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| 3243 JFK at Cape Cod. |
Posted on 24.03.2016, 11.01.2018, 01.02.2018
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy, commonly known as JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, and certainly one of the most important and loved. The Cuban Missile Crisis, The Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the establishment of the Peace Corps, developments in the Space Race, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Civil Rights Movement, and abolition of the federal death penalty in the District of Columbia all took place during his presidency. He also avoided any significant increase in the American presence in Vietnam.
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| 2401 JFK and Jackie... summer of '60 Hyannisport, Massachusetts |
JFK was born in Brookline (Massachusetts) on May 29, 1917, as one of the nine children of businessman/politician Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Sr. and philanthropist/socialite Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald-Kennedy. Both the Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys were wealthy and prominent Irish Catholic Boston families. John F. Kennedy, nicknamed "Jack," was the second oldest of a group of nine extraordinary siblings, who remained close-knit and supportive of each other throughout their entire lives.
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| 3254 Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy, New York City, 1960 |
At school, although he was obviously brilliant - evidenced by the extraordinary thoughtfulness and nuance of his work on the rare occasions when he applied himself - Kennedy remained at best a mediocre student, preferring sports, girls and practical jokes to coursework. He was also chronically ill during his childhood and adolescence; he suffered from severe colds, the flu, scarlet fever and even more severe, undiagnosed diseases that forced him to miss months of school at a time and occasionally brought him to the brink of death.
After graduating from Harvard, he joined the U.S. Navy and was assigned to command a patrol torpedo boat in the South Pacific. On August 2, 1943, his boat was rammed by a Japanese warship and split in two. Two sailors died and Kennedy badly injured his back. Hauling another wounded sailor by the strap of his life vest, Kennedy led the survivors to a nearby island, where they were rescued six days later. The incident earned him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for "extremely heroic conduct" and a Purple Heart for the injuries he suffered.
At
the age of 29, he decided to run for the U.S. House of Representatives.
He won the election in 1946, and served as a congressman for six years.
In 1952, shortly after he won a seat in Senat, Kennedy met Jacqueline Bouvier (born 1929).
They were married on September 12, 1953, and had three children:
Caroline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Patrick Kennedy. In 1957 he
won Pulitzer Prize for biography, with Profiles in Courage, a book
comprising the profiles of eight senators who had taken courageous but
unpopular stances.
In
1960 Kennedy decided to run for president, and defeated Richard Nixon
by a razor-thin margin. The greatest accomplishments during his brief
tenure as president came in the arena of foreign affairs. His record on
domestic policy was rather mixed. He was assassinated in Dallas (Texas)
on November 22, 1963, while on a political trip to Texas to smooth over
frictions in the Democratic Party between two liberals and a
conservative. The circumstances of his assassination have never been
fully elucidated.
Kennedy
and his wife were younger in comparison to the presidents and first
ladies who preceded them, and both were popular in the media culture in
ways more common to pop singers and movie stars than politicians,
influencing fashion trends and becoming the subjects of numerous photo
spreads in popular magazines. Mrs. Kennedy, nicknamed Jackie, brought
new art and furniture to the White House, and directed its restoration.
They
invited a range of artists, writers and intellectuals to rounds of
White House dinners, raising the profile of the arts in America. The
president was closely tied to popular culture, emphasized by songs such
as "Twisting at the White House". Among the First Ladies of the United
States, Jacqueline Kennedy remains one of the most popular. She was
featured on the annual Gallop list of the top 10 most admired people of
the second half of the 20th century 27 times, a number superseded by
only Billy Graham and Queen Elizabeth II and higher than that of any
U.S. President.
About the stamps
On the postcard 2401
About the first stamp, featuring a portrait of George Washington, I wrote here. The second is one of Wedding series, about which I wrote here. The last stamp is part of the series Harry Potter, about which I wrote here.
On the postcard 3243
The first stamp was issued on August 26, 1985 to honor America's WWI veterans. The United States entered the fighting on April 6, 1917. Of the 4.7 million Americans who served in World War I, more than 360,000 were killed or wounded. Approximately 248,000 American veterans of the war still lived in 1985. The stamp design was based on Harvey Dunn's drawing entitled The Battle of the Marne. Designer, art director, and typographer for the stamp was Richard Sheaff.
