An enduring image: Three-year-old John salutes his father's casket in Washington three days after the president was assassinated, with his sister Caroline on the left.

From an early age, John was exposed to the trappings of power, in this case walking past a row of wind-whipped flags at Arlington National Cemetery after watching his father lay a wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in 1963.

His mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, was an important influence and she tried to give him a normal family life.

Sister and brother have grown up in the media spotlight.

Voted as the world's sexiest man, John F Kennedy married Carolyn Bessette in 1996.

A handsome law-school graduate, he eschewed politics for a successful career in publishing.