Wilmington’s connection to the JFK assassination, 60 years after the tragedy

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – Wednesday marks 60 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963 while traveling through downtown.

Although the tragic event took place over 1,700 miles from Wilmington, the Port City does have a connection to the historic incident.

JFK never visited the Cape Fear — coming as close as Fort Bragg in October of 1961 and Bogue Field in April of 1962 – nor did his assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald. But the man who shot and killed Oswald two days after the Kennedy assassination spent part of his life in Wilmington.

Jack Ruby wasn’t always the name Oswald’s killer went by. During his Wilmington days, Ruby was known as Jacob Rubenstein. He was a Private First Class in the Air Force and trained as an aircraft mechanic at several military bases around the country, including Wilmington in 1944.

Rubenstein only spent a short time in the area, leaving after the war ended and legally changing his name to the more-widely known Jack Ruby.

On November 24, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald was shot and killed on live television by Ruby while being escorted by police in the basement of the Dallas Police Department headquarters.

Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald (Photo: Ira Jefferson Beers Jr / MGN)