Lois Larson
Idlewild Airport, now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), was renamed in honour of the fallen president. The airport, which first opened in 1948, was originally named after a resort and golf club on Jamaica Bay. Despite the best efforts of the Port Authority of New York, who had wanted to call it New York International Airport, the public continued to refer to it as Idlewild. However, following Kennedy's assassination in 1963, the airport was renamed after him, with the approval of his widow, Jackie Kennedy.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Former name | Idlewild Airport |
| Current name | John F. Kennedy International Airport |
| Year renamed | 1963 |
| Reason for renaming | To honour slain president John F. Kennedy |
| Former names | New York International Airport at Idlewild, Major General Alexander E. Anderson Airport, New York International Airport, Anderson Field |
| Location | Queens, New York City |
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What You'll Learn
- Idlewild Airport was named after a resort and golf club on Jamaica Bay
- The airport was renamed after John F. Kennedy, the assassinated president
- The airport is now known as JFK International Airport
- The City Council voted to change the name in 1963
- The airport's name changed from New York International Airport at Idlewild
Idlewild Airport was named after a resort and golf club on Jamaica Bay
Idlewild Airport, now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport, was named after a resort and golf club on Jamaica Bay. The airport, which first opened in 1948, underwent several name changes before settling on "Idlewild". The name was derived from the Idlewild Beach Golf Club, a privately-owned golf club located near major highways, attracting golfers from Brooklyn and Queens. The golf club offered amenities such as a clubhouse and restaurants.
The name "Idlewild" was used as the airport's unofficial moniker while the City Council and Mayor LaGuardia debated its official name. The airport was initially called "Major General Alexander E. Anderson Airport" and "New York International Airport, Anderson Field", honouring a late Queens resident and war hero. However, the public favoured the name "Idlewild", and the Port of New York Authority also preferred a distinct name to set it apart from its sister airports, LaGuardia and Newark.
In 1963, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the airport's name was changed to honour the fallen president. The renaming occurred just six days after Kennedy's death and received approval from the Kennedy family. The airport was officially renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport, commonly abbreviated as JFK, in a ceremony held on Christmas Eve 1963.
The name change from Idlewild to JFK International Airport was met with mixed reactions. Some locals felt a sense of nostalgia for the name Idlewild, while others suggested alternative names honouring notable figures, such as musicians David Bowie or John Lennon. Despite the name change, Idlewild Park, located adjacent to the former site of the Idlewild Beach Golf Club, preserves a part of the airport's former identity.
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The airport was renamed after John F. Kennedy, the assassinated president
Idlewild Airport was renamed after John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, following his assassination on November 22, 1963. The airport was renamed just a month and two days after Kennedy's death.
On November 15, 1963, President Kennedy left Idlewild Airport after a brief stay in the city. Six weeks later, the airport would be renamed in his honour. New York, along with the rest of the nation, mourned the loss of President Kennedy. Thousands watched the televised funeral of the president on November 25, 1963, from a large television screen hanging in Grand Central Terminal.
On December 4, 1963, less than two weeks after Kennedy's death, Mayor Robert Wagner announced that he would submit a bill to the city council to honour Kennedy by renaming the airport after him. The idea was unofficially approved hours after Kennedy's assassination, but it took some time to get the official approval from his widow, Jackie Kennedy. The City Council voted unanimously to change the name of New York International Airport at Idlewild, Queens, to the John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The airport's name was officially changed to John F. Kennedy International Airport, or JFK, on December 24, 1963, in a ceremony attended by the president's younger brother, Edward Kennedy. The airport, located on the southwestern shore of Long Island in Queens, is one of the busiest airports in the country and the largest in the New York metropolitan area.
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The airport is now known as JFK International Airport
Idlewild Airport was renamed after President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963. The airport was rededicated in December of that year, just six weeks after his death. The City Council of New York voted unanimously to change the name of New York International Airport at Idlewild, Queens, to John F. Kennedy International Airport, or JFK for short. The name change was approved by the Kennedy family, and the president's brother, Edward Kennedy, attended the ceremony.
The airport had several names before its completion in 1948, including Major General Alexander E. Anderson Airport and New York International Airport, Anderson Field. The public, however, referred to it as Idlewild, which was the name of a resort and later a golf club on Jamaica Bay. The name Idlewild was used for 15 years before it was changed to honour the slain president.
JFK International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, serving approximately 60 million passengers in recent years. It is a vast, sprawling complex of pale terminals and roadways, with about 160,000 travellers passing through each day. The airport is located near one of New York City's largest remaining saltwater marshes, which plays a vital role in the city's water system.
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The City Council voted to change the name in 1963
The City Council voted to change the name of Idlewild Airport in 1963, just six days after President John F. Kennedy's assassination. The airport was renamed in honour of the late president, becoming the John F. Kennedy International Airport, or JFK for short. The name change was formally approved on December 18, 1963, and the airport's new name was unveiled in a ceremony held on Christmas Eve of that year. The president's brother, Edward Kennedy, was in attendance.
The name Idlewild was originally a developer's name for a resort and later a golf club on Jamaica Bay. It was used as the unofficial name for the airport while it was being planned in the 1940s. The airport, which is located in Queens, New York, had previously been known as New York International Airport, but this caused confusion with the similarly-named Newark Airport.
The idea to rename the airport after Kennedy was proposed by Mayor Robert Wagner, who announced that he would submit a bill to the city council to honour the late president. The name change was approved by the Kennedy family, including the president's widow, Jackie Kennedy.
The renaming of Idlewild Airport was met with some resistance, with some locals expressing sadness and nostalgia for the airport's original name. Despite this, the airport is still known as JFK today, and it remains one of the busiest airports in the world, serving approximately 60 million passengers annually.
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The airport's name changed from New York International Airport at Idlewild
The airport, located on the southwestern shore of Long Island in Queens, New York City, has had a storied history with several name changes. The name Idlewild was derived from a developer's name for a resort and later golf club on Jamaica Bay, which occupied the site before the airport was built. The golf club was called the Idlewild Beach Golf Club, and the airport was originally called Idlewild Airport when it opened in 1948.
The name was changed to New York International Airport, Anderson Field, in 1948, but the common name remained Idlewild. The airport was also briefly renamed Major General Alexander E. Anderson Airport in 1943, in honour of a Queens resident who had served in the military and died in 1942. However, this renaming was vetoed by Mayor La Guardia, and the airport became known as New York International Airport, Anderson Field, in 1948.
In the years following its opening, Idlewild Airport underwent significant expansion and soon became the busiest airport in the New York area, serving the highest volume of international air traffic of any airport globally by 1954. The airport continued to expand and improve its facilities in the 1950s, including the addition of new runways, buildings, and taxiways. By the time of its renaming to John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1963, Idlewild had become the largest and busiest airport in the Northeast USA.
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Frequently asked questions
Idlewild Airport was named after the Idlewild Beach Golf Club, a privately owned golf club on Jamaica Bay.
The airport is now called John F. Kennedy International Airport, or JFK International Airport for short.
Idlewild Airport changed its name in December 1963, six days after President John F. Kennedy's assassination.
The City Council of New York voted to change the name of the airport. The decision was also approved by the Kennedy family.
Idlewild Airport was renamed after John F. Kennedy to honour the slain president.
