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, his intentions were clear, and optimism surrounded his re-election prospects. September saw Kennedy embark on a tour across nine Western states in under a week. Officially focused on natural resources and conservation, the trip served as a platform to test campaign themes, touching upon education, national security, and the pursuit of world peace, all crucial elements for his upcoming run.
Campaigning in Texas: Setting the Stage for a Fateful Visit
In October, President Kennedy engaged with Democratic constituents in Boston and Philadelphia. November 12 marked a pivotal political strategy session, where the importance of securing Florida and Texas in the upcoming election was underscored. Plans were set in motion for a visit to both states within the next fortnight. Adding a personal dimension to the Texas trip, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy would accompany the President, marking her return to public life after the recent loss of their infant son, Patrick, in August. On November 21, Air Force One departed for a comprehensive two-day, five-city tour of Texas.
President Kennedy was acutely aware of the fractured Democratic leadership within Texas, a division that posed a significant threat to his chances of winning the state in 1964. A primary objective of his visit was to unify these factions. Furthermore, he recognized the presence of a small yet vocal extremist element contributing to the state’s political volatility. Dallas, in particular, was identified as a potential hotspot, especially after the attack on US Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson there just a month prior. Despite these undercurrents, President Kennedy seemed eager to engage directly with the public and enter the political arena.
San Antonio was the first stop on the Texas tour. A high-profile welcoming committee, including Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Governor John B. Connally, and Senator Ralph W. Yarborough, greeted the President. At Brooks Air Force Base, President Kennedy dedicated the Aerospace Medical Health Center. The day continued in Houston, where he addressed the League of United Latin American Citizens and attended a testimonial dinner for Congressman Albert Thomas, before concluding in Fort Worth.
November 22, 1963: From Fort Worth to Dallas and Destiny
Friday, November 22, dawned with a light rain in Fort Worth. Despite the weather, a crowd of thousands gathered in the parking lot of the Texas Hotel, where the Kennedys had stayed overnight. President Kennedy, forgoing any rain protection, addressed the enthusiastic crowd from a makeshift platform. He began with an appreciative nod to the city, “There are no faint hearts in Fort Worth,” and acknowledged the First Lady’s preparations, “Mrs. Kennedy is organizing herself. It takes longer, but, of course, she looks better than we do when she does it.” His remarks then turned to national priorities: maintaining a position of strength in defense and space exploration, fostering economic growth, and emphasizing the “willingness of citizens of the United States to assume the burdens of leadership.” The crowd’s warm response was palpable as President Kennedy shook hands, connecting with the smiling faces before him.
Inside the hotel, President Kennedy addressed the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce breakfast, focusing on military readiness. He asserted America’s crucial global role, “We are still the keystone in the arch of freedom,” and affirmed the nation’s commitment to its responsibilities, “We will continue to do…our duty, and the people of Texas will be in the lead.”
The Motorcade to Tragedy: Arrival in Dallas
The presidential party departed the hotel and traveled by motorcade to Carswell Air Force Base for the short flight to Dallas. Upon arrival at Love Field, President and Mrs. Kennedy immediately approached a fence where a crowd of supporters had gathered. They spent several minutes greeting well-wishers and shaking hands. The First Lady received a bouquet of red roses, which she carried to the waiting limousine. Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie, were already seated in the open convertible as the Kennedys joined them. With the rain subsided, the protective bubble top remained off. Vice President and Mrs. Johnson followed in another car within the motorcade.
The motorcade commenced its ten-mile journey from the airport, winding through downtown Dallas en route to the Trade Mart, where President Kennedy was scheduled to deliver a luncheon address.
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy: Shots in Dealey Plaza
Excited crowds thronged the streets, waving to the Kennedys as the motorcade proceeded. Turning off Main Street into Dealey Plaza at approximately 12:30 p.m., tragedy struck. As the limousine passed the Texas School Book Depository, gunfire erupted, shattering the midday calm.
Bullets struck President Kennedy, impacting his neck and head. He slumped towards Mrs. Kennedy. Governor Connally, seated in front, was also hit, wounded in his back.
The limousine accelerated towards Parkland Memorial Hospital, just minutes away. Despite immediate medical attention, 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 survive.
President Kennedy’s body was taken to Love Field and placed aboard Air Force One. In a somber and confined compartment, Lyndon B. Johnson, his face grim, was sworn in as President of the United States 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 subsequent fatal shooting of Patrolman J. D. Tippit on a Dallas street shortly after the assassination.
On Sunday morning, November 24, 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, emerged from the crowd and fatally shot Oswald at point-blank range. Oswald died two hours later at Parkland Hospital, the same hospital where President Kennedy had passed away just two days prior.
A Nation Mourns: The President’s Funeral
President Kennedy’s flag-draped casket was moved from the White House to the Capitol on November 24, carried on a caisson drawn by six grey horses, accompanied by a riderless black horse. Following Mrs. Kennedy’s wishes, the funeral procession and ceremonies were modeled after those of Abraham Lincoln. Crowds lined Pennsylvania Avenue, many openly weeping as the caisson passed. During the 21 hours President Kennedy lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda, approximately 250,000 people filed past to pay their respects.
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 televised event globally. Following the burial service, at the gravesite, Mrs. Kennedy and her husband’s brothers, Robert and Edward, lit an eternal flame, a symbol of enduring remembrance.
Among the most enduring images of that day were John F. Kennedy Jr.’s salute to his father (on his third birthday), daughter Caroline kneeling beside her mother at the bier, and Jacqueline Kennedy’s extraordinary grace and dignity in the face of immense grief.
In the aftermath of this senseless act, as the nation and the world grappled with the loss and sought to articulate President Kennedy’s life and legacy, many recalled the poignant 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.
The Enduring Questions: Aftermath and Investigations
The Warren Commission: Seeking Answers
On November 29, 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson established the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, later known as the Warren Commission, named after its chairman, Chief Justice Earl Warren. Its mandate was to investigate all aspects of the assassination and the subsequent killing of Lee Harvey Oswald, and to present its findings and conclusions. The Warren Commission Report remains a subject of intense debate and scrutiny decades later.
The House Select Committee on Assassinations: Reopening the Case
In 1976, the US House of Representatives formed the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) to re-examine the assassination, prompted by allegations of insufficient cooperation from federal agencies in prior investigations. Despite initial findings suggesting a “high probability that two gunmen fired,” based on a disputed Dallas police radio transmission tape, subsequent analysis discredited the tape’s evidentiary value. The HSCA report, issued on March 29, 1979, added further complexity to the narrative surrounding the assassination.
The Assassination Records Collection Act: Transparency and Access
The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 mandated the consolidation of all assassination-related materials under the supervision of the National Archives and Records Administration. This act aimed to ensure transparency and public access to the vast collection of documents and evidence related to the John F. Kennedy shooting, fostering continued research and analysis of this pivotal moment in American history.
