1967 13c Prominent Americans: John F. Kennedy

U.S. #1287
13¢ John F. Kennedy
Prominent Americans Series

Issue Date: May 29, 1967
City: Brookline, MA
Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Rotary Press
Color: Brown

The image of Kennedy used on this stamp is based on a photo taken by Jacque Loew and used in the book The Kennedy Years.  The stamp would have paid the rate for a foreign letter or for an airmail postcard.

John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) famously stated, “...ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”  He led by example and lived by his words.  While many know about his World War II heroics, diffusion of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and role in the Space Race, there is much more we rarely hear about.
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.

The Prominent Americans Series recognizes people who played important roles in U.S. history. Officials originally planned to honor 18 individuals, but later added seven others. The Prominent Americans Series began with the 4¢ Lincoln stamp, which was issued on November 10, 1965. During the course of the series, the 6¢ Eisenhower stamp was reissued with an 8¢ denomination and the 5¢ Washington was redrawn.