What else can be written about the most famous First Lady in American history? In my Booking It Through History: First Ladies post for October, I focused on Jacqueline Kennedy, the enigmatic young First Lady who captured America’s mind with her focus on the arts and its heart with her response to tragedy. We all think we know Jackie, but as she liked to say, she had three sides: public, private and secret.
Each month, I’ll detail the life of the first lady and their legacy. Then I’ll share what I learned while studying them, along with ways you can travel in their footsteps through historical sites and museums. I’ll also share books, podcasts, TV shows, and websites where you can learn even more about that first lady. Read all of the way through the blog post or click on the links below to go straight to those sections.
Life
“People often forget that I was Jacqueline Bouvier before being Mrs. Kennedy or Mrs. Onassis. Throughout my life I have always tried to remain true to myself. This I will continue to do as long as I live. I am a woman above everything else.” Jackie Kennedy Onassis
Childhood
Jacqueline (pronounced Jack-leen) Lee Bouvier was born on July 28, 1929 in Southampton Hospital on Long Island in New York City. Her parents were wealthy socialites – her father, John “Black Jack” Bouvier, was a stockbroker and her mother, Janet Lee, came from a new money family. They were so busy with their social engagements, little Jackie was left with a nanny for two months when she was under a year old. She was joined by a little sister, Caroline Lee, four years later.
Jackie had a privileged upbringing in New York City. She was spoiled by her adoring father and loved to ride horses and read books. Some of her favorites were Gone with the Wind and Rebecca. She attended Miss Chapin’s School through seventh grade and was highly intelligent, making up poems and drawing cute illustrations.
Money couldn’t make up for the trouble at home with her mother’s temper and her father’s philandering and financial difficulties. Her mother loved Jackie but often took out her anger on her, slapping her with both sides of her hand. Her father favored Jackie over Lee which caused a competitive streak between the sisters that stayed with them their whole lives.
In 1936, Jackie’s mother had enough of Black Jack’s womanizing, so she left him, finally divorcing in 1939 by taking the girls to Reno for six weeks for a divorce decree there. Jackie wanted to live with her father, but Janet wouldn’t allow it.
Janet and the girls moved into a New York City apartment owned by her father, and she even worked as a model to make ends meet. She knew she needed a rich husband, and she found him in Hugh D. Auchincloss, one of the heirs of Standard Oil and a wealthy stockbroker. They married in 1942, and Jackie gained three step-siblings along with two half-siblings. She was especially close to her older stepbrother, Yusha, her whole life.
Jackie moved with her mother and sister to Merrywood, Hugh’s estate in northern Virginia, and she was sent to the Holton-Arms school in the District. It was during this time that she visited the White House and was dismayed by the lack of historical furnishings.
In 1944, Jackie was sent to a boarding school in Connecticut where she excelled academically but liked being known as a rebel. In her senior yearbook, she wrote under Ambition: “Never to be a housewife.”
“The only thing that breaks the monotony is breaking the rules.” Jackie Bouvier
While in Connecticut, she got to see her father almost every weekend and also volunteered with the Red Cross on Long Island in the WWII effort. She graduated in 1947 and debuted in New York, earning the title of “Deb of the Year.” She soon was at Vassar College, which was conveniently just a short train ride away from her father. Her mother was dismayed by his influence over Jackie.
In 1948, Jackie went to Europe for the first time, touring London where she met the king and queen, Italy, Switzerland, and France. She was determined to come back to France and was excited to find a program through Smith College where she could spend her whole junior year abroad.
Jackie sailed back to France in 1949, starting off in Grenoble and then Paris. It was a serious program that expected the students to only speak French, and Jackie took rigorous classes at the Sorbonne. She lived with a widowed countess who had been involved in the French Resistance. She spent her time off traveling through Europe, including war-torn Vienna where she was interrogated by Soviet officers for taking a picture. She visited Dachau and Munich, the horrors of history still evident.
During her study abroad program, she became romantically involved with John Marquand, Jr. and spent time touring around with her stepbrother in Ireland, England, and Scotland before reluctantly returning to the States in the fall of 1950.
Her mother had her transferred to George Washington University (most likely to keep her away from her father), and Jackie lived at home while finishing her degree. After graduation, she expected to go to Paris through a writing contest she had won in Vogue, but her mother insisted she turn it down. Jackie felt like she had no choice when Janet said she would take away Jackie’s sister’s post-graduation European trip if Jackie didn’t decline. Jackie and Lee spent the summer driving all over Europe from bullfights in Spain to the Salzburg Music Festival.
