- In office since
- January 20, 1961
- Left office
- November 22, 1963
- Born
- May 29, 1917
- Died
- November 22, 1963
- Religion
- Catholic[2]
Earnings by year1
What each year added up to: salary, plus outside income, royalties, endorsements, prizes and investment income where a source reports them. A financial disclosure gives ranges, shown as such.
- 1962$100,000Total
- President of the United States statutory salary[3]
- $100,000
Life phases1
One octagon for each phase of the life of John F. Kennedy. Each of the eight axes is scored 0 to 5 against a written rubric from documented evidence, with its source; an axis without evidence is a gap, not a zero. There is no total and no ideal shape: it is a profile, not a ranking. Appearance and personality are not axes, because they cannot be scored from evidence.
President, 1961-19631961–1963Presided over strong growth, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Peace Corps and a late push for civil rights legislation before his assassination.
No total and no ideal shape: a longer spoke means more of that axis, so a long Misconduct spoke is more documented misconduct.
Scores, rubric and sources
- 01Education3 of 5
- High confidenceHarvard B.A. in government, cum laude, 1940; audited one semester at Stanford business school.[1]Highest attainment by then: 1 secondary school, 2 some college, 3 bachelor's degree, 4 master's or professional degree, 5 doctorate.
- 02WealthNo evidence
- Net worth or income against the national thresholds of the time: 1 below the median household, 3 top 5%, 5 top 0.1%.
- 03Position5 of 5
- High confidence35th president of the United States, 1961 to November 22, 1963.[4]Scope of the role held: 1 entry level, 3 senior manager or legislator, 5 head of state or government, or the top role of a major institution.
- 04Public standing5 of 5
- High confidenceGallup average job approval of 70% (range 56-82%); approval rose from 66% to 77% after the Cuban Missile Crisis.[5]Public approval or favourability where it was measured: 1 under 20%, 3 35 to 50%, 5 over 65%.
- 05Health1.5 of 5
- Medium confidenceAddison's disease diagnosed in September 1947 and treated with corticosteroids, chronic severe back pain with surgery, and treatment with amphetamines and steroids judged medically inappropriate by physician George Burkley; much was concealed at the time.[1]Documented health where an examination or disclosure exists: 5 no documented concern, 1 a serious documented condition.
- 06Misconduct0 of 5
- Medium confidenceThe sources opened report no official findings of misconduct against him; the Profiles in Courage authorship question is not an official action.[1]The documented legal and ethics record within the phase, as in the misconduct meter: 0 none documented, 1 only matters resolved in their favour, 2 an open matter, 3 one finding, 4 two or three, 5 four or more. More is more documented misconduct.
- 07Social good3.5 of 5
- Low confidenceEO 10925 required affirmative action by contractors, EO 11063 barred housing discrimination, he sent marshals and troops to Freedom Riders and Ole Miss and proposed the civil rights bill in June 1963; early reluctance, FBI wiretaps on King, and an 18-fold increase in Vietnam advisers temper the score. Peace Corps sent 100,000 Americans abroad over 25 years.[1]Assessed effects of what they did in the phase on health, safety, education, rights and the environment, from official statistics or peer-reviewed evidence: 0 clearly harmful, 2.5 mixed, 5 clearly beneficial.
- 08Economic good4 of 5
- Low confidenceGDP grew an average 5.5% a year from early 1961 to late 1963 versus 2.2% under Eisenhower, inflation stayed near 1% and industrial production rose 15%; his tax-cut proposal passed in 1964 after his death. The 1961 budget produced the first non-war non-recession deficit.[1]Assessed effects of what they did in the phase on efficiency, growth and fiscal sustainability, from CBO and peer-reviewed evidence, as in the good-for-society reading: 0 clearly harmful, 2.5 mixed, 5 clearly beneficial.
Health, weight and religion appear only where the person, their physician or a reputable outlet has published them; each links to its source.