John F. Kennedy Remembered: May 29, 1917 — November 22, 1963

The murder of John F. Kennedy forty-five years ago this week is one of the most tragic and memorable events in American history. Biographer Robert Dallek writes, “Kennedy’s death shocked the country more than any other event since the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. . . . Kennedy’s sudden violent death seemed to deprive the country and the world of a better future.”

The National Portrait Gallery has several portraits of Kennedy in its collections—this 1963 portrait was painted by artist Elaine de Kooning, and is on view in the "America’s Presidents" exhibition.

Although Kennedy was only slightly less than three years into his presidency when he was killed, the images of his administration have great resonance. Most Americans are familiar with at least a handful of those iconic moments—the youthful Kennedy being sworn into the presidency, the chief executive at work as John Jr. plays beneath the desk, the silhouette in the window of the Oval Office, the horrible and searing moments of the drive through Dealey Plaza in Dallas.

Kennedy’s tenure in office includes honor as well as debacle. Invoking the Monroe Doctrine during the Cuban Missile Crisis was perhaps the defining moment of his foreign policy, while the Bay of Pigs invasion always evokes the same word: fiasco. However, such institutions as the Peace Corps and the space program continue to represent his legacy. The Kennedy presidency is also defined by his commitment to America and by the commitment he wished Americans to make to their country; the summation of his inaugural speech is among the most-quoted passages in our written and spoken heritage.

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility; I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it, and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do; ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy/ Elaine de Kooning,1963/ Oil on canvas/ National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution/ © Elaine de Kooning Trust