John F. Kennedy was from an American family.
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 was born in Brookline , Massachusetts to Joseph P. Kennedy , Sr. and Rose Kennedy . A scion of the Kennedy family , he graduated from Harvard University in 1940 before joining the United States Naval Reserve the following year .