JFK, his era and family

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917 – 1963) served as the 35th president of the United States (January 1961 until his assassination on November 22, 1963). He was in office during the height of the Cold War with the Soviet Union (Nikita Khrushchev) and its just-off-Florida ally, Cuba (Fidel Castro). During his short administration, he oversaw the noteworthy failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the brinksmanship of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the development of significant civil liberty and social programs, such as the Peace Corps, and issued the declaration that kick-started the eventual lunar landing in 1969. Kennedy’s father, Joseph Sr., was himself born into a political family, and served, most notably, as the US Ambassador to England from 1938-40. He was a pro-isolationist who ended up running afoul of FDR, and ended up resigning the post. Two of JFK’s brothers were distinguished politicians. Robert (RFK) Kennedy (1925-1968) was a Senator and served as JFK’s Attorney General. He was assassinated during a run for the Presidency. And Ted Kennedy (1932-2009) was a longtime and influential Senator who oversaw the development of many progressive economic and social programs. This gallery collects political cartoons and comic strips that involve JFK directly, relate to the Cold War era and its characters, and also includes noteworthy references to members of the family.