BPD Photo of the Day: The 35th President of the United States

On November 8, 1961, some 51 years ago, Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy was elected the 35^thPresident of the United States of America. The night before the election (Monday, November 7, 1961), the enclosed photo captured JFK doing some last minute campaigning in Boston in the company of Boston’s finest. John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President at noon on January 20, 1961. In his inaugural address, JFK spoke of the need for all Americans to be active citizens, famously saying, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” He asked the nations of the world to join together to fight what he called, “the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.” He added, “All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.” In closing, he expanded on his desire for greater internationalism: “Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you.”