John F. Kennedy to Frank W. Cuccia letters

Collection — Box: 1, Folder: 8

Identifier: SC-015

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The John F. Kennedy to Frank W. Cuccia letters, 1959-1960 and undated, contain business letters, a holiday card, and an event invitation from John F. Kennedy to Frank W. Cuccia during his time as a Massachusetts Senator. The letters and holiday card are signed "Jack" or "Jack Kennedy" showing a friendship between the two men. It appears a typed copy of Kennedy's 1960 presidential candidacy announcement is enclosed with a December 1959 letter to Cuccia. Kennedy asks Cuccia to review the statement and provide any thoughts he has on the matter. A March 1960 letter thanks Cuccia for attending a program at Emerson and supporting Kennedy's presidential candidacy. Kennedy sends an undated letter to Cuccia congratulating him on his alternate status for the upcoming Democratic National Convention and forwards a copy of his Strategy of Peace speeches to clarify his views on major issues.

Dates

Creation: 1959-1960
Creation: undated

Creator

Kennedy, John Fitzgerald, 1917-1963 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is located at the Loyola Notre Dame Library. Contact Archives and Special Collections for more information. This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The John F. Kennedy to Frank W. Cuccia letters are the physical property of Archives and Special Collections, Loyola Notre Dame Library. Copyright, except in cases where material has been passed into the public domain, belongs to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns.

Biographical / Historical

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, on May 29, 1917. He was the second oldest of nine children from the prominent Kennedy family and went by the nickname "Jack." Kennedy graduated from Harvard College in June 1940 then enlisted in the Navy during World War II. He was named Lieutenant and assigned to the boat, PT-109, in the South Pacific where on August 3, 1943, he saved his surviving crew after a Japanese warship destroyed the vessel. Kennedy and his crew were found by native islanders six days later and rescued the next day.

Following his return to Massachusetts, Kennedy was encouraged by his father to run for Congress. He successfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1946 and became a U.S. Senator in 1952. After almost being picked for Vice President in 1957, he decided to run for president in 1960. Kennedy was elected the 35th and youngest President of the United States in November 1960 and inaugurated on January 20, 1961 in Washington, DC. While in office, Kennedy expanded the space program and created the Peace Corps. He also faced foreign affairs issues in Cuba and racial discrimination in the United States. Kennedy was at the start of his reelection bid when he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. Historical information adapted from http://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/life-of-john-f-kennedy (accessed December 2018)

Extent

.167 Cubic Feet (1 legal sized folder)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The John F. Kennedy to Frank W. Cuccia letters, 1959-1960 and undated, contain business letters, a holiday card, and an event invitation from John F. Kennedy to Frank W. Cuccia during Kennedy's time as a Massachusetts senator. A typed copy of Kennedy's 1960 presidential candidacy announcement appears to be enclosed with a December 1959 letter. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, on May 29, 1917 and became the 35th President of the United States on January 20, 1961. Frank W. Cuccia, born August 10, 1904, was a Baltimore businessman who served seventeen years on the Baltimore City Board and received an honorary doctorate from Loyola University Maryland on May 29, 1983.