When she came back to the States, she got a job as the inquiring camera girl at the Washington Times-Herald. She loved asking nosy questions (many about marriage and love) and got a thrill seeing her by-line which began on November 2, 1951. Some of her famous interviewees included Vice President Richard Nixon and an up-and-coming congressman, John “Jack” Kennedy.
Romantic Life
Her mother was always concerned about Jackie’s marital prospects and thought a family friend, John Husted would be a perfect match. He was tall, handsome, and a successful stockbroker. They met at a dance in Washington and soon, Jackie was visiting him in New York City, using her meager salary to travel back and forth. They got engaged in December of 1951 after she breezed into a restaurant to meet him, saying just one word, “Yes.”
However, it was a short-lived engagement as Jackie didn’t like how her new fiance belittled her job and ridiculed her writing. The death knell for the engagement came when her mother found out John wasn’t as rich as she had thought. When John returned to NYC in March, Jackie gave him back his engagement ring.
Jackie’s attentions were soon captured by a new suitor, Jack Kennedy, whom she first met at a party in Washington before interviewing him for her column. The congressman from Massachusetts was now running for senator and was busy; however he made time to see Jackie (along with other women). Their first real date was at the Shoreham Hotel, and by July 4th, he was taking her to his parents’ compound in Hyannisport. She got along well with the boisterous Kennedy clan, holding her own with its domineering father and religious mother.
She came back to Washington for the summer while Jack campaigned, spending time alone at Merrywood while her family was at their Newport, Rhode Island home. She loved working, finding unique ways to interview people like Nixon’s daughters and President Eisenhower’s nieces (she got in trouble for that one!). She even interviewed Second (and future First) Lady, Pat Nixon. She got a raise and also spent time writing a TV documentary on the Octagon House and its ghostly inhabitants like First Lady Dolley Madison!
After the November election which Jack won, she didn’t hear from him for three months. In the meantime, her sister got engaged and planned for a spring wedding. Jackie decided to take matters into her own hands, visiting Jack’s father in Palm Beach during a family trip there. She charmed him so much that soon, Jack was calling her again and asked her to be his date to the inaugural ball.
Jack and Jackie were soon an item and their courtship played out daily in the newspapers. Jack’s good friend warned Jackie about his philandering ways, but Jackie dismissed it. She had grown up with that lifestyle and knew what it entailed. If she wanted to make an impact and be known in the world through Jack, she would have to deal with his affairs.
“All men are rats.” John “Black Jack” Bouvier
By February, Jackie had invited Jack to meet her father, and not surprisingly, the two men got along well. They were very similar in their love of glamor and women. Janet was a harder sell as she saw what Jack was – a man with similar issues as her ex-husband -but Jack got along well with Hugh.
Jack loved Jackie’s quick mind, asking her to help him research and formulate a position on French Indochina (Vietnam). Jackie loved working on this and gave him an 84 page report! She was feeling stagnant in her career and went to England to cover the new queen’s coronation. When she arrived back in the Boston airport, Jack was waiting for her. From that moment on, they were considered engaged (although several places fight over where this actually took place – Martin’s Tavern in DC, the Omni Parker House in Boston, Newport, RI).
Jackie quit her job in June of 1953 and began planning the wedding of the year. Her mother and future father-in-law insisted on a huge wedding and extravagant wedding dress (made by black dressmaker Ann Lowe). Jackie hated it but let them have their way.
Jack and Jackie married at St. Mary’s Church in Newport on September 12, 1953 in a large wedding extensively covered by the press. Jackie’s beloved father was unable to walk her down the aisle (maybe due to her mother’s interference) but some reports say he was inside.
Photos courtesy of Library of Congress
Early Marriage
“Since Jack is such a violently independent person, and I, too, am so independent, this marriage will take a lot of working out.” Jackie Kennedy
After a honeymoon to Acapulco, Mexico, they came back to the DC area, living first at Hickory Hill in Virginia and then a home in Georgetown. They had a rough start to their marriage as Jack had serious back surgery in 1954 and Jackie had a miscarriage in 1955 and gave birth to a stillborn daughter, Arabella, in 1956. Her beloved father died in 1957, devastating Jackie.
Their trying times also included Jack’s constant infidelity; he was away with friends when Jackie gave birth and didn’t even come home. Jackie seriously thought of leaving him, but his father intervened. If she would stay with him, she would get $100,000 upon the birth of a child. Jackie gave birth to Caroline Bouvier Kennedy on November 27, 1957.