The second stamp was issued on July 26, 1985 to honor Americans who fought during the Korean War. Its design was based on a photograph taken in 1950 by David Douglas Duncan. The design depicted weary American troops trudging seaward through a mountain pass near the Chosin Reservoir after the intervention by Chinese Communist forces on November 27. A pencil sketch by artist Robert Anderson, based on the photograph, was developed for use by Bureau of Engraving and Printing engravers. The designer, art director, and typographer for the stamp was Dick Sheaff. After WWII, Korea was divided into north and south sections at the 38th parallel to facilitate the surrender of the Japanese to the Allies. Russia was to supervise the Japanese surrender in the north and the United States in the south. Refusal to allow elections in the north kept the country divided, and a powerful offensive was launched by North Korea against South Korea. The Korean conflict, which began on June 25, 1950, was the first in which American troops fought under the flag of the United Nations. The truce ending the Korean conflict, in which more than 50,000 Americans died, was signed on July 27, 1953.
Between 1991 and 1995 U.S. Postal Service issued no less then 50 stamps to mark the 50th Anniversary of the WWII, actually the american contribution to this war. In every year was issued a sheetlet, one for each year of the war, that consisted of a large center map framed by five stamps on the top and five on the bottom. The world maps are masterpieces of thumbnail summaries. They call attention to the major military and political developments of the year and include events not featured on the individual stamps. Color coded for easy identification of friend and foe, they’re a year in summary at a glance. All sheetlet was designed by William H. Bond. All the stamps has the same face value (29 cents).
1991.08.22 - 1941: A World at War
1992.08.17 - 1942: Into the Battle
1993.05.31 - 1943: Turning the Tide
• German U-boats
• Medics Treat the Wounded
• Sicily Attacked
• B-24s Hit Refineries
• V-Mail
• Italy Invaded - It's on the postcard 3243
• Savings Bonds and Stamps
• Willie & Joe
• Gold Stars
• Marines Assault Tarawa
1994.06.06 - 1944: Road to Victory
1995.09.02 - 1945: Victory at Last
The fourth stamp was issued on April 22, 1994 to honor the Buffalo Soldiers. In 1886, Congress authorized the formation of six black regiments - two cavalry and four infantry. The infantry units were later consolidated and re-designated as the 24th and 25th infantries. These soldiers became known as the Buffalo Soldiers. Over several decades, Buffalo Soldiers served in forts throughout the United States, received the highest number (eighteen) of Congressional Medals of Honor and had the lowest desertion rate of any army unit from 1867 to 1898. In addition to engaging in several skirmishes with Native Americans, they confronted outlaws, desperados, protected stage and railway lines, guarded frontiersmen against bandits and cattle rustlers, and rescued Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War. Native Americans bestowed the name Buffalo Soldiers upon the black soldiers. The stamp was designed by Mort Kuntsler.
The fifth stamp was issued on May 25, 1985 to mark AMERIPEX '86, the 1986 international Philatelic exhibition hosted by the United States. AMERIPEX '86 took place May 22 through June 1, 1986, in the Chicago area. The design features a stamp-on-stamp motif, with a reproduction of a portion of the 1-cent Benjamin Franklin regular stamp in use 100 years earlier. The stamp was designed by Richard D. Sheaff, and art director was Jack Williams.
The sixth stamp, issued on April 28, 1958 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of James Monroe. Designed by Frank P. Conley, the central subject is a likeness of James Monroe reproduced from a Gilbert Stuart portrait. The three-quarter head of Monroe, facing left, is situated to the right, with 1758-1958, arranged in two lines, in the lower field. James Monroe (1758-1831) was an American statesman and Founding Father who served as the fifth President of the United States from 1817 to 1825. Monroe was the last president of the Virginia dynasty, and his presidency ushered in what is known as the Era of Good Feelings.
The last stamp is part of the Prominent Americans series, a set of definitive stamps issued between 1965 and 1978, which superseded the Liberty Issue of 1954. The values of the new series included figures from all walks of life, each depicted in a different style by a different designer. That portraits of two women appear in the series represented a small but significant step toward gender equality in U. S. Stamp history. This was also the first definitive issue to include a stamp devoted to an African-American, with Frederick Douglass portrayed on the 25 cents denomination.
