Kennedy Assassination History

John F. Kennedy won the presidency over California Governor Richard M. Nixon in 1960 by a very slim popular margin. Kennedy, a World War II hero and former senator, was the youngest man elected to the Presidency at the age of 43. His family had a long history in politics, beginning with his highly influential father Joseph P. Kennedy. John had assumed the political ambitions of his family after his older brother, Joseph Jr., was killed during World War II.

By the beginning of 1963, he had already weathered several political storms as president, including the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961, the building of the Berlin Wall the same year, the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the beginning of the Space Race, the Vietnam War and the American Civil Rights Movement. By November of 1963, the president, whose approval ratings had dropped to their lowest point since his inauguration, had begun gearing up for the elections of 1964. His sagging approval ratings were the main reason for his trip to Texas in late November. Kennedy had won Texas, the home state of Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, by a mere 46,000 votes in the election of 1960 and the Democrats needed to bolster support in the South in order to ensure their control in Washington.

President Kennedy decided to visit Dallas on November 20 and stringent security measures were immediately put in place by the Dallas Police. The visit to Dallas was meant to serve three aims: to raise money for the presidential campaign of 1964, to begin his re-election campaign and to mend political fences between warring factions within the Texas Democratic Party. There were initial security concerns resulting from mistreatment experienced by US Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson the month prior, however they were quickly allayed. The President and First Lady left Washington D.C. on November 21, making stops in San Antonio and Houston before spending the night in Fort Worth. On the morning of the assassination, the President gave a speech in Fort Worth before flying to Dallas. When the President and First Lady arrived at Love Field in Dallas, they moved immediately into a motorcade that was to take them to the Dallas Trade Martwhere the President would deliver a speech. From there, plans were made to continue on to a Democratic Party fundraiser that night in Austin. The Presidential motorcade left Love Field and proceeded through Dallas, stopping twice for the President to shake hands with a group of nuns and a group of school children. As the motorcade turned on to Elm Street in front of the Texas School Book Depository, shots rang out.

According to the report from the Warren Commission, three shots were fired on the 6th floor window of the book depository. The first shot struck the president in the upper back / neck, causing him to slump to his right and grab at his neck. The second bullet struck Kennedy in the head; this was the fatal shot. Bullets also struck Texas Governor John Connally, who was riding in the front passenger seat of the president's limousine. The limousine immediately sped off and the president was rushed to Parkland Hospital, where doctors worked feverishly in an attempt to save the Kennedy's life. Unfortunately, the president's wounds were far too severe and he was pronounced dead at 1:00 PM. Although, doctors were able to operate on Governor Connally and repair the damage incurred by the bullet that struck him.

Less than an hour later, Dallas Police arrested 24-year-old Lee Harvey Oswald in the Texas Theater. Oswald was initially arrested for the shooting of Officer J.D. Tippit, but was eventually charged with the assassination of President Kennedy. Two days later, while being transferred to a maximum security facility in the basement of Dallas City Hall, Oswald was shot and killed by Dallas strip club owner Jack Rubinstein (Ruby). Unfortunately, the world would never hear Oswald's side of the story and the official investigation into the assassination continues to be viewed with suspicion by some to this day.