“If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much.” Jackie Kennedy
Jackie was now a mother just as Jack began to throw himself into running for president in 1960. He won the nomination and campaigned without Jackie as she was pregnant again. She contributed to his campaign by writing a weekly syndicated newspaper column, “Campaign Wife.” The public was fascinated with her fashion sense and style. He won the presidency by a narrow margin over Richard Nixon, and just a few weeks later, Jackie gave birth to John F. Kennedy, Jr. “John-John” on November 25, 1960. The young family was headed to the White House.
First Lady
Jackie was a breath of fresh air to the staid Washington society. She was replacing Mamie Eisenhower as First Lady, who was much older than Jackie and was the epitome of 1950s women. Jackie, the first First Lady to be born in the 20th century, changed all of that.
She toured the White House immediately upon discharge from the hospital after John-John’s birth. It was too much, too soon, and Jackie barely made it through the tour while Mamie didn’t offer her a wheelchair (Mamie claimed that Jackie didn’t ask for it). It was a rough start to her time in the White House. Jackie wasn’t impressed with what she saw there, and she made it her goal to restore it to its historical beauty.
“It looks like a Holiday Inn decorated with wholesale furniture obtained by some suburban woman during a clearance sale.” Jackie Kennedy
Jackie attended her husband’s inauguration but had to rest afterwards for the inaugural balls (she was still just a couple months postpartum). She designed her inaugural gown and cape with the help of her White House seamstress. She was already a fashion star.
She settled into the White House with her young family, determined to keep their privacy and some sense of normalcy. She established a preschool for little Caroline in the White House and John loved to play in his father’s office.
Jackie focused her energies on restoring the White House, establishing a Fine Arts Commission and the White House Historical Association to help with the preservation efforts. She also raised funds from private donors for the expensive restoration as one room cost more than the entire Truman overhaul! She also wrote the first guidebook for tourists coming to the White House.
She not only restored the White House, she also saved Lafayette Square from demolition. The homes built along the square are some of Washington’s oldest, including the Blair house and the Decatur home. She ensured their preservation.
At the end of the restoration, she gave CBS a televised tour on February 14, 1962 that 80 millions Americans watched. Watch it here – it’s mesmerizing! She was the first First Lady to win an Emmy award for her television work.
Even with a young family, Jackie became one of the most traveled First Ladies. She accompanied President Kennedy to Paris in 1961 where she was a huge success. He famously said, “I am the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris, and I have enjoyed it.” She conversed in French with President de Gaulle and charmed the entire country. She also traveled extensively with and without Jack from Greece to India, oftentimes taking her sister along.
Jackie also focused on the arts while First Lady, bringing in artists, singers, and other performers to the White House for entertainment. She also began fundraising for the National Cultural Center (which would eventually become the Kennedy Center), naming her mother as head of fundraising.
She was Jack’s pillar of support during some of his administration’s most terrifying emergencies, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis. She insisted on staying at the White House, telling Jack if the end came, she and the children would die alongside him.
“I think the job of the First Lady has to be to give the president a place of comfort.” Jackie Kennedy
While she loved the White House, she and the kids would often escape to their rented home in the Virginia countryside, Glen Ora. In 1963, they built their own home in Virginia, Wexford, and spent weekends there with their horses and fresh air, away from the prying eyes of the press.
Jackie was excited when she found out she was pregnant in early 1963; however she went into labor prematurely and gave birth to baby Patrick in August while in Hyannisport. He was flown to Boston but died the following day. Jackie and Jack returned to the White House with broken hearts and empty arms.
To aid in her recovery, Jack sent Jackie to Greece with Lee who was having an affair with Greek tycoon, Aristotle Onassis. The sun and surf restored her, and she came back to Washington renewed and refreshed. She and Jack were closer than ever as he ended a long-time affair with Mary Meyer. They even talked of buying a home in Rhode Island beside her family’s estate.
As the Kennedy reelection campaign began, she decided to accompany Jack on a campaign swing through Texas. It was the first time Jackie had gone with Jack on a domestic trip.They were met by adoring crowds who loved seeing their dashing president and his beautiful first lady in her pink suit.
All of that changed in an instant as three shots pierced the air at Dealey Plaza in Dallas.
In a few seconds, Jackie went from being First Lady to being First Widow. She held her husband as the car raced to the hospital and wouldn’t change even though she was covered in blood.
