Jackie Kennedy Survived Tragedies Few Can Imagine – and Did So With Grace
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis may have passed away over 30 years ago, but she still captivates the masses. From her signature fashion to the heartbreaking events she endured, there's no one quite like Jackie O.
Join us as we take a look at the highs and lows of the stylish former First Lady. She gathered the strength to carry on after her husband's passing, but how she repaid her sister for making a huge sacrifice on her behalf might surprise you.
Jacqueline Bouvier Was a Daddy's Girl
Jacqueline "Jackie" Bouvier spent her early years in Manhattan, but her family also owned property in East Hampton. Long, lazy summer days were often spent on the Long Island estate, playing with her father, John.
Jackie had a special bond with her father, who also admitted she was his favorite of his two daughters. He'd tell friends and family his eldest was "the most beautiful daughter a man ever had." The youngest Bouvier sibling wasn't dejected by her father's feelings, later saying she got her "independence and individuality" because of it.
Jackie, however, blossomed under her dad's wing.
A Schoolyard Devil
It's hard to imagine Jackie as anything other than the epitome of grace and sophistication, but her time at Chapin School almost saw her go off the rails. While she was accomplished in nearly all of her subjects, the young girl found the environment boring.
Jackie's ability to finish assignments quicker than her peers often caused her to act out, with a teacher describing her as "a darling child, the prettiest little girl, very clever, very artistic and full of the devil."
After the headmistress warned that her behavior could be her undoing, Jackie settled down somewhat and stopped getting into mischief.
Jackie Became Tabloid Fodder at a Young Age
Jackie's family was prominent in New York society, so when her parents divorced in 1936, it was all over the news. The six-year-old was frequently mentioned in the tabloids, which fixated on her father's alcoholism, affair, and the state of their finances, which took a big hit after the 1929 Wall Street Crash.
Jackie, an innocent bystander in the breakdown of the relationship, could've never predicted it would be just one of many times she'd see her name splashed across the gossip papers. Devastated by the separation, she withdrew into herself for some time. Her mother would go on to marry Standard Oil heir Hugh Dudley.
She Won Awards in School
Jackie was given the best education money could buy, thanks to her mother's second marriage. After finishing at Chapin, she moved on to Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut. Popular among her class, her senior yearbook commended her for "her wit, her accomplishment as a horsewoman and her unwillingness to become a housewife."
She graduated near the top of her class and received the Maria McKinney Memorial Award for Excellence in Literature. Her school friends remained close, with Nancy Tuckerman landing the role of Social Secretary in the White House when Jackie became the First Lady.
You know what they say, it's all about who you know!
She Worked at Vogue... For One Day
Like many other young women at the time, Jackie idolized Vogue. While she was studying at George Washington University in Washington, DC, she was lucky enough to score a 12-month junior editorship at the publication, beating hundreds of others.
It could've been the stepping stone to an entirely different life for the young Miss Bouvier, but it only lasted a single day. During a briefing, the managing editor told Jackie to quit and go back to Washington to find herself a husband. At 22, she was deemed too old to be without a marriage prospect.
Taking the advice to heart, she quit and returned to DC.
Jackie Almost Married Someone Else
While Jackie was working at the Washington Times-Herald, she began dating the young and handsome stockbroker John Husted. She'd known him for quite some time, having attended the same school as his sisters, but things didn't take a romantic turn until 1951.
It seemed like the perfect match. Less than three months after they'd begun courting, the couple announced their engagement in The New York Times.
Plans for a June wedding were in full swing when Jackie started to feel differently toward her beau. Her mother also expressed concern that Husted wasn't rich enough to support her daughter, despite his impressive salary. The engagement broke off three months before the ceremony.
John F. Kennedy Had to Wait
Jackie met the future president when she was engaged to Husted. They both traveled in the same circles and were eventually introduced at a dinner party in 1952. When her relationship with Husted ended, Jackie began dating Kennedy.
The new couple had many things in common, from their Catholicism to their taste in literature. However, Jackie was torn between her blossoming journalism career and Kennedy's proposal. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, she asked him to wait and spent a month in London. Upon her return, she accepted and resigned from her job.
Jackie Was Almost Widowed in 1954
We all know how Jackie's first marriage tragically ended, but it almost ended some years prior to John's assassination in 1954. The young senator suffered from from Addison's Disease, which caused him terrible back pain. In a bid to ease his suffering, Kennedy underwent a very risky spinal operation. He almost died on the table, but rallied.
Jackie spent a lot of time looking after her sick husband while he recovered, which he did, thanks to her care and guidance. Kennedy would never be quite free from his ailments, but the procedure was deemed a success and improved his quality of life.
She Helped Her Husband Secure the Presidency
Not long after Jackie gave birth to the couple's second daughter (their first child was sadly stillborn) in 1957, they were back on the presidential campaign trail. John's aides notice voters liked the senator's pretty, amiable wife - when she joined him, the crowds doubled.
At first, Jackie was shy and uneasy around the scores of people at rallies, but John knew his wife was his biggest election promise. When he secured a second term, he put it largely down to Jackie, calling her "simply invaluable." She had a big part to play in the styling of her husband, too, advising him on his wardrobe.
