# 5175 - 2017 First-Class Forever Stamp - President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963)
#6 Most Popular Stamp of 2017 As Voted by Stamp Collectors
This stamp was issued to mark the 100th anniversary of President Kennedy's birth. The photograph on teh stamp was taken by Ted Spiegel in 1960 and is a fitting tribute to one of America's greatest leaders.
For instance, Kennedy refused his presidential salary and the salaries from his 14 years in the House and Senate. He donated all those earnings to charities such as the Boy and Girl Scouts, the United Negro College Fund, and the Cuban Families Committee. His donations totaled about $500,000 – equal to over $3.7 million today.
Kennedy also saw the importance of helping other nations. Early in his political career, he suggested training and sending young Americans to other countries to help their underprivileged. While president, Kennedy made his idea a reality when he created the Peace Corps, “to promote world peace and friendship.”
As president, Kennedy was a champion of civil rights. He passed a law requiring equal treatment of government employees regardless of race and banned segregation in federally funded housing. Kennedy also proposed the desegregation of schools and protection of voting rights, both of which were made law the year after his death.
This John F. Kennedy stamp marks the 100th birth anniversary of our nation's 35th president. Ted Spiegel took the Kennedy photograph on which the stamp art is based.
Bold and charismatic, Kennedy was an inspiration to a generation – and one of our most beloved presidents.
Birth Of John F. Kennedy
The son of a prominent businessman and politician, Kennedy attended private schools and went on to Harvard University. He traveled abroad when his father was appointed ambassador by President Franklin Roosevelt, learning about the workings of foreign governments.
In August, Kennedy was patrolling in the Pacific near the Solomon Islands when a Japanese destroyer rammed his boat. He rounded up his surviving crewmembers and led them on a four-mile swim to a safe island. In spite of reinjuring his back, Kennedy swam to another island and was able to find help. The crew was rescued after a week of surviving on coconut milk and rainwater. Lieutenant Kennedy received a Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his courage and bravery and a Purple Heart for the injuries he received during the action.
Click here for more about JFK’s life and legacy from his Presidential Library.
Click here for lots more JFK stamps.
#6 Most Popular Stamp of 2017 As Voted by Stamp Collectors
This stamp was issued to mark the 100th anniversary of President Kennedy's birth. The photograph on teh stamp was taken by Ted Spiegel in 1960 and is a fitting tribute to one of America's greatest leaders.
For instance, Kennedy refused his presidential salary and the salaries from his 14 years in the House and Senate. He donated all those earnings to charities such as the Boy and Girl Scouts, the United Negro College Fund, and the Cuban Families Committee. His donations totaled about $500,000 – equal to over $3.7 million today.
Kennedy also saw the importance of helping other nations. Early in his political career, he suggested training and sending young Americans to other countries to help their underprivileged. While president, Kennedy made his idea a reality when he created the Peace Corps, “to promote world peace and friendship.”
As president, Kennedy was a champion of civil rights. He passed a law requiring equal treatment of government employees regardless of race and banned segregation in federally funded housing. Kennedy also proposed the desegregation of schools and protection of voting rights, both of which were made law the year after his death.
This John F. Kennedy stamp marks the 100th birth anniversary of our nation's 35th president. Ted Spiegel took the Kennedy photograph on which the stamp art is based.
Bold and charismatic, Kennedy was an inspiration to a generation – and one of our most beloved presidents.
Birth Of John F. Kennedy
The son of a prominent businessman and politician, Kennedy attended private schools and went on to Harvard University. He traveled abroad when his father was appointed ambassador by President Franklin Roosevelt, learning about the workings of foreign governments.
In August, Kennedy was patrolling in the Pacific near the Solomon Islands when a Japanese destroyer rammed his boat. He rounded up his surviving crewmembers and led them on a four-mile swim to a safe island. In spite of reinjuring his back, Kennedy swam to another island and was able to find help. The crew was rescued after a week of surviving on coconut milk and rainwater. Lieutenant Kennedy received a Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his courage and bravery and a Purple Heart for the injuries he received during the action.
Click here for more about JFK’s life and legacy from his Presidential Library.
Click here for lots more JFK stamps.