Lee Harvey Oswald (1939 - 1963)

Born 18 Oct 1939 in New Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Ancestors

Died 24 Nov 1963 at age 24 in Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States

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Biography

Accused Assassin of 35th US President John F. Kennedy. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Robert Edward Lee Oswald and Marguerite Claverie. His father died of a sudden heart attack, and Lee was raised by a succession of stepfathers. Growing up, he was considered a loner, not very good academically, and dropped out of high school when he was 15. When he was 16, he took an interest in Communism, and applied to join the Socialist Party of America, but nothing came of the application. In 1956, he joined the United States Marine Corps, and was trained as an Aircraft Maintenance Repairman (despite stories to the contrary, he never learned to fire his rifle as an "expert" and was never trained as a sniper). He was stationed in El Toro MCAS, California, and Atsugi MCAS, Japan (near Tokyo). He was court-martialed twice, once for keeping a private weapon (pistol) in his locker without permission, and once for assaulting an NCO. During this period, he remained a loner, and upon receiving his discharge in 1959, he used his savings to travel to Russia. The Russians assigned him to a radio and television factory in Minsk, and treated him well, giving him the pay and an apartment equivalent to a plant manager, as they did with all western defectors. Despite this, he became disenchanted with the USSR, and in 1961, he decided to return to the United States. In March 1961, while waiting for permission to return to the US, he met Marina Prusakova at a dance, and they were married on April 30, 1961. In June 1962, he, his wife, and their daughter were allowed to leave Russia, and they returned to Fort Worth, Texas. Although disillusioned with the Soviet Union, Lee Harvey Oswald remained "Marxist," even though his understanding of the communist system was limited. After the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, he shot Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit, killing him. Arrested for the death of Officer Tippit, and later charged with the death of President Kennedy, he was shot and killed by Jack Ruby in the Dallas Police Station on live television, an act that shocked the already stunned nation. Despite the fact that the Warren Commission declared that Lee Harvey Oswald was the assassin of President Kennedy, and he acted alone, many conspiracies about the assassination abound to the present day.

Lee was 3rd cousin, once removed to President Teddy Roosevelt.

Sources

• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VYPL-126 : 14 March 2018), Lee H Oswald in household of Margueriet C Oswald, Ward 9, New Orleans, New Orleans City, Orleans, Louisiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 36-257, sheet 4B, line 60, family 79, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1427.

• "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3SL-J2L : 13 March 2018), Lee Harvey Oswald, 24 Nov 1963; citing certificate number 75778, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,117,355.

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/781

• Wikipedia: Lee Harvey Oswald

• Wikidata: Item Q48745, en:Wikipedia

• Lee Harvey Oswald: New Orleans Roots

• Arik Russell, firsthand knowledge. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Arik and others.