The Constitution of the United States of America states that to be eligible to be elected President, one must be a citizen and be at least thirty five years olds. It does not say one should be intelligent, good looking, or healthy. We take it for granted that the person is intelligent. Good looks, I think is just a bonus if in fact it is an attribute of the President. Good health is a quality that is very rarely discussed. Is this a good thing or not? John F. Kennedy, our thirty-fifth President, was intelligent, good looking, but his health was questionable at best.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on May 29, 1917.
John suffered the normal childhood diseases like whooping cough, measles, and chicken pox. Trouble started just before his third birthday, when he contracted a case of scarlet fever. Scarlet fever was highly contagious and could be life threatening.
At the time, there were three other children in the family, Joseph Jr., Rosemary, and Kathleen. Rose and Joseph Kennedy were extremely concerned about the children being infected as well as not knowing if young John would survive. John, who was also known as Jack, survived what turned out to be three month ordeal.
By 1925, three more children had been born. The addition of Eunice, Patricia, and Robert made it hard for one child to win the adoration of the parents. Needless to say, discipline was the rule in the Kennedy household. Strict rules and regulations were enforced. Rose Kennedy was a stickler when it came to promptness and had a clock in every room so the children would never have an excuse for being late. Jack had a hard time following these rules. He also had to sit back and watch older brother Joe,