The first Catholic president, John F. Kennedy, went through many trials. Becoming president at the age of 43, he went through many difficult trials to obtain this role due to his religion and health. Although he died prematurely, he still managed to go above and beyond his presidential duties and accomplished a lot during his short tenure. John F. Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts. Since he was little, he has been in very poor health. He suffered from various illnesses and conditions such as mumps, measles, chicken pox, infections and repeated bronchitis. When he was three years old, he almost died of scarlet fever. At the age of fourteen, he weighed only one hundred and seventeen pounds and had a face so gaunt that his classmates at Choate, an exclusive prep school in Connecticut, called him "Rat Face." As if his health wasn't enough, he also had difficulty concentrating on his studies. He was the type of person who always had his head buried in a book, dreaming of adventures or great historical figures. He also had difficulty passing science and foreign language classes, although he had a much easier time with English and history classes. With the help of his very supportive family, he managed to overcome his problems. His family consisted of his parents, Rose and Joseph "Joe" Patrick Kennedy Sr., and his eight other siblings, Eunice, John F., Rosemary, Jean, Joseph Jr., Edward, Patricia, Robert F. and Kathleen. He was especially close to his older brother, Joe, and always strived to be better than him to get out of Joe's shadow. In 1954, he married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Newport, Rhode Island. He had two children: a daughter named Caroline and ...... middle of paper ...... what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what we can do together for human freedom. (source 2) Kennedy's presidency lasted less than three years. During this time, he established the Peace Corps, an organization that allowed young Americans to volunteer in developing countries around the world. He also helped avert a nuclear catastrophe during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy surrounded himself with liberal intellectuals and moderate conservatives who favored strong, technology-based governance and social planning. Despite his short time as president, Kennedy accomplished many great things. He overcame all obstacles to become president and went above and beyond his presidential duties, creating the Peace Corps and helping avert nuclear catastrophe during the Cuban Missile Crisis..