A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
On Nov. 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was shot to death in a motorcade in Dallas.
And a nation moved from shock to grief to, well, back to normal.
Kennedy was sitting beside first lady Jackie Kennedy as the motorcade moved through downtown Dallas on that fateful day. Texas Gov. John B. Connally, riding in the same car as Kennedy, was seriously wounded.
Suspected gunman Lee Harvey Oswald was soon arrested for the crime, but died by gunfire at the hands of Jack Ruby within days.
Within hours of the shooting, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president.
The Deseret News printed an “Extra,” a quick edition of the news of the day. Coverage was extensive for weeks.
The headlines read: “Kennedy assassinated”; “President killed by Texas sniper”; “President McKay ‘deeply grieved’”; “Utah officials, citizens shocked”; “Attack first since try on Truman”; “Kennedy won Utah cheers in recent visit”; and “Bell tolls news of tragedy to shocked S.L.”
Utahns truly were shocked. Just eight weeks before he died, JFK visited Utah and spoke in the Salt Lake Tabernacle at Temple Square.
The Deseret News dispatched six photographers to chronicle the only visit Kennedy made to Utah while president of the United States on Sept. 26-27.
Here are a variety of stories from Deseret News archives about Kennedy, his presidency, his visits to Utah, and the ongoing, yes ongoing, conspiracy talk about his assassination:
“American recall poignantly the events of Nov. 22, 1963″
“50 years on, finding profit in ‘truth’ on John F. Kennedy case”
“Thousands of Utahns turned out to see President Kennedy in 1963″
“‘The president is dead’: What it was like to live through JFK’s assassination”
“Lesser-known JFK assassination controversy involving Catholic priest explored in new book”
“Remembering JFK’s legacy of compassion”
“JFK’s Utah visits chronicled on Web”
“John F. Kennedy — remembering a friend”
“Remembering JFK’s life and speeches”