John F. Kennedy is an American icon. These 21 color photos helped define his legacy

File photo via Reuters

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis shown in this June 27, 1953 photograph with then Senator John F. Kennedy in Hyannisport, Massachusetts

• John F. Kennedy prominent family background, elite education, and high-profile political career made him an American icon of the 1960s.
• Kennedy's highly publicized life came with cameras following him at his family home in Massachusetts and at work in Washington.

After graduating from Harvard, serving in the Navy, and being elected to Congress at 29, John F. Kennedy established himself as an American legend before dying as the youngest president in history.

Since Kennedy was born into a privileged family that was well known in American politics and society, he spent most of his life on and off the job in the public eye.

See some of the most iconic color pictures from his life: