Five Things You Didn't Know About JFK

President Donald Trump's administration released more than 2,000 files of documents related to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy on Tuesday night..Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. However, conspiracy theories surrounding his death have been popularized, with some believing others had a hand in the deed.More information on the Kennedy assassination will surface in the coming weeks as people comb through tens of thousands of pages of data.However, with the first Irish Catholic president and Massachusetts native in the news, here are five facts you should know about the youngest elected president: 1. Formerly The Wealthiest President The richest president ever is Donald Trump -- the New York real estate mogul also known for his many Trump-branded products and reality television show The Apprentice. Trump was worth about $7 billion in January 2025.However, before Trump, another massively wealthy man served as president: JFK.Adjusted for inflation, Kennedy's net worth peaked at $1.3 billion, according to NewsNation.Kennedy was born into generational wealth and much of his wealth came from a trust fund. Kennedy's father, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., made most of the family's wealth through banking, stock trading, commercial real estate, and producing movies. He also legally purchased large quantities of foreign liquor near the end of Prohibition and sold it after Prohibition ended. 2. Pro-Life LegacySo far, there have been two Catholic presidents: JFK and Joe Biden.Biden was a staunch supporter of legal abortion, while Kennedy was not.During Kennedy's presidency (1961 to 1963), elective abortion was illegal in all 50 states and it wasn't a big political issue like it is now.However, Kennedy once condemned Japan for allowing abortion for socio-economic reasons -- which he considered a form of population control.“Now, on the question of limiting population: as you know the Japanese have been doing it very vigorously, through abortion, which I think would be repugnant to all Americans,” Kennedy said, according to the 2013 book JFK, Conservative by Ira Stoll.Kennedy also appointed a future pro-lifer to the U.S. Supreme Court: Byron White.White was one of two justices to dissent in the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision which legalized elective abortion nationwide. 3. Poor HealthThe former president was never in the best health, according to Arlington Tours.He had Addison’s disease, chronic back pain, and legs of different lengths, which required him to wear corrective shoes. During World War II, he was originally rejected for military service but used his father’s influence to get into the U.S. Navy. He often needed crutches in private, and the White House swimming pool was kept at 90 degrees to help ease his back pain.His health problems nearly killed him multiple times. Besides surviving the sinking of PT-109 in 1943, he was given last rites three times before becoming president. In 1947, he fell dangerously ill aboard the Queen Mary after a trip to England. In 1951, he suffered a severe fever after visiting Asia. In 1954, he slipped into a coma following back surgery. Each time, a priest was called because doctors thought he would die. 4. Dismayed By Ted WilliamsThough Ted Williams was one of the greatest players in Boston Red Sox history, he was no Kennedy supporter.The man with the most home runs in Red Sox history (521) was a staunch conservative (though a civil rights supporter), so he backed then-Vice President Richard Nixon in the 1960 election.In October 1960, Kennedy spotted Williams at an airport in Miami and told his assistant David Powers, “Dave, look, there’s Ted! … The son of a bitch is wearing a Nixon button.” 5. Family Bribed Boston NewspaperLong ago, there was a daily broadsheet newspaper called The Boston Post. It has nothing to do with NewBostonPost besides the similarity in name.When Kennedy was running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., he secured the paper's endorsement in exchange for his father Joseph P. Kennedy issuing a $500,000 loan to the struggling publication, according to Nieman Reports.Kennedy won the race 51.3 percent to 48.4 percent.

Five Things You Didn't Know About JFK

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