John F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, to Joseph and Rose Kennedy on May 29, 1917.

Joseph Patrick Kennedy was a successful businessman and public official. He worked as a bank president, made large amounts of money in the stock market, and formed a liquor distributorship that profited him handsomely. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He later served as U.S. ambassador to Great Britain.