John F. Kennedy Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John F. Kennedy Jr.
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Kennedy in 1999
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John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr.
November 25, 1960 Washington, D.C., U.S.
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| Died | July 16, 1999 (aged 38) Atlantic Ocean, near Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Plane crash |
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| Political party | Democratic |
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| Family | Kennedy family |
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. (born November 25, 1960 – died July 16, 1999) was an American lawyer, journalist, and magazine publisher. People often called him John-John or JFK Jr.. He was the son of John F. Kennedy, who was the 35th president of the United States. His mother was First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. He was also the younger brother of U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy.
When he was only three years old, his father was assassinated. Three days later, on his third birthday, John Jr. gave a final salute during his father's funeral procession.
John Jr. grew up in the public eye, starting from his childhood in the White House. He later became a well-known person in Manhattan. He trained to be a lawyer and worked as an assistant district attorney in New York City for almost four years. In 1995, he started his own magazine called George. He used his fame and connections to help make the magazine popular. Sadly, he died in a plane crash in 1999 when he was 38 years old.
Contents
Early Life and Family
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. was born on November 25, 1960, in Washington, D.C. This was two weeks after his father, John F. Kennedy, was elected president. His father became president two months after John Jr. was born.
John Jr. had an older sister named Caroline. He also had a younger brother, Patrick, who sadly died just two days after being born in 1963. The nickname "John-John" came from a reporter who thought he heard President Kennedy say "John" twice. His family did not actually use this nickname.
John Jr. lived in the White House for his first three years. He stayed in the public eye as he grew up. His father was assassinated on November 22, 1963. The state funeral was held three days later, on John Jr.'s third birthday. During the funeral, John Jr. stepped forward and gave a final salute as his father's flag-draped casket was carried out. This moment became very famous.
After his father's death, John Jr. and his family moved to a luxury apartment in Manhattan, New York City. In 1967, his mother took him and Caroline on a trip to Ireland. They met President Éamon de Valera and visited their family's old home.
Mother's New Marriage
In 1968, John Jr.'s mother, Jacqueline, married a wealthy Greek shipping owner named Aristotle Onassis. The family then lived on his private island called Skorpios. When Onassis died in 1975, John Jr. received some money.
In 1971, John Jr. returned to the White House with his mother and sister. This was the first time since his father's death. President Richard Nixon's daughters showed John Jr. his old bedroom. President Nixon even showed him the Resolute desk, where his father used to let him play.
Education and Helping Others
John Jr. went to private schools in Manhattan. He attended Saint David's School and then Collegiate School. He finished his high school education at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. After graduating, he traveled to Africa with his mother. He showed strong leadership skills there, helping his group when they got lost.
In 1976, John Jr. and his cousin visited an earthquake disaster area in Guatemala. They helped with building and gave out food. A local priest said they helped their country's image more than many ambassadors. When he turned 16, his Secret Service protection ended. In 1979, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum was opened in Boston. John Jr. gave his first big speech there.
John Jr. went to Brown University, where he studied American history and culture. He helped start a student group that discussed important topics like apartheid in South Africa and gun control. He visited South Africa and was very upset by apartheid. He even arranged for a U.N. ambassador to speak about it at Brown.
In January 1983, John Jr.'s driver's license was suspended because he had too many speeding tickets. He graduated from Brown University that same year. After college, he traveled to India and met Mother Teresa. He also worked on projects that helped people, like the East Harlem School at Exodus House.
Career Paths
After college, John Jr. worked for the Office of Business Development in New York. His boss said he worked hard like everyone else. He then worked for the 42nd Street Development Corporation, dealing with city projects. In 1988, he worked at a law firm in Los Angeles that had ties to the Democratic Party.
From 1989, John Jr. led Reaching Up, a nonprofit group. This group helped workers who cared for people with disabilities. The executive director said John Jr. always cared about helping working-class people.
