None taken. I was more referring to the turn of the century, but it's an oversight on my part if my post made it seem like I was drawing parallels between the Irish American experience in the 60's and the African American one.

Still, the fact that a Catholic and someone of Irish heritage was President was pretty unthinkable back then and a lot of people weren't happy about it.

It was probably the first climbing the ladder presidency, and last, until Obama got in.