By the fall of 1963, President John F. Kennedy was actively laying the groundwork for his 1964 presidential campaign. Despite not formally announcing his candidacy, it was widely understood that President Kennedy would seek re-election, and he projected an air of confidence regarding his prospects.
In late September 1963, President Kennedy embarked on a tour of the American West, delivering speeches across nine states in under a week. While officially focused on promoting natural resources and conservation, this trip served as a platform for President Kennedy to test campaign themes for 1964, including education, national security, and the pursuit of world peace.
The Texas Campaign Trip
The following month, President Kennedy addressed Democratic gatherings in both Boston and Philadelphia. November saw him holding the first significant political strategy session for the upcoming election year. During this meeting, President Kennedy emphasized the critical importance of securing victories in Florida and Texas, outlining his plans to visit both states within the next two weeks to bolster support.
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was scheduled to accompany the President on this pivotal Texas trip, marking her return to public engagements following the tragic loss of their infant son, Patrick, in August. On November 21, President and Mrs. Kennedy boarded Air Force One, commencing their two-day, five-city tour across Texas.
President Kennedy was acutely aware of the deep divisions within the Democratic party in Texas, a factor that could potentially jeopardize his chances of winning the state in 1964. A primary objective of his Texas visit was to unify the state’s Democratic 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 identified as a potential hotspot, especially after the attack on US Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson in the city just a month prior. Despite these concerns, President Kennedy appeared eager to leave Washington, engage directly with the American people, and immerse himself in the political arena.
San Antonio was the first stop on the Texas tour. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Governor John B. Connally, and Senator Ralph W. Yarborough headed the welcoming committee, greeting the President and First Lady upon arrival. They accompanied President Kennedy to Brooks Air Force Base for the dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center. The presidential party then proceeded to Houston, where President Kennedy addressed the League of United Latin American Citizens and spoke at a testimonial dinner honoring Congressman Albert Thomas, concluding the day in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth: The Morning of November 22nd
A light rain fell on the morning of Friday, November 22, yet a considerable crowd of several thousand people gathered in the parking lot of the Texas Hotel in Fort Worth, where the Kennedys had spent the night. A temporary platform had been erected, and President Kennedy, without any rain protection, addressed the waiting crowd. “There are no faint hearts in Fort Worth,” he began, expressing his appreciation for their early morning turnout. “Mrs. Kennedy is organizing herself. It takes longer, but, of course, she looks better than we do when she does it.” He then spoke about 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 palpable as President Kennedy reached out to shake hands, surrounded by smiling faces.
President John F. Kennedy greets crowds in Fort Worth the morning of November 22, 1963, hours before his assassination in Dallas.
Inside the hotel, President Kennedy delivered a speech at a Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce breakfast, focusing on the critical issue of military preparedness. “We are still the keystone in the arch of freedom,” he declared, emphasizing America’s commitment to its global responsibilities and the leading role of Texans in this endeavor.
Arrival in Dallas
The presidential motorcade departed the hotel, traveling to Carswell Air Force Base for the short thirteen-minute flight to Dallas. Upon arrival at Love Field in Dallas, President and Mrs. Kennedy immediately approached a fence where a crowd of supporters had gathered, spending several minutes greeting and shaking hands with the well-wishers.
The First Lady was presented with a bouquet of red roses, which she carried with her to the waiting limousine. Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie, were already seated in the open-top convertible as the Kennedys joined them, taking their seats behind. With the rain having stopped, the protective plastic bubble top had been removed from the limousine. Vice President and Mrs. Johnson followed in another car as part of the motorcade.
The procession then left the airport, embarking on a ten-mile route through downtown Dallas, en route to the Trade Mart, where President Kennedy was scheduled to deliver a luncheon address.
The Tragedy at Dealey Plaza: John F. Kennedy Assassinated
Large crowds of excited onlookers lined the streets of Dallas, waving enthusiastically to President and Mrs. Kennedy as the motorcade passed. The limousine turned off Main Street onto Elm Street at Dealey Plaza at approximately 12:30 p.m. As the vehicle passed the Texas School Book Depository, gunfire suddenly erupted, shattering the festive atmosphere of the plaza.
