JFK: Celebrity in the White House

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• 1. Enduring popularity
• 2. Kennedy's background
• 3. A celebrity in the presidency
• 4. A cooperative press
• 5. A mixed presidential record
• 6. Kennedy in history
• 7. Find out more
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Enduring popularity

Four decades after his assassination in November 1963, John F Kennedy still rides high in public opinion polls in America, and he is seen as one of the greatest presidents the United States has known. Despite the flood of disclosures about his personal life, and the limits of his presidential accomplishments, Kennedy remains a fascinating figure, and books and films about his career command large audiences. His reputation may have declined among historians and political scientists, but JFK's popularity endures, perhaps because of the evidence of his frailties and humanity.

'... Kennedy was the first superstar chief executive ...'

The key point in understanding Kennedy is his central place in the evolution of the modern American presidency. While before him there had been chief executives, such as Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D Roosevelt, who used the instruments of celebrity to their advantage, Kennedy was the first superstar chief executive, and he wielded the techniques of the new age of television as no other politician ever had before him.

These skills enabled him to overcome a rather thin background for a US presidential candidate, in 1960. Three terms in the House of Representatives and eight years in the Senate had not left much in the way of a legislative record, but the absence of policy commitments worked in Kennedy's favour. He could campaign on the slogan of 'getting America moving again' without having to stress specifics.

His Republican opponent, Richard M Nixon, proved a good foil for Kennedy in their televised debates, and the relatively inexperienced Massachusetts Democrat managed to achieve a narrow victory over the vice president. What counted even more was the way the enthusiastic response of the crowds to his candidacy indicated that, if he were to gain office, Kennedy had the potential to transform the presidency into a media sensation.

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Published: 2001-03-01