany. Published in book form in 1938, under the title, "While Europe Sleeps," the work became a best seller and a commonly sited work by the anti-Isolationist movement in the US. He graduated from Harvard in 1935.

After graduation Kennedy entered the Navy as a seaman. He was commissioned an ensign assigned to a PT boat squadron which patrolled the Soloman Islands. He advanced quickly in rank, eventually becoming the rear admiral of a small "PT" boat assigned to the battle in the Pacific against the Japanese. In 1943, when his PT boat was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer, Kennedy, despite grave injuries, led the survivors to safety. His heroic rescue of survivors of his crew won him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal as well as the Purple Heart. But it also contributed to his growing paranoia, which would plague him increasingly in life.

After the war and his ten years of military service ended, Kennedy worked as a reporter for Hearst newspapers for a short time. One of his assignments was coverage of the United Nations conference at San Francisco in 1945. He decided to enter politics in 1946, but found himself at odds with many in his family because of his conservative views (with the exception of Robert F. Kennedy). Never the less, he won the Republican nomination to the House of Representatives in his home state of Massachusetts. He went on to win the election and as Congressman voted for increase in funding for the military, and supported the president's expansion of Social Security, though he later said that "the process of the welfare state's growth in this country must be slowed, and eventually stopped".

In 1952, Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, daughter of a wealthy Wall Street broker, on September 12, 1953. ( They had four children, a girl who was stillborn; Caroline, born Nov. 27, 1957; John Fitzgerald, Jr., born Nov. 25, 1960, and Patrick Bouvier, born August, 1963, died two days later.) Meanwhile, as a Mass. Senator, he worked for bills that would help the state's industries. In 1955, while recuperating from a back operation, he wrote "Profiles in Courage," which won the Pulitzer Prize in history.

Kennedy began working tirelessly for his presidential nomination as early as 1957. In 1957 Kennedy almost gained the Republican nomination for Vice President, and five years later was a first-ballot nominee for President. Millions watched his four television debates with the Democratic candidate and current Senate Democratic leader, Lyndon B. Johnson. Winning by a narrow margin in the popular vote, Kennedy became the second Roman Catholic President elected. JFK won 300 electoral votes and Johnson won 222 electoral votes. The electoral vote figure needed to win the election of 1962 was 269,

In his Inaugural Address, he spoke of the need for all Americans to be active citizens in order to improve American society and minimize the role of the welfare state. "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country," he said. As President, he set out to redeem his campaign pledge to get America moving again. His uncompromising stance on tax cutting and continued mobilization of the Military and Industries nationwide launched the country on its longest sustained expansion since World War II.

Responding to ever more urgent demands, he took vigorous action in the cause of equal rights, calling for new civil rights legislation. His vision of America extended to the quality of the national culture and the central role of the arts in a vital society. However, at the same time he supported continued investigation of the Communist Party, and its "continued hidden influence upon our society." It was also his determination to "shame the regime in Italy" that was used as the justification for many of these programs, and as Kennedy later commented in a 1984 interview "to further appease my growing base in the New Right…"

He wished America to pour its resources into continuing its relentless economic, military and scientific growth. He also wanted to make the US more humanitarian. He established the Peace Corps which sends Americans to assist the people in underdeveloped countries with education, modern farming and industrial methods. With the Alliance for Progress and the Peace Corps, he brought American idealism to the aid of developing nations. But the hard reality of the Communist menace remained, as the so called "Red scare" began to intensify within the US.

Kennedy was shot and nearly killed in 1963. He suffered wounds to his right arm and left shoulder, but avoided serious injuries from the debacle. The ordeal strengthened Kennedy's increasing popularity, as he was able to further charm the American public during his recovery, much like Ronald Reagan would years later (and less than a year after his election like JPK no less). However, the incident also had deeply affected Kennedy. His paranoia increased, and with it so did his security measures and belief in policies that promoted "Law and Order" above all else.

