<P> Kennedy was born in Brookline , Massachusetts , to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy . He graduated from Harvard University in 1940 and joined the U.S. Naval Reserve the following year . During World War II , he commanded a series of PT boats in the Pacific theater and earned the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his service . After the war , Kennedy represented the 11th congressional district of Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1953 . He was subsequently elected to the U.S. Senate and served as the junior Senator from Massachusetts from 1953 to 1960 . While in the Senate , he published his book entitled Profiles in Courage , which won a Pulitzer Prize for Biography . In the 1960 presidential election , Kennedy narrowly defeated Republican opponent Richard Nixon , who was the incumbent Vice President . At age 43 , he became the youngest man to be elected as U.S. president as well as being the first ( and only ) Roman Catholic to occupy that office . </P>
<P> Kennedy was born in Brookline , Massachusetts , to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy . He graduated from Harvard University in 1940 and joined the U.S. Naval Reserve the following year . During World War II , he commanded a series of PT boats in the Pacific theater and earned the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his service . After the war , Kennedy represented the 11th congressional district of Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1953 . He was subsequently elected to the U.S. Senate and served as the junior Senator from Massachusetts from 1953 to 1960 . While in the Senate , he published his book entitled Profiles in Courage , which won a Pulitzer Prize for Biography . In the 1960 presidential election , Kennedy narrowly defeated Republican opponent Richard Nixon , who was the incumbent Vice President . At age 43 , he became the youngest man to be elected as U.S. president as well as being the first ( and only ) Roman Catholic to occupy that office . </P>
how old was john f. kennedy when he became president
how old was john f. kennedy when he became president
age 43
age 43