John F. Kennedy: Exclusive photos

 

November 8, 2010, marks the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's election as the 35th president of the United States. During his campaign for the Oval Office, LIFE magazine dispatched some of its best photographers to follow the candidate, taking thousands of photos in the months leading up to his election. Below are some of these previously unpublished photos of Kennedy from the larger photo gallery at LIFE.com


Hank Walker/LIFE.com

Kennedy makes a stop on the campaign trail in West Virginia in April 1960. He would eventually win the West Virginia primary with 61 percent of the vote, trumping his opponent, Sen. Hubert Humphrey's 39.


Paul Schutzer/LIFE.com

A ticker-tape parade showers the presidential candidate and his wife, Jackie, in Manhattan three weeks before Election Day. Kennedy won New York with 53 percent of the vote, though in many other states across the country, the margin was much smaller.


Walter Sanders/LIFE.com

A girl holds flowers while sitting beneath a Kennedy campaign poster in the Northwest.


Paul Schutzer/LIFE.com

Kennedy endures a cold Midwest night on the campaign trail in Illinois. Even from this distance, Kennedy's peerless, "megawatt grin" is apparent as is the crowd's energy.


Paul Schutzer/LIFE.com

Kennedy enjoys the poolside sun in Los Angeles, California, near the time he won the Democratic nomination at the party's Los Angeles convention.


Walter Sanders/LIFE.com

The president-elect lands in Washington with his family, including young Caroline in arms, just three days after the election.
See more previously unpublished photos of Kennedy from the larger photo gallery at LIFE.com