He donated his congressional and presidential salary to charity
Kennedy's father amassed a substantial fortune for the family. When the young politician entered Congress in 1947, the trusts his father had set up provided him with a sufficient annual income that he decided to donate his whole congressional salary to various organizations. After becoming the wealthiest person ever to take the oath of office, Kennedy subtly continued the practice as president.
Kennedy was the richest person in history when he assumed office. The Kennedy family fortune was estimated to be worth $1 billion, while JFK personally lived off a $10 million trust fund, according to author Richard Reeves. Despite being born into riches and privilege, Kennedy declined his presidential salary and chose to donate the funds to charity instead, which is one of the most interesting facts about John F. Kennedy. However, the amount shown in the image above isn't exactly correct.
According to Snopes, at the time, a publication claimed that "President Kennedy's whole salary is going to charity." The $94,583.32 that the President received in 1961 went to six charities. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, the United Negro College Fund, and the Cuban Families Committee were among the organizations that benefited from his gifts, according to the Snopes article.
Kennedy also gave the total amount of money he made while serving in the House and Senate for 14 years. Throughout his political career, he may have donated up to $500,000 in total to charity.
