Fifty years ago today, on 22 November 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. I thought it might be a nice idea to have a good memory of JFK instead of dwelling on the murderous act.
On 25 January 1960 the Massachusetts Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy came to Nashua for the first campaign stop for the 1960 presidential elections. It was his first official election speech, given during a snowfall in front of the Nashua City Hall. This was the first announcement that he was running for president. In those days, the primary was held in March, and the campaigning began just a few weeks ahead of time. Today the politicians gear up for the New Hampshire primaries years in advance. In 1960, the New Hampshire Primary was on March 8th, barely six weeks later!
IN MEMORIAM
PRESIDENT
JOHN FITGERALD
KENNEDY
ON JANUARY 25, 1960
THIS CITY HALL PLAZA
WAS JOHN F. KENNEDY'S
FIRST CAMPAIGN STOP
IN THE NATION FOR
THE PRESIDENCY OF
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA.
On the back of the pedestal are words from JFK's inaugural address:
LET THE WORD GO FORTH
FROM THIS TIME AND
PLACE, TO FRIEND AND
FOE ALIKE, THAT THE
TORCH HAS BEEN PASSED
TO A NEW GENERATION
OF AMERICANS - BORN
IN THIS CENTURY, TEM-
PERED BY WAR, DISCIPLINED
BY A HARD AND BITTER
PEACH, PROUD OF OUR
ANCIENT HERITAGE."
JOHN F. KENNEDY
JANUARY 20, 1961
Click here for a link to a 2010 Nashua Telegraph article about the 50th anniversary of this event:
On 23 November 2011, Presidential candidate Mitt Romney stood right behind this statue during his campaign during the New Hampshire Primary season, but never once mentioned Kennedy. Both candidates were from Massachusetts, and both experienced religious prejudice. Perhaps Romney would have been more successful if he had taken a few moments to mention the man on the pedestal? On 18 February 1992 Bill Clinton made a campaign stop at this very place, and he won his bid for the highest office. Yes, he mentioned Kennedy's legacy in his speech.
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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo
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