when was jfk elected

John F. Kennedy (JFK) was elected President of the United States on November 8, 1960. He narrowly defeated the Republican candidate, incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon, in one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history. Kennedy won the election with 303 electoral votes to Nixon's 219 and led the national popular vote by a very slim margin of about 0.17%. At 43 years old, JFK became the youngest person ever elected to the presidency and was also the first Roman Catholic to hold the office.