I.

Introduction

John F. Kerry, born in 1943, American politician and Democratic Party candidate for the United States presidency in 2004. Kerry, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, lost to incumbent President George W. Bush in a hard-fought battle that divided the American public.

Kerry became the Democratic Party nominee after overcoming an early lead in the polls by former Vermont governor Howard Dean. Kerry won the Iowa presidential caucus and the New Hampshire primary, both in January 2004. He then swept all but two of the remaining primaries and caucuses and became the Democratic Party’s nominee at its July convention. Prior to the convention Kerry selected U.S. senator John Edwards of North Carolina as his vice-presidential running mate.

A graduate of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, Kerry served as an officer in the Vietnam War (1957-1975), winning numerous commendations for bravery. He returned to the United States disillusioned about the war and rose to national prominence as he led a group of veterans who sought a U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam. Kerry was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984 and was reelected in 1990, 1996, and 2002.