Bullets struck President Kennedy in the neck and head. He slumped forward and towards Mrs. Kennedy. Governor Connally, seated in front of President Kennedy, was also struck by gunfire, wounded in his back.
The presidential limousine immediately accelerated, speeding towards Parkland Memorial Hospital, located just minutes away. Despite the swift response, little could be done to save the President. A Catholic priest was summoned to administer last rites. At 1:00 p.m. John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead. Governor Connally, although critically injured, would ultimately survive.
President Kennedy’s body was transported to Love Field and placed aboard Air Force One. Before the presidential plane departed Dallas, a somber Lyndon B. Johnson, in a cramped compartment of Air Force One, took the oath of office, administered by US District Court Judge Sarah Hughes. The brief, solemn ceremony took place at 2:38 p.m., marking the transfer of presidential power amidst national tragedy.
Lyndon B. Johnson taking the oath of office aboard Air Force One at Love Field, Dallas, Texas, following the assassination of President Kennedy. Jacqueline Kennedy is standing to his left.
Less than an hour before President Johnson was sworn in, Dallas police apprehended Lee Harvey Oswald, a recent employee of the Texas School Book Depository. Oswald was arrested in connection with the assassination of President Kennedy and the fatal shooting, shortly after the assassination, of Dallas police patrolman J. D. Tippit on a Dallas street.
On Sunday morning, November 24, as preparations were underway to transfer Oswald from police headquarters to the county jail, live television cameras captured an unimaginable event. Millions of viewers across America witnessed a man emerge from the crowd and fire a pistol at point-blank range at Lee Harvey Oswald. The assailant was quickly identified as Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner. Oswald died two hours later at Parkland Hospital, the same hospital where President Kennedy had been pronounced dead just two days prior.
A Nation Mourns: President Kennedy’s Funeral
On the same day Lee Harvey Oswald was murdered, President Kennedy’s flag-draped casket was moved from the White House to the Capitol. It was transported on a horse-drawn caisson, pulled by six grey horses and accompanied by a riderless black horse, echoing the funeral procession of Abraham Lincoln, as requested by Mrs. Kennedy. Massive crowds lined Pennsylvania Avenue, many openly weeping as the caisson passed. During the 21 hours President Kennedy’s body lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda, an estimated 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 dignitaries from over 100 countries, with countless millions more watching the solemn proceedings on television. Following the funeral service, at the gravesite, Mrs. Kennedy and President Kennedy’s brothers, Robert and Edward, lit an eternal flame, symbolizing the enduring legacy of his presidency.
Perhaps the most enduring and poignant images from that day were those of John F. Kennedy Jr., just three years old on that day, saluting his father’s casket, his daughter Caroline kneeling beside her mother at the bier, and the extraordinary strength and grace displayed by Jacqueline Kennedy throughout the ordeal.
As a nation, and indeed the world, grappled with the senseless tragedy and sought to articulate the profound loss of President Kennedy, many recalled the inspiring 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 eternal flame at the grave of President John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery.
The Aftermath and Investigations
The Warren Commission
On November 29, 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson established the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. This commission became known as the Warren Commission, named after its chairman, Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the United States. President Johnson tasked the Warren Commission with investigating all aspects of the assassination and the subsequent killing of Lee Harvey Oswald, and to deliver its findings and conclusions. The Warren Commission Report was published in 1964 and concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of President Kennedy.
The House Select Committee on Assassinations
In 1976, the US House of Representatives formed the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) to reopen the investigation into the assassination, prompted by persistent questions and allegations that previous inquiries had not received full cooperation from federal agencies. Despite initial findings suggesting a “high probability that two gunmen fired” based on a controversial audio recording, further analysis discredited this evidence. The HSCA issued its final report on March 29, 1979, concluding that while Oswald likely acted alone in shooting President Kennedy, there was a probable conspiracy, though they were unable to identify any other participants or the extent of the conspiracy.
The Assassination Records Collection Act
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 assassination, fostering continued research and understanding of this pivotal moment in American history.
