He was the King of Camelot - but just like that, he was gone. John F. Kennedy served as President of the United States for less than three years with his impossibly elegant wife, Jacqueline, by his side. These vintage Kennedy family photos give a rarely seen look at the closest thing America has had to royalty in the past century. Raised in a family of New England elite, JFK ("Jack" to family and friends) was always destined for greatness. He was the son of Rose Fitzgerald, the daughter of a Massachusetts Senator, and Joseph Kennedy Sr., a businessman and politician who served as US Ambassador to the United Kingdom during the early part of World War II. Including Jack, the couple had nine children. The family spent summers at their house in the affluent Cape Cod community of Hyannis Port, MA, and winters in sunny Palm Beach, FL. The Kennedy kids attended posh boarding schools like Choate and Sacred Heart, and all the boys went to Harvard. As these young JFK pics show, behind the political dynasty has always been a real American family.
Vintage Kennedy Family Photos,
JFK (Pulling Wagon) with Kathleen, Rosemary, Eunice, and Joe Jr.
Joe Jr. and Jack, 1925
The Gang in Hyannis Port
Joseph Sr., Rose, and eight of the kids pose on the beach.
Joe Sr. and Rose's Wedding Day, 1914
Rose Kennedy at a Sailing Party
Kennedys and Fitzgeralds at Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Patrick Kennedy, Rose Fitzgerald, John F. 'Honey Fitz' Fitzgerald, (2nd, 3rd, and 4th from left) and Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
Rose Kennedy with Her First Five Children, c. 1923
The Kennedy Children in Hyannis Port, 1925
Rosemary, John, Eunice, Joe Jr., and Kathleen
A Family Gathering in Palm Beach, Florida
Choate Graduation Day, 1935