Born:

  • 25 November 1960
  • Georgetown University Hospital, Washington DC

Died:

  • 16 July 1999 (Aged 38)
  • Off Martha’s Vineyard, MA
  • Plane Crash

Spouse:

Parents:

  • John F. Kennedy
  • Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy

Education:

  • Graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor’s in American Studies in 1983
  • Acquired a Doctor of Law degree (JD) from New York University in 1989

Life, work, and accomplishments:

  • Growing up in the public eye, having been born only two weeks after his father was elected president, John Jr. was adored by the nation
  • Due to his status as JFK’s son, his charm, and easy rapport with the public, some expected John Jr. to follow the family path to politics. However, he opted for law and stayed mostly outside of the nation’s attention for his early adult life
  • Law was not his true passion, however, and in 1995 he published the first issue of George Magazine, which hoped to encourage greater popular awareness of politics by blending it with pop culture
  • John Jr. was also known for his charitable work, serving as a board member for the anti-poverty Robin Hood Foundation for eight years before his death. He also founded the nonprofit Reaching Up in 1989, which aimed to support higher education and career advancement, specifically in fields relating to developmental disabilities
  • At the time of their deaths, John and his wife Carolyn were in the process of renovating the president’s house at the Kennedy Compound for their own use

“I’m not a political leader. But I can speak for those of my age who have been inspired by Teddy to give their energies and their ideas to their community, and not just to themselves.” — John F. Kennedy Jr., 19 July 1988, at the Democratic National Convention