John F. Kennedy was the president of the United States of America.
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 . Kennedy continues to rank highly in historians ' polls of U.S. presidents and with the general public . 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 . Peace Corps . The program was established by Executive Order 10924 , issued by President John F. Kennedy on March 1 , 1961 , announced by televised broadcast March 2 , 1961 , and authorized by Congress on September 21 , 1961 , with passage of the Peace Corps Act ( Pub.L . The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th quadrennial presidential election , held on Tuesday , November 8 , 1960 .