John F. Kennedy

:JFK redirects here. For other uses, see JFK (disambiguation).

Early life and education

Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, the son of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald. As a young man he attended The Choate School, an elite private school in Wallingford, Connecticut. Before enrolling in college, he attended the London School of Economics for a year, where he studied political economy. In the fall of 1935, he enrolled in Princeton University, but was forced to leave during Christmas break after contracting jaundice. The next fall, he began attending Harvard University. Kennedy traveled to Europe twice during his years at Harvard, visiting the United Kingdom, while his father was serving as Ambassador to the Court of St. James's. In 1937, Kennedy was prescribed steroids to control his colitis, which only heightened his medical problems causing him to develop osteoporosis of the lower lumbar spine http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1276266.

Related Topics:
Brookline - Massachusetts - Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. - Rose Fitzgerald - The Choate School - Wallingford, Connecticut - London School of Economics - Political economy - 1935 - Princeton University - Christmas - Jaundice - Harvard University - Europe - United Kingdom - Ambassador - Court of St. James's - 1937 - Steroid - Colitis - Osteoporosis - Lumbar spine

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Years later, it would be revealed that Kennedy had been diagnosed as a young man with Addison's Disease, a rare endocrine disorder. This and other medical disorders were kept from the press and the public throughout Kennedy's life.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1938, Kennedy wrote his honors thesis on the British portion of the Munich Agreement. He was an average student at Harvard, never earning an A, but mostly B's and C's, with a single D in a sophomore history course. He graduated cum laude from Harvard with a degree in international affairs in June 1940. His thesis, entitled Why England Slept, was published in 1940 and, with the aid of his affluent and powerful father, it became a best-seller.

Related Topics:
1938 - Munich Agreement - Cum laude - International affairs - June - 1940 - Thesis - Why England Slept - Best-seller

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~