John Kerry

The World Today
1 minute READ
  1. John Kerry grew up with the privileges of the wealthy upper class – boarding schools in Switzerland and New England, learning fluent French and college at Yale. In fact his father was a State Department employee, his education was paid for a by great aunt, and he grew up feeling rootless. In the words of The Boston Globe, he was a gentleman without substance.Both his wives have been wealthy heiresses.
  2. With the middle name Forbes, Kerry shares initials with John F Kennedy. While dating Jackie Kennedy’s half-sister, Kerry went sailing with the president in 1962. When Kerry volunteered to go to war in Vietnam, he chose to take command of a swift boat patrolling the Mekong Delta – as Kennedy had served in a torpedo boat in the Second World War.
  3. Kerry’s smooth ascent to the top stalled when, with a record of aggressive combat against the Vietcong and a clutch of medals, he emerged as a spokesman for the anti-war campaign.

Subscribe to read all issues

Articles from the current issue are free to read by all, the archive is exclusive to magazine subscribers and our members. Subscribe or become a member to view articles from the archive.