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Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Jacqueline "Jackie" Lee Kennedy Onassis (née Bouvier /ˈbvi/; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular first lady, she endeared the American public with her devotion to her family, dedication to the historic preservation of the White House, the campaigns she led to preserve and restore historic landmarks and architecture along with her interest in American history, culture and arts. During her lifetime, she was regarded as an international icon for her unique fashion choices, and her work as a cultural ambassador of the United States made her very popular globally.[1]

"Mrs. Kennedy" redirects here. For other women with this surname, see Kennedy (surname).

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier

(1929-07-28)July 28, 1929
Southampton, New York, U.S.

May 19, 1994(1994-05-19) (aged 64)
New York City, New York, U.S.

(m. 1953; died 1963)
(m. 1968; died 1975)

Maurice Tempelsman (cohabited, 1980–1994)

Arabella, Caroline, John Jr., and Patrick

  • Socialite
  • book editor
  • journalist

  • Jacqueline Kennedy
  • Jacqueline Onassis

After studying history and art at Vassar College and graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in French literature from George Washington University in 1951, Bouvier started working for the Washington Times-Herald as an inquiring photographer.[2] The following year, she met then-Congressman John Kennedy at a dinner party in Washington. He was elected to the Senate that same year, and the couple married on September 12, 1953, in Newport, Rhode Island. They had four children, two of whom died in infancy. Following her husband's election to the presidency in 1960, Kennedy was known for her highly publicized restoration of the White House and emphasis on arts and culture as well as for her style. She also traveled to many countries where her fluency in foreign languages and history made her very popular.[3][4] At age 33, she was named Time magazine's Woman of the Year in 1962.


After her husband's assassination and funeral in 1963, Kennedy and her children largely withdrew from public view. In 1968, she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, which caused controversy. Following Onassis's death in 1975, she had a career as a book editor in New York City, first at Viking Press and then at Doubleday, and worked to restore her public image. Even after her death, she ranks as one of the most popular and recognizable first ladies in American history, and in 1999, she was listed as one of Gallup's Most-Admired Men and Women of the 20th century.[5] She died in 1994 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery alongside President Kennedy and two of their children, one stillborn and one who died shortly after birth.[6] Surveys of historians conducted periodically by the Siena College Research Institute since 1982 have consistently found Kennedy Onassis to rank among the most highly regarded first ladies by the assessments of historians.

Early life (1929–1951)[edit]

Family and childhood[edit]

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born on July 28, 1929, at Southampton Hospital in Southampton, New York, to Wall Street stockbroker John Vernou "Black Jack" Bouvier III and socialite Janet Norton Lee.[7] Her mother was of Irish descent,[8] and her father had French, Scottish, and English ancestry.[9][a] Named after her father, she was baptized at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Manhattan and raised in the Roman Catholic faith.[12] Caroline Lee, her younger sister, was born four years later on March 3, 1933.[13]


Jacqueline Bouvier spent her early childhood years in Manhattan and at Lasata, the Bouviers' country estate in East Hampton on Long Island.[14] She looked up to her father, who likewise favored her over her sister, calling his elder child "the most beautiful daughter a man ever had".[15] Biographer Tina Santi Flaherty reports Jacqueline's early confidence in herself, seeing a link to her father's praise and positive attitude to her, and her sister Lee Radziwill stated that Jacqueline would not have gained her "independence and individuality" had it not been for the relationship she had with their father and paternal grandfather, John Vernou Bouvier Jr.[16][17] From an early age, Jacqueline was an enthusiastic equestrienne and successfully competed in the sport, and horse-riding remained a lifelong passion.[16][18] She took ballet lessons, was an avid reader, and excelled at learning foreign languages, including French, Spanish, and Italian.[19] French was particularly emphasized in her upbringing.[20]

8th-best of 42 in 1982

[244]

7th-best of 37 in 1993

[244]

4th-best of 38 in 2003

[244]

3rd-best of 38 in 2008

[244]

3rd-best of 39 in 2014

[244]

A high school named , was dedicated by New York City in 1995, the first high school named in her honor. It is located at 120 West 46th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, and was formerly the High School of Performing Arts.[249]

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School for International Careers

Public School 66 in the neighborhood of Queens, New York City was renamed in honor of the former First Lady.[250]

Richmond Hill

The main reservoir in , located in Manhattan near her apartment, was renamed in her honor as the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir.[251]

Central Park

The main entry foyer on East 42nd Street, across from Pershing Square, into in New York City was renamed The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Foyer, in honor of her work in the 1970s of saving the terminal.[252]

Grand Central Terminal

The of New York presents the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal to an individual whose work and deeds have made an outstanding contribution to the city of New York. The medal was named in honor of the former MAS board member in 1994, for her tireless efforts to preserve and protect New York City's great architecture.[253] She made her last public appearance at the Municipal Art Society two months before her May 1994 death.[254]

Municipal Art Society

at the George Washington University (her alma mater) in Washington, DC.[255]

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Hall

The 's East Garden was renamed the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden in her honor.[256]

White House

In 2007, her name and her first husband's were included on the list of people aboard the Japanese mission to the Moon launched on September 14, as part of The Planetary Society's "Wish Upon The Moon" campaign.[257] In addition, they are included on the list aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission.

Kaguya

A school and an award at the have been named after her in honor of her childhood study of ballet.[258]

American Ballet Theatre

The companion book for a series of interviews between mythologist and Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, was created under her direction prior to her death. The book's editor, Betty Sue Flowers, writes in the Editor's Note to The Power of Myth: "I am grateful ... to Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, the Doubleday editor, whose interest in the books of Joseph Campbell was the prime mover in the publication of this book." A year after her death in 1994, Moyers dedicated the companion book for his PBS series, The Language of Life as follows: "To Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. As you sail on to Ithaka." The reference is to the poem "Ithaka" by C. P. Cavafy that Maurice Tempelsman read at her funeral.[259][260]

Joseph Campbell

A white gazebo is dedicated to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on North Madison Street in . The First Lady and President Kennedy frequented the small town of Middleburg and intended to retire in the nearby town of Atoka. She also hunted with the Middleburg Hunt numerous times.[261]

Middleburg, Virginia

Kennedy family tree

at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

Life of Jacqueline B. Kennedy

at the White House

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy

at C-SPAN's First Ladies: Influence & Image

Jacqueline Kennedy

Archived May 23, 2017, at the Wayback Machine at the National First Ladies' Library

Jackie Kennedy

The Last Will and Testament of Jacqueline K. Onassis

at IMDb

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

on C-SPAN

Appearances