Without her influence, Kennedy may have never become president.
Her Priority Was the President - and Art
When John was elected, Jackie made it clear to the media that she wanted to focus solely on her children and husband. However, she spent a great deal of time restoring the White House and preserving American art.
She was the hostess with the most-ess, throwing several grand events that brought figures from the arts and politics world together. Alongside her family, this was Jackie's greatest passion. Out of all the women in her position, she arguably left the biggest mark on the White House and remains a tough act to follow.
She Became Depressed After the Death of Her Son
Suffering the loss of a daughter had a profound effect on both Jackie and John, but she was blessed after with two healthy children. When she became pregnant once more, however, she became the victim of circumstance again.
The couple's second son, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, was born five weeks early via emergency C-section. Sadly, his lungs weren't developed properly and he passed away two days later, with his father at his side. Jackie lapsed into a depression, taking time to recuperate from the loss.
She Encouraged Robert F. Kennedy to Campaign
Jackie had always been close to John's brother, Bobby and they became even closer when her husband passed. By 1968, Bobby was getting ready to run for president, but he had his reservations.
Jackie was instrumental in persuading her brother-in-law to take the plunge - so much so that when a reporter asked him if he was going to enter the presidential race, he said, "That depends on what Jackie wants me to do."
Secretly, she'd expressed concerns for his safety after her husband's fate, but, openly, she campaigned for him. Sadly, Jackie's worst fears were realized when Bobby was shot after winning the California Democratic presidential primary.
Jackie Came to Fear America
By 1968, Jackie had come to fear America. She felt she wasn't safe there, saying, "If they're killing Kennedys, then my children are targets. I want out of this country." Motherly instinct took over, and Jackie married her longtime friend, Aristotle Onassis.
She knew Onassis loved her, and his considerable wealth meant her family would be provided for. After her marriage to the shipping magnate, the US government severed its ties with her, withdrawing the Secret Service protection she'd been entitled to.
She kept her Fifth Avenue apartment in New York and her farm in New Jersey, but split the rest of her time between Greece and Paris.
Her Sister Was Her Husband's Ex
Jackie and her sister had a complex relationship. While they loved one another, they found it difficult to just sit and talk. Things were made all the more complicated when Lee introduced Jackie to her lover, Aristotle Onassis.
Lee was seeing Onassis throughout her marriage to Prince Stanislaw Radziwill. While she was reluctant to give him up to her sister, she put Jackie's safety and wellbeing before her own.
Jackie Returned to Publishing
After Jackie's second husband died of respiratory failure in 1975, she found herself at another loose end. Feeling like enough time had passed, she returned to America permanently, taking a position as consulting editor at Viking Press.
After a scandal involving a Jeffrey Archer novel caused her to resign, Jackie secured work with Doubleday on several prominent publications.
The press maintained their fascination with the former First Lady. One photographer, in particular, hounded her, but Jackie O., as she was now known, took solace in her work and continued to attend public functions.
She Died of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
By the 1990s, Jackie was enjoying her life. She was well taken care of after Onassis' death and still a celebrated public figure.
In November '93, she fell from a horse. A swollen lymph node was found in her groin shortly after, but initially dismissed as an infection. The diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma was made a month later, but the prognosis seemed good. Sadly, things took a turn for the worse, and by March the cancer was in her brain, spinal cord and liver.
The day after returning from a stay at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, the former First Lady died in her sleep at 64 years old.
Bill Clinton Gave the Eulogy at Her Funeral
In her later years, Jackie was an avid supporter of Bill Clinton. She campaigned on his behalf, and when he won, supported Hilary by giving her advice. Mrs. Clinton thanked her in her first autobiography. Bill payed homage to his late friend by delivering the eulogy at her funeral.
Jackie's funeral was held at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, just a short distance from her NYC apartment. Incidentally, it was the same church that she had taken confirmation at as a teen.
After the service, Jackie was buried alongside her first husband and their two children, Patrick and Arabella. She was survived by her sister and her three children.
Lee Wasn't Left a Dime
Despite being worth a cool $42 million when she passed, Jackie didn't make provisions for the sister, who gave up everything so she'd be safe. That being said, she did leave $500,000 to each of Lee's children.
The will states Jackie had "great affection" for Lee, but wouldn't provide for her as she'd done throughout her life.
In her later years, Lee, who passed away in February 2019, struggled with her finances. Many speculated her late sister could've elevated the burden - after all, Jackie inherited the majority of her fortune from the husband Lee let her have.
Jackie Left a Lasting Legacy
Despite passing away three decades ago, Jackie remains an icon. She's still admired for incredible style, her poise and grace throughout the tragedies she endured, and the adjustments she made to the White House. She was featured 27 times on the Gallup list of most admired people; a privilege held only by Queen Elizabeth II and Billy Graham.
Historian Carl Sferrazza Anthony said, "She became an inspirational figure of that era, one whose privilege might not be easily reached by a majority of Americans, but which others could strive to emulate."