“I want them to see what they have done to Jack.” Jackie Kennedy
She slipped off her wedding ring and put it on his lifeless hand. She was rushed back to Air Force One where Vice President Lyndon Johnson took the oath of office with Jackie standing in shock beside him.
She planned every detail of the funeral to be rich in historic details, using President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral as her guide. She had the nanny tell the children about their father’s death, and she insisted that her mother and stepfather stay in Jack’s presidential bedroom. She didn’t want it empty.
“So now he is a legend when he would have preferred to be a man.” Jackie Kennedy
They had a service in the East room, and Jackie put a note from the children and herself into the coffin. The next few days are seared into American history as Jackie was the epitome of the distinguished widow as the nation mourned President Kennedy.
During the mourning, Aristotle Onassis came to Washington, and Jackie invited him to stay in the White House. He was there during the funeral, watching from a little TV in his room no bigger than a closet. He would play a huge role in Jackie’s future.
Jackie and the children left the White House for good on December 6th, moving into a home in Georgetown. She also gave the famous interview where she instilled the myth of Camelot.
“I consider that my life is over” and will spend the rest of [my] life “waiting for it really to be over.” Jackie Kennedy
Post-White House Years
Jackie and the children tried to heal in their Georgetown home, bringing Lee and her children there to live with them. However, the sisters didn’t get along and the intrusion of the public was too much. She spent the holidays with the Kennedys and avoided the White House at all costs (she would return only once in 1971). That summer, she decided to move home to New York City, buying an apartment at 1040 Fifth Avenue, which would remain her home for the rest of her life.
She started dating Jack Warnecke, the architect who helped with the Lafayette Square project, in May, but it was too soon. They reconnected the next year and became serious but soon grew apart. She also became involved with an old friend, David Ormsby-Gore but that didn’t work out either.
Jackie entered her partying years where she traveled extensively and drank heavily. Even though she was always low on money, she found a way to live extravagantly. She needed to find a stable source of money
Jackie O.
Jackie reconnected with Aristotle Onassis in June of 1967 and spent time with him on his boat that summer and winter. She became good friends with his sister who plotted to get Jackie to marry Aristotle. Jackie was unsure until Bobby Kennedy’s assassination in 1968; she knew Aristotle would protect her and her children.
The press found out about their pending nuptials, so they got married quickly on October 20, 1968. While they weren’t physically compatible, they had an arrangement – she got money and protection while he got the prestige of marrying the most famous woman in the world (while also keeping his mistress, Maria Callas).
Their marriage wasn’t good for the family. Lee, Aristotle’s former mistress, spent time in a mental hospital and Jackie’s mother argued with her over her decision. Ari’s two children despised her.
She and Ari would soon live separate lives, Jackie in New York and Aristotle in Greece. While in New York, she had male companions like Peter Beard (who Lee was also having an affair with!). Her parents were losing their Newport estate so Jackie pleaded with Ari for money – which he gave upon the condition that she give up claim to his estate. She signed the document.
It went from bad to worse as Ari’s son, Alexander, died the same day as former President Johnson. Then Ari was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. Jackie needed something, a purpose, to keep her mind off these bad things and found it in preserving Grand Central Terminal. However, her work with it kept her from being with Ari as he died in Paris on March 15, 1975. It took her two years to get a settlement from his estate, but she never had to worry about money again.
Third Act
“I’ve always lived through men. Now, I realize I can’t do that anymore.”
Jackie Kennedy Onassis
After Ari’s death, Jackie needed a new focus. Her stepbrother suggested she work in publishing so that’s what she did, getting a job as an editor at Viking Press in September of 1975. She loved working and being around books and authors.
She started dating again but her Greek tycoon boyfriend didn’t want her to work. He told her she had to choose so she did – choosing her job. However it was short-lived as her stepfather died, leaving her ailing mother who was suffering from Alzheimer’s alone. Jackie quit her job in the fall of 1977 to take care of Janet.
She built a new home on Martha’s Vineyard, Red Gate Farm, and helped her stepbrother take care of her mother. She realized that there was really nothing she could do so she went back to work at Doubleday in February of 1978 where she stayed until her death.
Jackie’s mother remarried, which alarmed Jackie and her siblings, including Jackie’s half-sister, Janet Jr., who was soon diagnosed with lung cancer and died in 1985. It was a hard time for Jackie but she had a new companion to help her cope, Maurice Templesman. Their relationship was complicated – was he her boyfriend or companion? He was still married to his estranged wife and wouldn’t get a divorce, but he lived with Jackie on and off until her death.
