By the fall of 1963, President John F. Kennedy was actively laying the groundwork for his 1964 presidential campaign. While an official announcement was pending, it was widely understood that Kennedy would seek re-election, and his confidence in securing a second term was palpable.
In late September 1963, President Kennedy embarked on a tour across nine states in the western US within a week. Officially, the trip aimed to highlight the importance of natural resources and conservation. However, it also served as a platform for JFK to test campaign themes for 1964, touching upon key issues like education, national security, and the pursuit of world peace.
Campaigning in Texas: Setting the Stage for Tragedy
The following month, Kennedy addressed Democratic gatherings in Boston and Philadelphia, further solidifying his campaign efforts. November 12th marked a crucial political planning session for the upcoming election year. During this meeting, President Kennedy emphasized the critical need to win Florida and Texas, outlining his plans to visit both states within the next two weeks.
Accompanying him on this Texas tour would be First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, marking her return to public engagements after the heartbreaking loss of their infant son, Patrick, in August. On November 21st, President and Mrs. Kennedy boarded Air Force One, commencing a two-day, five-city tour across Texas.
President Kennedy was acutely aware of the internal strife within the Democratic party in Texas, which posed a significant threat to his chances of winning the state in 1964. A primary objective of his visit was to unify these divided factions. He also recognized the presence of a small yet vocal extremist element contributing to the charged political atmosphere in Texas. Dallas, in particular, was known to be a hotbed of such sentiment, evidenced by the physical attack on US Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson just a month prior during a speech in the city. Despite these undercurrents of tension, JFK appeared eager to leave Washington, connect directly with the American people, and engage in the political arena.
Their first stop was San Antonio, where they were greeted by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Governor John B. Connally, and Senator Ralph W. Yarborough. Together, they proceeded to Brooks Air Force Base for the dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center. Continuing to Houston, President Kennedy addressed the League of United Latin American Citizens and delivered a speech at a testimonial dinner for Congressman Albert Thomas, concluding the day in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth: The Morning Before Dallas
Friday, November 22nd, dawned with a light rain in Fort Worth. Despite the weather, several thousand people had gathered in the parking lot outside the Texas Hotel, where the Kennedys had spent the night. A makeshift platform was prepared, and President Kennedy, without any rain protection, addressed the crowd briefly. “There are no faint hearts in Fort Worth,” he began, expressing his appreciation for their presence. He humorously added, “Mrs. Kennedy is organizing herself. It takes longer, but, of course, she looks better than we do when she does it.” He then shifted to more serious matters, emphasizing the nation’s imperative to maintain a position of strength in defense and space exploration, to foster continued economic growth, and to uphold “the willingness of citizens of the United States to assume the burdens of leadership.”
The crowd’s enthusiastic response was evident as the President reached out to shake hands, surrounded by smiling faces.
Inside the hotel, President Kennedy delivered a speech at a Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce breakfast, focusing on military readiness. “We are still the keystone in the arch of freedom,” he declared. “We will continue to do…our duty, and the people of Texas will be in the lead.”
Dallas: Destination Dealey Plaza
The presidential entourage departed the hotel and traveled by motorcade to Carswell Air Force Base for the short thirteen-minute flight to Dallas. Upon arrival at Love Field, President and Mrs. Kennedy immediately approached a fence where a crowd of supporters had gathered, spending several minutes shaking hands and greeting well-wishers.
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy greet the welcoming crowd at Love Field, Dallas, moments before the fateful motorcade.
The First Lady received a bouquet of red roses, which she carried with her into the waiting limousine. Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie, were already seated in the open convertible as the Kennedys joined them, taking the seats behind. With the rain having stopped, the protective plastic bubble top was left off. Vice President and Mrs. Johnson were in a separate car within the motorcade.
The motorcade began its journey from the airport along a ten-mile route, winding through the streets of downtown Dallas, en route to the Trade Mart, where the President was scheduled to deliver a luncheon address.
The Assassination in Dealey Plaza: A Nation in Shock
Large, cheering crowds lined the streets, waving to the Kennedys as the motorcade proceeded. Turning off Main Street into Dealey Plaza at approximately 12:30 p.m., as the limousine passed the Texas School Book Depository, the sound of gunfire ripped through the air.