• green - Thomas Jefferson (1 cent)
• light green - Albert Gallatin (1¼ cent)
• dark blue gray - Frank Lloyd Wright (2 cents) - It's on the postcard 3243
• violet - Francis Parkman (3 cents)
• black - Abraham Lincoln (4 cents)
• blue - George Washington (5 cents)
• gray brown - Franklin Delano Roosevelt (6 cents)
• dark blue gray - Dwight Eisenhower (6 cents)
• bright blue - Benjamin Franklin (7 cents)
• black, red blue gray (sheet) - Dwight Eisenhower (8 cents)
• claret (coil and booklet) - Dwight Eisenhower (8 cents)
• lilac - Andrew Jackson (10 cents)
• black - Henry Ford (12 cents)
• brown - John F. Kennedy (13 cents)
• gray brown - Fiorello LaGuardia (14 cents)
• claret - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (15 cents)
• light brown - Ernie Pyle (16 cents)
• purple - Elizabeth Blackwell (18 cents)
• olive - George C. Marshall (20 cents)
• olive - Amadeo Giannini (21 cents)
• rose lake - Frederick Douglass (25 cents)
• reddish lilac - John Dewey (30 cents)
• bluish black - Thomas Paine (40 cents)
• magenta - Lucy Stone (50 cents)
• dull purple - Eugene O'Neill (1 USD)
• gray black - John Bassett Moore (5 USD)
On the postcard 3254
The first stamp was issued on June 14, 1985 to honore Abigail Adams, wife of President John Adams. Born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, in 1744, Abigail Adams was a gifted letter writer, confidante to her husband during his long career of public service, and mother of one of the most important family dynasties in American public life. Many historians have credited her with being the first fully emancipated woman in American history. While raising four children, acting as adviser to her husband, and maintaining the family estate, she still found time to continue her writings. Her literary works have distinguished her as one of the leading women writers of her era. Mrs. Adams died in Quincy in 1818. The designer of the stamp was Bart Forbe, and art director was Stevan Dohanos.
The second stamp was issued on May 22, 1957 to mark the Centenary of the Steel Industry in America. Anthonio Petruccelli, who, among other artists, was commissioned by the American Iron and Steel Institute to submit suggested designs, executed the basic design of the stamp. In 1855 the American Iron Association was established, and it merged into the American Iron and Steel Institute in 1908. Today the American Iron and Steel Institute is headquartered in Washington, DC. The stamp features the American Eagle with outspread wings, symbolizing America, and a pouring ladle representing the steel industry. Across the top of the stamp, in two lines, are the words "America and Steel Growing Together."
The third stamp was issued on July 18, 1985 to honore Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. Architect, painter, and sculptor, Frederic Bartholdi was born in Colmar, France, in 1834. Known for his monumental sculptures, he was probably most popularly associated as the creator of the Statue of Liberty. The statue was presented in Paris in 1884 and was formally dedicated in New York in 1886. Bartholdi died in Paris in 1904. The stamp was designed electronically by Howard Paine. It featured a portrait of the sculptor taken from a painting by Jose Frappa, which hung in the Musee Bartholdi in Colmar, France, and a watercolor painting by James Dean of Annandale, Virginia, depicting the statue as seen across New York's harbor.
The fourth stamp was issued on May 31, 1958 to mark the International Geophysical Year. The stamp's design was based on a photograph of the sun, depicting an area of intense solar activity. This phenomenon was, among others, studied during the eighteen months of the International Geophysical Year. Superimposed above the solar disc and the fiery solar prominences emanating from it is a segment of Michelangelo's famous fresco, The Creation of Adam. Ervine Metzl, the stamp's designer, explained, "In the small confines of a postage stamp we have endeavored to picture a man's wonder at the unknown together with his determination to understand it and his need for spiritual inspiration to further his knowledge."
The fifth stamp was issued on March 13, 1997 to mark the Pacific 97 International Stamp Exhibition. Designed by Richard D. Sheaff, the stamps feature two designs, one of a US Mail stagecoach and one of a clipper ship, both from the 1800s. These marked the first triangular stamps the United States Postal Service has ever issued. The sheet of sixteen stamps formed an unusual configuration of four squares, each square formed by four connecting triangles. There is also a small type header identifying the place and dates of the Pacific 97 International Stamp Exhibition.
The last stamp is part of the series Have a Ball!, issued on June 14, 2017. It was first-of-a-kind stamps with the look - and feel - of actual balls used in eight popular sports. Stamp artist Daniel Nyari, and stamp designer Mike Ryan, worked with Art Director Greg Breeding to create the stamp images.
• baseball - It's on the postcard 3254
• basketball
• football
• golf
• kickball
• soccer
• tennis
• volleyball
References
John F. Kennedy - Wikipedia
John F. Kennedy - biography.com
Sender 2401, 3243, 3254: Denise
2401: Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 13.01.2014
Photo: Frank Fallaci / 1960
3243: Sent from Western Nassau (New York / United States), on 03.01.2018
Photo: Cecil Stoughton
3254: Sent from Western Nassau (New York / United States), on 12.01.2018
Photo: George S. Zimbel / 1960
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