Jackie’s children were growing up too. Caroline married Ed Schlossberg in 1986 and soon made Jackie a “Grand Jackie.” John struggled in school but finally became a lawyer and created his own magazine. He and Jackie fought over his love life as he dated Hollywood superstars like Madonna and Daryl Hannah. Jackie just caught a glimpse of his latest girlfriend, Carolyn Bessette, as he hustled her out of a restaurant one night.
Janet died in 1989, and Jackie didn’t want Maurice at the funeral. It took awhile to repair their relationship. She remained close with Lady Bird and corresponded with her for forty years, and Jackie interacted with the other First Ladies.
Photos in public domain through Wikipedia
In November of 1993, Jackie fell off her horse, and the doctors found an enlarged lymph node. After going through some testing, she soon got the diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It quickly grew worse even though she went through chemotherapy, it came back to her brain and spinal cord.
She knew she was dying so she had friends come over to burn her correspondence. She wanted to protect what people had written to her. In May of 1994, she took a turn for the worse and died with Caroline, John, and Maurice by her side on May 19, 1994. She was 64 years old.
“Life is made up of both the good and the bad-and they cannot be separated from each other.” Jackie Kennedy Onassis
Legacy
Jackie Kennedy is the first person that usually comes to mind when you mention First Ladies. She is the most admired, the most popular, the most copied of any of the women who lived in the White House. She revolutionized the role and gave it a youthful makeover that the country desperately needed after the staid 1950s.
Her style is enduring, and she still tops the list of best dressed women of the 20th century. Her work on historical preservation is unparalleled and her contributions to the arts still reverberate.
We all feel sorry for her with Jack’s many affairs and her struggles to have children. We grieve with her at the horrific loss of her husband before her very eyes. We feel her pain as her children have to grow up in a world that intrudes on their daily lives. We feel like we know her.
Jackie was an icon, THE First Lady of the 20th century. There is no one else like her.
My Time with Jackie
I came in knowing a good deal about Jackie already. I think everyone feels like they already know everything about her. However, I came to admire her even more during this month as I learned about her hardships throughout life.
While her childhood seems like a fairy tale, it was anything but stable. She saw the rawness of life at a young age as her parents divorced and fought over the children. She struggled for money even as she circulated in elite circles. She was highly intelligent and could have had a career in fashion or journalism overseas, but she was forced to choose a more traditional route.
My favorite time with Jackie was learning more about her time in Paris during her study abroad year. I feel like that is the true Jackie – smart, curious, daring, adventuresome. You could see that this time made a huge impact on her for the rest of her life.
I was surprised at some of her actions after JFK’s assassination, particularly the partying and romances. They seemed like a desperate cry for help, but upon further reflection, I think maybe they were her way of coping with the tragedy that was on repeat in her mind. One podcast mentioned that she had PTSD so badly that she would often imagine herself back in that convertible with her husband dying in her arms. It was so real to her. Even decades later, she said she never got over the murder, she just learned how to cope with it.
Of course, I admire her historical preservation work and am so thankful she restored the White House. She was truly a one-of-a-kind First Lady.
Travels with Jackie
Jackie was probably the most well-traveled First Lady we had to date, especially during her time in office. She was gone from the White House more often than she was there! But she was always a New York girl at heart.
New York
New York City:
790 and 740 Park Avenue
Jackie’s childhood homes
1040 Fifth Avenue
Home to her 15-room apartment where she lived for over thirty years.
This is the church where Jackie was christened as an infant and would come back to worship (see picture here).
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park
Named after Jackie in 1994, she used to jog around this reservoir.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Foyer in Grand Central Terminal
This foyer was recently named after Jackie in honor of her historical preservation efforts to save the building.
Lasata, East Hampton
Her Bouvier family home where she spent many summers. It is now privately owned and not open to the public.
Rhode Island
Newport:
The Auchincloss estate where Jackie’s wedding reception was held. It’s now private so is not open for tours.
Jack and Jackie were married in this church in 1953.
Massachusetts
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston
Jackie chose the architect and location for her husband’s presidential library and donated many items. It has an extensive exhibit on Jackie. Read my review to learn more.
Red Gate Farm, Martha’s Vineyard
Jackie’s summer home for decades and the site of Caroline’s wedding in 1986. It was recently sold and there are plans to turn it into a conservation area open to the public.
