In the autumn of 1963, President John F. Kennedy was actively preparing for his upcoming presidential campaign. While he hadn’t officially announced his candidacy, it was widely understood that President Kennedy would seek re-election, and he appeared optimistic about his prospects. To gauge public sentiment and promote key themes for his 1964 campaign, such as education, national security, and global peace, the President embarked on a trip across nine states in late September, initially framed as a focus on natural resources and conservation.
A month later, President Kennedy engaged with Democratic supporters in Boston and Philadelphia. November saw him conduct the first significant political strategy session for the approaching election year. During this meeting, President Kennedy underscored the critical need to secure victories in Florida and Texas, outlining his intentions to visit both states within the subsequent two weeks.
Accompanying him on this Texas tour was First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, marking her return to public engagements following the loss of their infant son, Patrick, in August. On November 21, President and Mrs. Kennedy boarded Air Force One, commencing a two-day, five-city tour of Texas.
President Kennedy was acutely aware of internal divisions among Texas Democratic leaders that could jeopardize his chances of winning the state in 1964. A primary objective of his trip was to foster unity within the Democratic party in Texas. He also recognized the presence of a small but vocal extremist element contributing to the state’s political tensions, anticipating their potential visibility, especially in Dallas, where the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson, had been physically assaulted a month prior after delivering a speech. Despite these concerns, President Kennedy seemed eager to leave Washington, engage directly with the public, and immerse himself in the political arena.
San Antonio was the first stop on the tour, where Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Governor John B. Connally, and Senator Ralph W. Yarborough were part of the welcoming committee. They accompanied the President to Brooks Air Force Base for the dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center. Continuing to Houston, he addressed the League of United Latin American Citizens and spoke at a dinner honoring Congressman Albert Thomas before concluding the day in Fort Worth.
Morning in Fort Worth
A light rain fell on the morning of Friday, November 22, yet a crowd of thousands gathered in the parking area outside the Texas Hotel, where the Kennedys had stayed overnight. A platform was erected, and President Kennedy, without any rain protection, emerged to offer brief remarks. “There are no faint hearts in Fort Worth,” he began, “and I appreciate your being here this morning. Mrs. Kennedy is organizing herself. It takes longer, but, of course, she looks better than we do when she does it.” He proceeded to speak about the nation’s imperative to maintain a position of strength in defense and space exploration, to foster economic growth, and for American citizens to embrace the responsibilities of global leadership.
The audience’s enthusiastic response was evident as the President reached out to shake hands amidst a sea of smiling faces.
Inside the hotel, President Kennedy addressed a Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce breakfast, emphasizing military readiness. “We are still the keystone in the arch of freedom,” he stated. “We will continue to do…our duty, and the people of Texas will be in the lead.”
On to Dallas
The presidential party departed the hotel and traveled by motorcade to Carswell Air Force Base for a short thirteen-minute flight to Dallas. Upon arrival at Love Field, President and Mrs. Kennedy disembarked and immediately approached a fence where a crowd of supporters had congregated. They spent several minutes greeting and shaking hands with the well-wishers.
The First Lady received a bouquet of red roses, which she carried with her to the waiting limousine. Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie, were already seated in the open convertible as the Kennedys joined them, taking seats behind. Given that the rain had stopped, the plastic bubble top was not used. Vice President and Mrs. Johnson followed in another car as part of the motorcade.
The procession left the airport, embarking on a ten-mile route through downtown Dallas, heading towards the Trade Mart, where the President was scheduled to deliver a luncheon address.
Dealey Plaza: The Site of the Tragedy
Crowds of excited onlookers lined the streets of Dallas, waving and cheering as the Kennedy motorcade passed by. The anticipation was palpable, and the atmosphere was celebratory as the President and First Lady greeted the enthusiastic crowds. As the motorcade proceeded through the city, turning off Main Street into Dealey Plaza at approximately 12:30 p.m., the atmosphere shifted tragically and irrevocably.
As the presidential limousine passed the Texas School Book Depository, gunshots suddenly echoed through Dealey Plaza. The joyous cheers of the crowd were instantly replaced by confusion and then terror as the reality of the situation unfolded.
The Fatal Shots in Dealey Plaza
In that fateful moment in Dealey Plaza, bullets struck President Kennedy, hitting his neck and head. He slumped towards Mrs. Kennedy, mortally wounded. Governor Connally, seated in front of the President, was also struck, sustaining serious injuries to his back.
President John F. Kennedy waves to the crowds lining the streets of Dallas moments before the assassination in Dealey Plaza. The image captures the public enthusiasm and the tragic event that was about to unfold.
