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Election 1960: JFK on the Campaign Trail

After one of the closest elections in U.S. history, John F. Kennedy, 43, became the youngest elected president, the first Catholic and the first born in the 20th century


Although Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts did not formally announce his presidential candidacy until Jan. 2, 1960, he had been setting the stage for several years.

Kennedy, a Democrat, would go on to win the presidential election, defeating incumbent vice president Richard Nixon, the Republican candidate, on Nov. 8, 1960.

Click ahead to see images of Kennedy on the campaign trail, during the first televised presidential debate and at his swearing in and inauguration.

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