Jackie Kennedy

Jackie Kennedy had four children from her marriage with John F. Keneddy. The first was a stillborn daughter, Arabella, born in 1956. In 1957, the couple had a daughter named Caroline. She is the only surviving child of John and Jackie Kennedy. In 1960, she gave birth to a son named John F. Keneddy Jr. He died in a plane crash in 1999. In 1963, the couple had their fourth child, son named Patrick, who died after two days.

She had no child from second marriage with Aristotle Onassis. After the death of her second husband Aristotle Onassis, Jacqueline’s name was romantically linked with different men. However, for the last twelve years of his life, Maurice Tempelsman, a Belgian-born diamond dealer, had been her constant companion.

In December 1993, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and died from it on May 19, 1994 at New York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center. The funeral was held on May 23, 1994 at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, the same Catholic parish where she was baptized years ago.

Jacqueline Lee “Jackie” Kennedy Onassis was born as Jacqueline Lee Bouvier on July 28, 1929 in Southampton, New York. Her father, John Vernoun Bouvier III, popularly called ‘Black Jack’ for his tan, was a wealthy Wall Street stockbroker, having French, Scottish, and English ancestry.

Her mother, Janet Norton Lee Bouvier, was a socialite of Irish descent. She was also an accomplished equestrienne. The couple had two daughters, Jackie and her younger sister Caroline Lee Bouvier, both of whom were raised in Catholic faith.

Since her childhood, Jackie idolized her father, having a close relationship not only with him, but also with her paternal grandfather, Major John Vernou Bouvier. They also favored her over her sister, helping her to develop her unique individuality and self-confidence.

Jackie spent most of her childhood in their Manhattan home. The summers were spent at ‘Lasata’, his paternal grandfather’s country home in East Hampton. Built on 12 acres of land, the estate included a large stable and it was here that Jackie first learned to ride horses.

In 1935, Jackie was enrolled at the Chapin School, where she studied from grade 1 to 6. Brilliant, but naughty; she quickly finished her assignments and then started playing pranks. It stopped when her headmistress told her that nobody would notice her good qualities unless she behaved.

In May 1952, Jacqueline Bouvier was introduced to John F. Kennedy, at that time a dashing young member of the House of Representative, running for the Senate. He proposed to her in November 1952, their engagement was announced on June 2, 1953, and they got married on September 12, 1953.

All was not well in the beginning. While John Kennedy had to undergo spinal surgery, she had a miscarriage, later giving birth to a stillborn child named Arabella. Yet, she encouraged him to write and later helped to edit his famous book, ‘Profiles in Courage’, first published in January 1, 1956.

In 1957, she gave birth to her eldest surviving child, Caroline, at the same time helping her husband in his campaign for re-election to the Senate. Later John Kennedy acknowledged her contribution to his election.

On January 3, 1960, John F. Kennedy announced his candidacy for the presidency. This time too Jacqueline joined the nationwide campaign, traveling everywhere with her husband. But later as she became pregnant once more, she stopped traveling, but continued to help her husband by writing syndicated columns.

On January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the President of the USA and with that Jacqueline became the third youngest First Lady of the country. By then, she had given birth to their only surviving son, John F. Kennedy, Jr. Her second son Patrick, born in 1963, died within two days.

Although her first priority was to serve the President and her children, she soon started taking up other duties, appointing her election-time social secretary, Letitia Baldrige, as the Chief of Staff. She was also the first First Lady to appoint a personal press secretary.

Restoration of the White House, turning it into a museum of American history and culture was her major contribution of this period. She also invited leading writers, artists, musicians and scientists to the state dinners, thus showing her appreciation for the American art and culture.

As the First Lady, she also traveled extensively, sometimes with her husband, sometime alone. Her sense of fashion as well as her deep knowledge about various cultures made her popular as much with international dignitaries as with the common people.

On November 22, 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy life as the First Lady came to a sudden halt. On that fateful day, while they were traveling in a Lincoln Continental convertible through the crowded streets of Dallas, President Kennedy was shot in the head by Lee Harvey Oswald.