The limousine, with its precious and injured occupants, accelerated rapidly towards Parkland Memorial Hospital, located just minutes away. Despite the swift response and the best efforts of the medical team, little could be done to save the President. A Catholic priest was called to administer the last rites. At 1:00 p.m. on November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead. Governor Connally, though critically injured, would eventually recover from his wounds.
President Kennedy’s body was returned to Love Field and placed aboard Air Force One. Before the presidential plane departed, a somber Lyndon B. Johnson, within the confined and crowded space of the aircraft, took the oath of office, administered by US District Court Judge Sarah Hughes. This solemn ceremony occurred at 2:38 p.m., marking the official transfer of power amidst national tragedy.
Less than an hour prior to this, police had apprehended Lee Harvey Oswald, a recent employee at the Texas School Book Depository, situated in Dealey Plaza. Oswald was detained in connection with the assassination of President Kennedy and the subsequent fatal shooting of Patrolman J. D. Tippit on a Dallas street shortly after the assassination.
Two days later, on Sunday, November 24, as Oswald was being transferred from police headquarters to the county jail, an event of further shock unfolded live on national television. Millions of viewers witnessed a man step forward, aim a pistol, and fire at point-blank range at Oswald. The assailant was identified as Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner. Lee Harvey Oswald died two hours later at Parkland Hospital, the same hospital where President Kennedy had been pronounced dead just two days earlier.
The President’s Funeral
On that same Sunday, President Kennedy’s flag-draped casket was moved from the White House to the Capitol. It was transported on a caisson drawn by six grey horses, accompanied by a solitary riderless black horse, in a solemn procession. Following Mrs. Kennedy’s wishes, the funeral procession and ceremonial arrangements were modeled after the funeral of President Abraham Lincoln, drawing parallels between two national tragedies separated by a century. Large crowds lined Pennsylvania Avenue, many openly weeping as the caisson passed, paying their respects to the fallen leader. During the twenty-one hours that President Kennedy’s body lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda, approximately 250,000 people filed past to offer their condolences and pay tribute.
John F. Kennedy Jr., on his third birthday, salutes his father’s casket during the funeral procession, a poignant moment that captured the nation’s grief.
On Monday, November 25, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. The funeral was attended by heads of state and representatives from over 100 countries, with countless millions more watching the events unfold on television around the world. Following the funeral service, at the gravesite, Mrs. Kennedy, along with her husband’s brothers, Robert and Edward Kennedy, lit an eternal flame, a lasting symbol of President Kennedy’s enduring legacy.
Perhaps the most enduring and emotionally resonant images from that day were young John F. Kennedy Jr.’s salute to his father’s casket on his third birthday, daughter Caroline kneeling beside her mother at the president’s bier, and the extraordinary grace and dignity exhibited by Jacqueline Kennedy throughout the harrowing events.
As people across the nation and globally grappled with the senseless act and sought to articulate their feelings regarding President Kennedy’s life and legacy, many recalled the aspirational words from his inaugural address:
All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days, nor in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this administration. Nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
Arlington National Cemetery: JFK’s Final Resting Place
To delve deeper into the details of President Kennedy’s funeral and final resting place, further information is available on the Arlington National Cemetery website. This site offers valuable insights into the memorial and its significance.
Aftermath
The Warren Commission
In the wake of the assassination, on November 29, 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson established the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. This body became widely known as the Warren Commission, named after its chairman, Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the United States. President Johnson tasked the commission with examining all matters related to President Kennedy’s assassination and the subsequent killing of Lee Harvey Oswald, with a directive to report its findings and conclusions.
The House Select Committee on Assassinations
Years later, in 1976, the US House of Representatives formed the House Select Committee on Assassinations. This committee was created to reinvestigate the assassination, particularly in light of persistent allegations that previous inquiries, specifically the Warren Commission, had not received complete cooperation from federal agencies and might have missed crucial evidence.
Note to the reader: Point 1B in the findings of the 1979 House Select Committee on Assassinations suggested “a high probability that two gunmen fired” at President Kennedy. This conclusion controversially stemmed from the late discovery of a Dallas police radio transmission tape, which was initially purported to provide acoustic evidence of four or more shots fired in Dealey Plaza. However, following the report’s publication, acoustic experts conducted thorough analyses of the tape and conclusively demonstrated its unreliability, effectively invalidating the finding in Point 1B.
The House Select Committee on Assassinations, which also investigated the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., released its report on March 29, 1979. This report and the Warren Commission report remain key documents for understanding the official investigations into the assassination.
Assassination Records Collection
The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, enacted by the US Congress, mandated that all assassination-related materials be consolidated and housed under the oversight of the National Archives and Records Administration. This act aimed to ensure transparency and accessibility to all relevant documents for researchers and the public, furthering the ongoing quest for understanding the events surrounding President Kennedy’s assassination and ensuring historical accountability.