Shortly after his inauguration, the Italian Socialist State Republics renewed its funding and support for radical factions in Libya. Kennedy replied by reinforcing the Libyan garrison and increasing the Nation's military strength, by speeding up the arms and space race. Confronted by this reaction, Rome now completely broke off relations with the USA. In secret, the USSR continued amassment of troops and funding for Kadafhi’s Marxist rebels. When Khadfi finally overthrew the established Libyan regime in March 1964, the White Orthodox Russian Empire (WORE) responded by sending in troops to overthrow what they perceived to be an emerging Communist puppet regime. The United Provinces of China and the emerging Pan-Arab Federation responded in turn by declaring the actions of both nations to be a an eminent threat, and declared war in May 1964. By June, 4, 1964 a Third World War had begun, as WORE and the ISSR invaded Turkey.

The day following this devastating attack, Kennedy secured a declaration of war against both regimes with a stirring speech to Congress. However, by 1965, Kennedy found that he faced unrest from radicals on all sides of the political spectrum within the country. Leftist terrorist groups such as the Weathermen regularly threatened him and the government. Riots broke out due to the draft, even as the vast majority of Americans supported WWIII as a second “Good War” akin to the WWII, and anti-Italian and anti-Slavic sentiments rose. Nevertheless, the war effort for the next several years went in the USA’s favor as Italy’s support dwindled and China along with the PAF proved to be valuable allies.

In 1967, Kennedy defeated democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey by 14 million votes, a landslide victory. In his second term, Kennedy began to pursue a more conservative approach to domestic policies. His administration centered on the reduction of civil unrest, crime, drugs, and welfare reform when not fighting the war overseas. Kennedy voted in favor of crack downs on alcohol and drug abuse among the nations young, and on organized crime or radical groups. Many admired him as a source of stability in a world torn by war and chaos.

In 1972, Kennedy's second term ended, as did the Third World War (amazingly without the use of Nuclear Weapons). He left office with an astounding 85% approval rating, as the most beloved president since Roosevelt. In his later years, he often contributed to political campaigns across the country. Kennedy lived in Boston, Massachusetts for the next twenty two years, until his death in 1990.
 

Diamond

Banned
I really like this take on a variant JFK. Very cool. My gripes are mostly technical:

POTUS P.Diffin said:
After graduation Kennedy entered the Navy as a seaman. He was commissioned an ensign assigned to a PT boat squadron which patrolled the Soloman Islands. He advanced quickly in rank, eventually becoming the rear admiral of a small "PT" boat assigned to the battle in the Pacific against the Japanese.

I'm a little confused here. A 'seaman' is an enlisted rank, E1. Did he start out enlisted, then become an officer? If so, it sounds a little odd. Coming from a family of wealth and influence, wouldn't he have joined the khaki brotherhood immediately? Nice as it is to imagine him rising up through the ranks, its not too likely.

Also: are you saying that, having attained the rank of Rear Admiral (which is actually two separate grades, Upper and Lower, Lower having once been Commodore), he is in command of one dinky little PT boat? If he IS a Rear Admiral, that kind of rapid advancement to those lofty and exhalted ranks is rare, even in wartime. :)

POTUS P.Diffin said:
In 1952, Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, daughter of a wealthy Wall Street broker, on September 12, 1953.

The dates seem a little odd here... '52 or '53?

POTUS P.Diffin said:
Kennedy was shot and nearly killed in 1963. He suffered wounds to his right arm and left shoulder, but avoided serious injuries from the debacle.

I think you could stand to elaborate more on the circumstances. Who did it? Why? How? Where? (Unless its described in the TL.)

POTUS P.Diffin said:
In 1972, Kennedy's second term ended, as did the Third World War (amazingly without the use of Nuclear Weapons). He left office with an astounding 85% approval rating, as the most beloved president since Roosevelt. In his later years, he often contributed to political campaigns across the country. Kennedy lived in Boston, Massachusetts for the next twenty two years, until his death in 1990.

Again, the dates seem a litte off here. From 1972, 22 years would be 1994.
 
Diamond said:
I really like this take on a variant JFK. Very cool. My gripes are mostly technical:

I'm a little confused here. A 'seaman' is an enlisted rank, E1. Did he start out enlisted, then become an officer? If so, it sounds a little odd. Coming from a family of wealth and influence, wouldn't he have joined the khaki brotherhood immediately? Nice as it is to imagine him rising up through the ranks, its not too likely.

