Much has been written about Lincoln-Kennedy assassinations coincidences, including: - Both had seven letters in their last names. - Both were shot in the head on a Friday seated beside their wives. - Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theatre. Kennedy was shot in a Lincoln Limo, which was made by Ford. - Lincoln was in Box 7 at Ford’s Theatre, and Kennedy was in Car 7 of the Dallas motorcade. - Both assassins had three names with 15 letters (John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald). - Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and was captured in a warehouse. Oswald shot Kennedy in a warehouse and was captured in a theater. - Both were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in ’46 (1846/1946), were runners-up for their party’s nomination for vice president in ’56, and were elected president in ’60. - Both were succeeded by southern Democrats named Johnson.

 Who can become president?  Anyone who is at least 35 years old, a native-born American citizen, and has lived in the United States for at least 14 years  But there are certain trends. So far….  Each has been male  All but one have been Protestant Christians  Most have had a college education  Many were lawyers  Most came from states with large populations

In recent years, a more diverse group has run for office  In 1960, JFK was the first Catholic elected as president  In 2008, Obama was the first African-American  In 2012, Mitt Romney was the first Mormon to run for President  Two women have run for VP- Geraldine Ferraro (1984) and Sarah Palin (2008)  In 2000, Joseph Lieberman was the first Jewish candidate for VP

Term of Office  At first, the Constitution did not limit presidential terms. Washington set the tw0 term precedent by refusing to run again  In 1940, Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for a third time. In response to this, Congress passed the 22 nd Amendment  22 nd Amendment (1951)  Limits a president to two elected terms in office. Salary and Benefits  $400,000 salary  Lives in White House with a staff of 80  Use of Camp David, an estate in Maryland  Use of special cars, Air Force One, etc.

Chart on pg. 192