Jacqueline Kennedy: Wife Of President John F Kennedy

Jackie Kennedy seemed to have it all, beautiful, smart, elegant and married to the President of the United States of America. She was the envy of every woman in the world.Yet the reality of her life was very different and was instead filled with sadness and tragedy.

Jacqueline Kennedy

Quick Reference Guide
A Life Filled With Tragedy
Early Life
Parent’s Divorce
Early Career
Kennedy Marriage
Presidential Campaign
Presidential First Lady
Assassination: Copying With Loss
Death Of Robert Kennedy
Troubled Marriage to Onassis
Back To New York
Lymphoma And Untimely Death
Further Reading

A Life Filled With Tragedy

From an early age Jackie encountered loss with her parents divorcing when she was very young. Her marriage to JFK was also marked with the loss of two babies her first through miscarraige and the other through respiratory disease.

She also had to endure the humiliation of her husband’s constant womanising, the most notorious being with Marilyn Monroe. Her controversial marriage to Aristotle Onnassis was another disaster with the two constantly rowing. Jacqueline Kennedy’s life was anything but Camelot.

Early Life

Jacqueline (Jackie) Lee Bouvier was born in Southampton, New York, on July 28, 1929. The daughter of John Vernon Bouvier the third, and his wife, Janet Lee, Jacqueline’s younger sister Caroline was born in 1933.

Jackie was educated in the very best private schools, such as Chapin and Miss Porter’s School in Farmington Connecticut. She also learned to ride horses and studied ballet. In addition, she loved to write stories and poems. In 1948, she was named ‘Debutant of the Year’.

Parent’s Divorce

Her parents divorced in 1940, and in 1942, her mother married Standard Oil heir, Hugh D. Auchincloss, Jackie and Caroline went to live with their mother and her new husband in Merrywood. However, both sisters remained close to their father and visited him often in New York.

On graduating from High School, Jackie spent her first years of college life in Vassar, Poughkeepsie, New York, she also studied in the Sorbonne and Grenoble Universities, in France. On her return from France, she went to study at the George Washington University, in Washington. From there she graduated in 1951, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, in French Literature.

Early Career

Her first job was with the Washington Times Herald, where she worked as an ‘inquiring photographer’. Her job entailed asking people some questions, with the questions, answers and photographs appearing in the paper.

During her time at the paper, Jackie moved in the same social circle as John F Kennedy. In May, 1952, at a dinner party organised by friends, the two were formally introduced. They dated on and off, as Kennedy was busy at the time running for the US Senate, however, after he was elected, the romance became more serious and in June, 1953, they announced their engagement.

Kennedy Marriage

They got married later that same year, on September 12. The wedding was considered the event of the year, with 700 guests invited to the ceremony and 900 attending the lavish reception afterwards at Hammersmith Farm.

In 1957 following an earlier miscarriage and the birth of a still-born girl in 1956, their first child Caroline Bouvier was born.

Jackie found being the wife of an energetic politician, difficult. She also found the demands of the Kennedy family hard to cope with. Her husband was in bad health and suffered chronic back pain, from a war time injury. During his time of illness, Jackie encouraged him to write. The result was ‘Profiles in Courage’ a book which won him the Pulitzer Prize in 1957.

Presidential Campaign

In 1960, John F. Kennedy, announced that he was going for the Presidency, Jackie helped him in his campaign, doing everything she could to support him. A couple of months into the campaign she discovered she was pregnant. Because of her previous history, her doctor ordered her to stay home. However, this didn’t stop Jackie from being an important source of support to her husband. From her home she answered thousands of campaign letters, gave interviews, and wrote a newspaper column, called ‘Campaign Wife’. On November 11, 1960, Jackie, gave birth to her third child John Fitzgerald Kennedy Junior.

Presidential First Lady

Following her husband’s inauguration on Friday, January 20, 1961, Jackie set about revamping the White House. To assist her in the restoration task, she enlisted the help of antiques experts, art historians, and directors of galleries and museums. She funded the restoration by publishing a guide book to the White House. Six months after its publication the book had sold 350,000 copies.

On February 14, 1962, she allowed CBS cameras inside the White House to see the magnificent results of her efforts. Fifty million viewers tuned in to see the hour-long tour, which combined charm, elegance and sophistication. Jackie had also transformed the White House into a fitting tribute to American history.

On August 7, 1963, Jackie gave birth to Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, sadly he died two days later on August 9 from Hyaline Membrane disease, now more commonly called infant respiratory distress syndrome.

Throughout this time, Jackie had to contend with her husband’s womanising. Marilyn Monroe was one of his most famous affairs. It is believed that particular affair lasted up to 8 years.

Assassination: Coping With Loss

In November 21, 1963, Jackie accompanied President Kennedy on a political trip to Dallas, Texas. There on that fateful day as the President and Jackie were travelling in an open-top car in a motorcade, President John F. Kennedy, was shot dead. At the age of just 34, Jackie Kennedy became a widow.

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Following the death, Jackie was greatly admired for her dignity and courage, organising her husband’s funeral, with distinction and stateliness. At her request an eternal flame was placed on John F. Kennedy’s grave.

Following the death of her husband, the attention of the media focused on Jackie and her family, so she decided to move to New York, where she purchased an apartment, on Fifth Avenue.From there she went about establishing the John F. Kennedy Library, which is today situated in Boston.

Death Of Robert Kennedy

More tragedy arrived in June, 1968, when the younger brother of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy was also assassinated as he left the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. This dealt another blow to Jackie, who had grown close to Robert Kennedy and leaned on him after the death of her husband. Jackie became increasingly nervous and afraid for the safety of her children and said she didn’t want to live in America any longer.

Troubled Marriage To Onassis

In 1968, Jackie announced her engagement to Greek shipping millionaire Aristotle Onassis. The announcement caused shock waves across the world and widespread disapproval.

Jackie and Aristotle were married on October 20, 1968, on the Greek Island of Skorpios. After the wedding Jackie, Caroline and John moved to live with Onassis, on the island.

However, although the early days of the marriage were happy, it wasn’t long before they degenerated into constant rowing as Onassis became frustrated over Jackie’s extravagance. To add to the tension, Onassis’s son was killed in a plane crash, leaving him bitter and depressed. Onassis also began seeing opera singer Maria Callas, whom he had dated prior to marrying Jackie Kennedy.

Back To New York

In January 1975, Onassis became seriously ill, and two months later on March 15, he died.

After his death, Jackie and her two children moved back to New York. Once there she decided that it was time she tried to live an independent life and to rediscover herself. She took up a position as book editor at Viking, before moving to Doubleday. She was remembered at Doubleday as smart, warm and engaging.

Lymphoma And Untimely Death

In 1994, Jackie was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She received chemotherapy treatment and many expected her to recover. However, further tests revealed that the disease had spread to other organs. The doctors were unable to do anything further for her. Her family brought her back home, where they stayed by her bed night and day. On May 19, at the age of 64, she passed away.

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