Lee Harvey Oswald was unsuccessful in assassinating the President of the United States.
John F. Kennedy , the 35th President of the United States , was assassinated on Friday , November 22 , 1963 at 12:30 p.m Central Standard Time in Dallas , Texas while riding in a motorcade in Dealey Plaza . John Fitzgerald `` Jack '' Kennedy ( May 29 , 1917 -- November 22 , 1963 ) , commonly referred to by his initials JFK , was an American politician who served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963 . Lee Harvey Oswald ( October 18 , 1939 -- November 24 , 1963 ) was an American former U.S. Marine who was arrested for the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22 , 1963 .