Portrait of Jacqueline
Grace and style are words for
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.
Determination is another word for
"Jackie." She grew up in
society, but not as a delicate
flower. Jackie was a competitive
horsewoman from the age of
five.
Jackie was named Debutante of the
Year in 1947. She went from private
school to Vassar College and then to
the Sorbonne in Paris. She graduated
from George Washington University
with a degree in French Literature.
After graduating, Jackie went to
work for a newspaper, the
Washington-Times Herald.
Jackie married Massachusetts
congressman John Kennedy in 1953,
after a brief courtship. Although
disliking politics, Jackie assisted
her husband as he ran first for the
vice presidency and then the
presidency of the United States.
When Jackie became the First Lady,
she made the White House a showcase
of American art and history. Jackie
introduced culture to our nation’s
capitol. She and John had two
children, Caroline and John,
Jr.
When John Kennedy was assassinated,
Jackie led the nation in mourning
for the lost president. After John’s
brother Bobby was assassinated as he
ran for the presidency, Jackie
married Aristotle Onassis, a Greek
shipping tycoon. She felt she had to
leave the United States. Jackie
traveled much outside of the United
States and led a lavish
lifestyle.
Following the death of Onassis,
Jackie took a position as a book
editor, in New York City. She
encouraged many personalities like
Michael Jackson to publish books on
their lives.
In the last seventeen years of her
life, Jackie found contentment
mostly outside of public view with
Maurice Tempelsman, a diamond
merchant. They lived together
overlooking Central Park in New
York.
Jackie died in bed in the presence
of those she loved. Her memory will
live long after her. Who could ask
for more?
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born on July 28, 1929, in East Hampton, Long Island, to Janet Lee and John Vernou Bouvier III. Mrs. Kennedy's baptism was held at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in New York City on December 22, 1929.
In September of 1937 Ms. Kennedy's
parents were separated and then
finalized their divorce on July 22, 1940
(six days before Mrs. Kennedy's eleventh
birthday).
Her mother remarried Hugh D. Achincloss
II in June of 1942. Mr. Achincloss had
three other children from his previous
marriage. Ms. Kennedy also had a
half-sister, Janet Jennings.
Some of Jaqueline Kennedy's interests as
a child were writing poems and
sketching. She also was involved in
horseback riding and racing.
Ms. Kennedy's schooling started at a
boarding school called "Miss
Porter's" in Farmington,
Connecticut. Ms. Kennedy enrolled at
Vassar from the fall of 1947 to the
spring of 1949. She studied her junior
year abroad in Paris, France. She later
transferred to George Washington
University and graduated from there in
1952.
One of Mrs. Kennedy's first jobs was at
the Washington Times-Herald as the
"Inquiring Camera Girl"
getting paid forty-two dollars and fifty
cents a week.
Ms. Kennedy was engaged to John Husted. Once she met John Kennedy she broke her engagement to John
Husted.
On September 12, 1953, Ms. Kennedy
married to John "Jack"
Fitzgerald Kennedy. The wedding took
place at St. Mary's Church in Newport,
Rhode Island.
After Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy were married
they went to live in McLean, Virginia.
During the next five years Mrs. Kennedy
became pregnant five times. Only two of
the five the child survived longer than
a couple of weeks. On August 23, 1956,
she gave birth to a stillborn daughter.
Then on November 27, 1957, Caroline
Bouvier Kennedy was born. November 25,
1960, John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. was
born.
On August 7, 1963, their son, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, was born then died on August 9, 1963 (two days later).
Mrs. Kennedy as a First Lady made it a
priority to protect her children from
the fame of their father.
On November 22, 1963, John F.Kennedy was
assassinated in Dallas, Texas. On
November 25, 1963, John Kennedy was
buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Once Mr. Kennedy died Mrs. Kennedy
became very depressed. During her
depression the Bouvier sisters became
very close.
In September of 1963 (before Mr. Kennedy
died) she met Mr. Aristotle Onassis on
his yacht. About five years later Mrs.
Kennedy decided to marry Mr. Onassis.
Their wedding took place on Aristotle
Onassis' own Greek island, Skorpios on
October 10, 1968.
On March 15, 1975, Aristotle Onassis died.
In January of 1994 Mrs. Kennedy was
diagnosed with lymphoma. Mrs. Kennedy
died of lymphoma on May 19, 1994, in her
Fifth Avenue house in New York.
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
was buried on May 23, 1994, at Arlinton
National Cemetery, with the rest of her
family.
Biography
Jacqueline Lee
Bouvier was born on July 28 1929 to
Janet Norton Lee and John V. Bouvier
who was called "Black" Jack Bouvier.
She had a sister Caroline Lee, born
4 years after her. She lived in posh
pent house apartments in New York
until her parents divorced when she
was about 6. Several years later her
mother married Hugh D. Auchincloss
and she became the sister of two
brothers and a sister from Hugh's
previous marriages and soon after
had another brother and sister from
the marriage of her mother and Hugh.
She went to boarding schools and
then went off to Vassar. After two
years though she got sick of it and
spent her junior year studying at
the Sorbonne in Paris. When she got
back to the US she did not want to
go back to Vassar so she enrolled in
George Washington University in
Washington D.C. and graduated in
1951. She had a job at the C.I.A.
and in January of 1952 went to work
at a Washington newspaper where she
was a photographer. During an
assignment she met Senator John F.
Kennedy. They were married on
September 12, 1953. Their first
child that lived was Caroline
Bouvier Kennedy born on November 27,
1957.
In 1960 John Kennedy became the 35th
President of the U.S., but before he
became President Jackie had a second
child. A son called John F. Kennedy
Jr. born on November 25, 1960.
Jackie spent the White House Years
doing her best to save the
historical landmarks around
Washington. In August of 1963 Jackie
went into labor with their third
child who was named Patrick Bouvier
Kennedy, but sadly he died shortly
after his birth. Both parents were
sad at the death and it brought them
together. Jackie was not supposed to
go to Texas with her husband, but
with the death of Patrick she
decided to go with him. November 22,
1963 was a very heartbreaking day
for Jackie. On that day she lost her
husband of 10 years.
In 1968 her brother in law Robert
Kennedy was assassinated and Jackie
could not live in the US any more.
On October 20, 1968 she was married
to Greek shipping magnet Aristotle
Onassis. After he died in the mid
70s she returned to New York and
became a book publisher. She
dedicated the last 20 years of her
life to her children, her
grandchildren and her "friend"
Maurice Templeton. In the early 90s
she found out she had non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma. She died from that on May
19, 1994. Shortly after her death
there was a sale of some of her
prized possessions. Arnold
Schwarzenegger even spent more than
a million dollars on some of the
things to honor the aunt and uncle
of his wife (Maria Shriver).