In 1989, John Jr. earned a law degree from New York University School of Law. He took the New York bar exam twice and didn't pass. But he passed on his third try in July 1990. He then worked as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office for four years. In August 1991, he won his first case as a prosecutor.
In the summer of 1992, he worked as a journalist for The New York Times. He wrote an article about his kayaking trip. He even saved a friend whose kayak had flipped over. He then thought about starting a magazine with a friend.
Acting Interest
John Jr. also had a passion for acting. He had been in many plays while at Brown University. He was interested in acting as a career, but his mother did not approve. She thought it was not a suitable job for him. In August 1985, John Jr. made his acting debut in New York. The director said he was "one of the best young actors." John Jr.'s biggest acting role was playing a version of himself in the TV show Murphy Brown.
George Magazine
In 1995, John Jr. and his friend Michael Berman started George magazine. It was a shiny monthly magazine that mixed politics with lifestyle and fashion. John Jr. owned half of the company. He launched the magazine at a press conference in Manhattan in September. He joked that he hadn't seen so many reporters since he failed his first bar exam!
Each issue of the magazine had an editor's column and interviews written by John Jr. He believed they could make politics interesting and fun. He wanted to help people get more involved in politics. He interviewed famous people like Louis Farrakhan and Billy Graham.
By early 1997, John Jr. and Berman had disagreements. Berman eventually sold his share, and John Jr. took over all the responsibilities. The magazine's popularity started to drop before Berman left, and sales continued to fall quickly after he was gone. After John Jr.'s death, the magazine was bought by another company, but it stopped being published in early 2001.
Personal Life
On September 21, 1996, John Jr. married Carolyn Bessette. They had a private ceremony on Cumberland Island.
Learning to Fly
John Jr. took flying lessons in Florida. In April 1998, he earned his pilot's license. He had wanted to fly since he was a child.
His cousin Michael died in a skiing accident. This made John Jr. stop his flying lessons for three months. His sister Caroline hoped he would stop flying for good. But he started again, and she didn't try to stop him much.
Death
On July 16, 1999, John Jr. took off in his Piper Saratoga plane from New Jersey. He was flying with his wife Carolyn and her sister Lauren Bessette. They were going to his cousin Rory Kennedy's wedding in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. He had bought the plane a few months earlier. John Jr. checked in with the control tower at Martha's Vineyard Airport. But the plane was reported missing when it didn't arrive on time.
On July 19, parts of John Jr.'s plane were found in the ocean. The next day, Navy divers found pieces of the plane spread out on the seabed, about 120 feet (37 meters) deep. The search ended on July 21. The bodies of John Jr., Carolyn, and Lauren were found on the ocean floor. They were taken to the medical examiner's office.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the crash. They decided that the pilot made a mistake. They said John Jr. lost control of the plane while flying over water at night. This was because of something called spatial disorientation, which means getting confused about direction and position when you can't see clearly.
On July 21, the three bodies were cremated. On the morning of July 22, their ashes were scattered at sea. This was done from a Navy destroyer ship off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.
A memorial service was held for John Jr. on July 23, 1999. It took place at the Church of St. Thomas More in New York City. This was a church John Jr. often went to with his mother and sister. Many people attended, including President Bill Clinton.
Legacy
John F. Kennedy Jr. was the first child ever born to a President-elect of the United States. On the 50th anniversary of his father's assassination in 2013, a famous photograph was re-published. It showed three-year-old John Jr. saluting his father's coffin during the funeral. The photographer who took the picture called it "the saddest thing I've ever seen."
In 2000, Reaching Up, the organization John Jr. started, joined with The City University of New York. They created the John F. Kennedy Jr. Institute. In 2003, a forum at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government was renamed the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum of Public Affairs.
Images for kids
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Kennedy's ninth grade photo in the 1975 Collegiate School yearbook
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A drawing of three-year-old JFK Jr. saluting his father's coffin, placed on a memorial wall for him shortly after his death
See also
In Spanish: John F. Kennedy Jr. para niños