Yes, that's pretty much what I implied. This ATL's JFK variant has numerous opportunities to rise up the ranks immediately, but because he has a strong "pull yourself by your bootstraps" mentality he rejects pretty much all of them.

Diamond said:
Also: are you saying that, having attained the rank of Rear Admiral (which is actually two separate grades, Upper and Lower, Lower having once been Commodore), he is in command of one dinky little PT boat? If he IS a Rear Admiral, that kind of rapid advancement to those lofty and exhalted ranks is rare, even in wartime. :)

I realize now that's probably the most implausible/ASB element of this bio. I'll make sure to alter that.

Diamond said:
The dates seem a little odd here... '52 or '53?

It should be 1953, but when I was editing this Bio. I missed that. But I only had about three to four hours of sleep and I was sick, so at least I have an excuse. :)

Diamond said:
I think you could stand to elaborate more on the circumstances. Who did it? Why? How? Where? (Unless its described in the TL.)

The circumstances are mostly described in the TL. Note that in OTL, many biographies of FDR don't include much information on WWII. I think that the same thing would occur when people were writing a bio on JPK.

Diamond said:
Again, the dates seem a litte off here. From 1972, 22 years would be 1994.

That would be because I was editing an earlier rough-draft of JPK's biography, and forgot to change his death date. Again, three to four hours of sleep without coffee really messed me up.
 
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Here's a rough draft of the biography for the Preisdent Kennedy of my upcoming ATL Crazy Days (I'm also working on the biographies of Presidents Humphrey and Reagan currently). Any criticisms, comments, or suggestions would be much appreciated.

A brief biography of President Jack P. Kennedy (1915-1992)

Jack P. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on May, 15, 1915, the second oldest in a family of nine children. His great grandparents had come to the United States from Ireland in the mid-1800s after a famine caused severe poverty in that country. Although their families had not come to the United States with much money, both of Jack Kennedy's grandfathers became political leaders in Boston. One of them, John Fitzgerald, was elected mayor in 1905. Jack P. Kennedy's father, Joseph Patrick Kennedy became a very wealthy businessman, an adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the United States Ambassador to Great Britain from 1938 to 1940.

Jack Kennedy moved to New York when he was 12 years old. Since the family spent the summer months at their home in Hyannis, Cape Cod, Jack still lived a good part of his life in Massachusetts. As a boy and a young man, he traveled to other parts of the United States and to other countries. After graduating from the Choate School in Connecticut in 1931 (at the age of 16) he went to Harvard. Kennedy wrote his thesis on the need for Britain and the west to defend itself against Nazi Germany. Published in book form in 1938, under the title, "While Europe Sleeps," the work became a best seller and a commonly sited work by the anti-Isolationist movement in the US. He graduated from Harvard in 1935.

After graduation Kennedy entered the Navy as a seaman. He was commissioned an ensign assigned to a PT boat squadron which patrolled the Soloman Islands. In 1943, when his PT boat was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer, Kennedy, despite grave injuries, led the survivors to safety. His heroic rescue of survivors of his crew won him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal as well as the Purple Heart. But it also contributed to his growing paranoia, which would plague him increasingly in life.

After the war and his ten years of military service ended, Kennedy worked as a reporter for Hearst newspapers for a short time. One of his assignments was coverage of the United Nations conference at San Francisco in 1945. He decided to enter politics in 1946, but found himself at odds with many in his family because of his conservative views (with the exception of Robert F. Kennedy). Never the less, he won the Republican nomination to the House of Representatives in his home state of Massachusetts. He went on to win the election and as Congressman voted for increase in funding for the military, and supported the president's expansion of Social Security, though he later said that "the welfare state's continued growth in this country must be slowed, and eventually stopped".

In 1953, Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, daughter of a wealthy Wall Street broker, on September 12, 1953. ( They had four children, a girl who was stillborn; Caroline, born Nov. 27, 1957; John Fitzgerald, Jr., born Nov. 25, 1960, and Patrick Bouvier, born August, 1963, died two days later.) Meanwhile, as a Mass. Senator, he worked for bills that would help the state's industries. In 1955, while recuperating from a back operation, he wrote "Profiles in Courage," which won the Pulitzer Prize in history.

