John F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. After graduating from Harvard University, he enlisted in the navy and served throughout most of World War II. For his efforts as a torpedo-boat commander in the Pacific Ocean, he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and the Purple Heart. Two years later, he was elected as a Democrat to the House of Representatives. He served in the House until 1953, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate. Kennedy won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1956 book Profiles in Courage. He was elected president in 1960, becoming the first Roman Catholic ever elected to the position. A major focus of his presidency was foreign affairs. Kennedy approved the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961 and forced the Soviet Union to withdraw its missiles from Cuba in 1962. He signed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with the Soviet Union and Great Britain in 1963. Kennedy also founded the Peace Corps. He was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963.