JFK Hyannis Museum, Hyannisport
A small museum about the Kennedy family that includes several exhibits on Jackie.
Kennedy Compound, Hyannisport
The collection of homes where Jackie spent many summers with the Kennedy clan. It’s still owned by the family and is not open to the public.
Virginia
Merrywood, McLean
Jackie’s home after her mother married Hugh Auchincloss. It’s now owned by Saudi Arabia and not open to the public.
Hickory Hill, McLean
This is where the newlywed Kennedys spent their first years of marriage and where Jackie helped Jack write Profiles in Courage. It’s privately owned and not open to the public.
Glen Ora, Middleburg
The presidential family’s rented home during the White House years. It was Jackie’s escape. It’s not open to the public.
Wexford, Middleburg
The home Jackie designed and built while in the White House. Unfortunately they were only able to spend a few weeks there before JFK’s assassination.
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington
Jack and Jackie’s final resting place with two of their children.
Washington, DC
All of the homes associated with the Kennedys are privately owned and not open to the public. See this site for a Kennedy walking tour of Georgetown.
Visit the Kennedy “proposal booth.”
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
See Jackie’s clothing at this museum.
Marker in front of Decatur House
This plaque commemorates Jackie’s efforts to preserve Lafayette Square.
Morrison-Clarke Inn
Jackie is listed on the historical marker at this building which is the former home of the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen Club at 1011 L Street NW.
Jackie is commemorated by this historical marker on the southwest waterfront.
Texas
Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Dallas
Fascinating museum about the worst day of Jackie’s life. It’s a must-see. Read my review here.
Paris, France
Avenue Mozart
This is where Jackie lived during her study abroad year.
To Learn More
Books to Read:
Jackie Kennedy is the most written about First Lady in history! There is no way I could capture all of the books about her life but I have shared a few favorites below.
Links are Amazon affiliate links. Be sure to see my Bookshop.org list for all of the books related to my Booking It Through History: First Ladies project.
Nonfiction:
Camera Girl: The Coming of Age of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy by Carl Sferrazza Anthony
I loved this highly readable biography of Jackie’s early years. I highly recommend it to learn more about her time abroad and as the “Inquiring Camera Girl.”
Jackie : Public, Private, Secret by J. Randy Taraborrelli
This is such a fascinating book. It’s one of the most recent biographies and doesn’t shy away from the sordid things in Jackie’s life.
Jackie: The Clothes of Camelot by Jay Mulvaney
I loved this book about her fashion, especially the pictures!
The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy―and Why It Failed by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch
Fascinating book with lots of details on Jackie. I was especially horrified by how she was treated by Mamie Eisenhower during her White House tour just hours after she was released from the hospital for John’s birth.
Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books by William Kuhn
I didn’t get a chance to read this book but it looks fascinating – all about Jackie’s work as an editor and what it says about her life.
Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration and its Legacy by the White House Historical Association
All the details about the Kennedy White House restoration.
Fiction:
Jackie by Dawn Tripp
I highly recommend this novel which came out in 2024.
And They Called it Camelot by Stephanie Marie Thornton
Another stellar novel about Jackie’s life.
Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah
I adored this book about Jackie’s time during her study abroad year (even if some of it is from the author’s imagination).
Jackie and Maria by Gill Paul
My current read, this novel tells the story of Jackie and Maria’s love triangle with Aristotle Onassis. The women never met but were linked by their ties to this larger-than-life Greek tycoon.
Jackie-adjacent fiction:
There are several books where Jackie is a minor character.
By Her Own Design by Piper Huguley
Telling the story of Jackie’s black wedding dress designer, this novel is fascinating.
Hold On To Tomorrow by MB Henry
This novel is coming out next year about a woman in Dallas during the assassination.
11/22/63 by Stephen King
This time-travel book is a must-read for Kennedy fans. Jackie makes a brief appearance.
TV Shows/Movies
C-SPAN First Ladies: Influence and Image
Online events – Don’t miss this upcoming event at the National First Ladies Museum!
Podcasts
24 House After the Kennedy Assassination
American FLOTUS (episodes from February 9, 2025 and January 29, 2026)
Websites
JFK Presidential Library and Museum
White House Historical Association
- Jackie is honored with two ornaments along with the ornament commemorating her husband’s administration.
Jackie Kennedy is known worldwide for her fashion and grace under horrific circumstances. I was struck by her desire for a normal life, one that she would find in her later years. But she will always remain “America’s Queen.”
