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10 Prominent Political Figures Accused of Plagiarism

By Michael Gryboski, Editor Twitter
3. John F. Kennedy
President John F. Kennedy speaking.
President John F. Kennedy speaking.

President John F. Kennedy's famous inaugural speech line about asking not what your country can do for you was likely taken from another source.

MSNBC commentator and best-selling author Chris Matthews noted this in his book Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero, according to the Daily Mirror.

"[Matthews] unearthed notes written by George St John, the President's former headmaster at Choate School in Connecticut, which suggest he had been aware of the 'ask not' line for many years," reported the Mirror back in 2011.

"The 'Ask not...' speech has long been thought to have written with the input of Kennedy's poetic speechwriter Theodore C Sorensen."

However, some scholars, including Richard J. Tofel, author of Sounding the Trumpet: The Making of John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, dispute the claim.

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