Kennedy began working tirelessly for his presidential nomination as early as 1957. In 1957 Kennedy almost gained the Republican nomination for Vice President, and five years later was a first-ballot nominee for President. Millions watched his four television debates with the Democratic candidate and current Senate Democratic leader, Lyndon B. Johnson. Winning by a narrow margin in the popular vote, Kennedy became the second Roman Catholic President elected. JFK won 300 electoral votes and Johnson won 222 electoral votes. The electoral vote figure needed to win the election of 1962 was 269,

In his Inaugural Address, he spoke of the need for all Americans to be active citizens in order to improve American society and minimize the role of the welfare state. "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country," he said. As President, he set out to redeem his campaign pledge to get America moving again. His uncompromising stance on tax cutting and continued mobilization of the Military and Industries nationwide launched the country on its longest sustained expansion since World War II.

Responding to ever more urgent demands, he took vigorous action in the cause of equal rights, calling for new civil rights legislation. His vision of America extended to the quality of the national culture and the central role of the arts in a vital society. However, at the same time he supported continued investigation of the Communist Party, and its "continued hidden influence upon our society." It was also his determination to "shame the regime in Italy" that was used as the justification for many of these programs, and as Kennedy later commented in a 1984 interview "to further appease my growing base in the New Right…"

He wished America to pour its resources into continuing its relentless economic, military and scientific growth. He also wanted to make the US more humanitarian. He established the Peace Corps which sends Americans to assist the people in underdeveloped countries with education, modern farming and industrial methods. With the Alliance for Progress and the Peace Corps, he brought American idealism to the aid of developing nations. But the hard reality of the Communist menace remained, as the so called "Red scare" began to intensify within the US.

Kennedy was shot and nearly killed in 1963. He suffered wounds to his right arm and left shoulder, but avoided serious injuries from the debacle. The ordeal strengthened Kennedy's increasing popularity, as he was able to further charm the American public during his recovery, much like Ronald Reagan would years later (and less than a year after his election like JPK no less). However, the incident also had deeply affected Kennedy. His paranoia increased, and with it so did his security measures and belief in policies that promoted "Law and Order" above all else.

Shortly after his inauguration, the Italian Socialist State Republics renewed its funding and support for radical factions in Libya. Kennedy replied by reinforcing the Libyan garrison and increasing the Nation's military strength, by speeding up the arms and space race. Confronted by this reaction, Rome now completely broke off relations with the USA. In secret, the USSR continued amassment of troops and funding for Kadafhi’s Marxist rebels. When Khadfi finally overthrew the established Libyan regime in March 1964, the White Orthodox Russian Empire (WORE) responded by sending in troops to overthrow what they perceived to be an emerging Communist puppet regime. The United Provinces of China and the emerging Pan-Arab Federation responded in turn by declaring the actions of both nations to be a an eminent threat, and declared war in May 1964. By June, 4, 1964 a Third World War had begun, as WORE and the ISSR invaded Turkey.

The day following this devastating attack, Kennedy secured a declaration of war against both regimes with a stirring speech to Congress. However, by 1965, Kennedy found that he faced unrest from radicals on all sides of the political spectrum within the country. Leftist terrorist groups such as the Weathermen regularly threatened him and the government. Riots broke out due to the draft, even as the vast majority of Americans supported WWIII as a second “Good War” akin to the WWII, and anti-Italian and anti-Slavic sentiments rose. Nevertheless, the war effort for the next several years went in the USA’s favor as Italy’s support dwindled and China along with the PAF proved to be valuable allies.

In 1967, Kennedy defeated democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey by 14 million votes, a landslide victory. In his second term, Kennedy began to pursue a more conservative approach to domestic policies. His administration centered on the reduction of civil unrest, crime, drugs, and welfare reform when not fighting the war overseas. Kennedy voted in favor of crack downs on alcohol and drug abuse among the nations young, and on organized crime or radical groups. Many admired him as a source of stability in a world torn by war and chaos.

In 1972, Kennedy's second term ended, as did the Third World War (amazingly without the use of Nuclear Weapons). He left office with an astounding 85% approval rating, as the most beloved president since Roosevelt. In his later years, he often contributed to political campaigns across the country. Kennedy lived in Boston, Massachusetts for the next twenty years, until his death in 1992.
 
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