Bullets struck President Kennedy in the neck and head. He slumped dramatically towards Mrs. Kennedy. Governor Connally, seated in front of him, was also struck, wounded in his back.
The limousine accelerated rapidly towards Parkland Memorial Hospital, just minutes away. However, there was little that could be done for the President. A Catholic priest was called to administer last rites. At 1:00 p.m., John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead. Governor Connally, though seriously injured, would eventually recover.
President Kennedy’s body was returned to Love Field and placed aboard Air Force One. Before taking off, in the confined and somber space of the aircraft, a grim-faced Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President of the United States, administered the oath of office by US District Court Judge Sarah Hughes at 2:38 p.m.
Less than an hour prior, police had apprehended Lee Harvey Oswald, a recent employee of the Texas School Book Depository. He was detained in connection with the assassination of President Kennedy and the fatal shooting, shortly after, of Patrolman J. D. Tippit on a Dallas street.
On Sunday morning, November 24th, as Oswald was being transferred from police headquarters to the county jail, live television cameras captured a shocking event. Jack Ruby, a local nightclub owner, stepped forward and fired a pistol at point-blank range, striking Oswald. Oswald died two hours later at Parkland Hospital, the same hospital where President Kennedy had been pronounced dead just two days before.
The President’s Funeral: Mourning a Fallen Leader
On that same day, President Kennedy’s flag-draped casket was moved from the White House to the Capitol on a caisson drawn by six grey horses, accompanied by a solitary riderless black horse. Following Mrs. Kennedy’s wishes, the cortege and ceremonial arrangements were modeled after the funeral of Abraham Lincoln, echoing a nation’s grief across generations. Large crowds lined Pennsylvania Avenue, many openly weeping as the caisson passed. During the 21 hours that President Kennedy’s body lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda, an estimated 250,000 people filed past to pay their respects.
The solemn funeral procession of President John F. Kennedy in Washington D.C., mirroring the historical precedent of Abraham Lincoln’s funeral.
On Monday, November 25, 1963, President Kennedy was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. The funeral was attended by heads of state and dignitaries from over 100 countries, with countless millions more watching the events unfold on television around the world. Following the service, at the gravesite, Mrs. Kennedy and her husband’s brothers, Robert and Edward, lit an eternal flame, a lasting symbol of his enduring legacy.
Perhaps the most enduring and poignant images from that day were the salute to his father given by young John F. Kennedy Jr. (on his third birthday), daughter Caroline kneeling beside her mother at the president’s bier, and the extraordinary strength and dignity displayed by Jacqueline Kennedy throughout the ordeal.
As people across the nation and the world struggled to comprehend this senseless act and to articulate their profound feelings about President Kennedy’s life and legacy, many recalled the powerful 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: A Place of Remembrance
To delve deeper into the details of President Kennedy’s funeral and gravesite, visit the Arlington National Cemetery website.
The Aftermath and Enduring Questions: Unanswered “Why”
The Warren Commission: Seeking Official Answers
In the immediate aftermath of the assassination, on November 29, 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson established the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. It 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 investigating all aspects of the assassination and the subsequent killing of Lee Harvey Oswald, and to deliver its findings and conclusions.
The House Select Committee on Assassinations: Re-examining the Evidence
Years later, in 1976, the US House of Representatives formed the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) to reopen the investigation into President Kennedy’s death. This decision was fueled by persistent allegations that previous inquiries had not received full cooperation from federal agencies and that crucial questions remained unanswered.
Note to the reader: Point 1B in the findings of the 1979 House Select Committee on Assassinations initially suggested “a high probability that two gunmen fired” at the president. This conclusion was largely based on the late discovery of a Dallas police radio transmission tape, which was purported to provide acoustic evidence of four or more shots fired in Dealey Plaza. However, subsequent analysis by acoustic experts conclusively debunked the tape’s reliability, rendering the finding in Point 1B invalid.
The HSCA, which also investigated the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., released its final report on March 29, 1979.
The Assassination Records Collection: Ensuring Transparency
The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 was enacted by the US Congress to mandate the consolidation of all assassination-related materials under the supervision of the National Archives and Records Administration. This act aimed to ensure transparency and accessibility to the vast collection of documents and evidence related to the JFK assassination for researchers and the public alike, in the ongoing effort to understand “Why Was Jfk Assassinated” and the full scope of events surrounding this pivotal moment in history.
