Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a woman with proper education. She was hard working and multi-lingual, with a special love for history and other cultures. She was fascinating and impressive, her style capturing the nation and starting a fever other women would follow.
She always held her head up high, using her time to cement her husband’s legacy. Jackie’O was a woman who embodied strength, knowledge, and charm, which she used to elevate her status in life. Read on for more on the former first lady.
1. Jackie became a successful editor
Jackie loved books at a young age with some saying she was a born writer. Her writing earned her the coveted Vogue internship during college (which she had to turn down). Jackie returned to her passion after the death of her second husband, Aristotle Onassis, in 1975.
She moved to New York City, getting a job as a consulting editor for Viking Press. Jackie moved on to Doubleday, spending the rest of her life as an associate editor.
2. She won a lawsuit against a paparazzi photographer
Marrying billionaire Aristotle Onassis in 1968 earned Jackie the nickname “Jackie O”. She became a constant target of the paparazzi, especially Ron Galella. He followed Jackie around for almost his whole life, so by 1973, Jackie had enough.
She sued Ron for harassment and invasion of privacy. Galella wasn’t allowed within 25 feet of Jackie or 30 feet of her kids, so he began carrying a tape measure around. She sued him a second time, winning both lawsuits. Galella finally left her alone in the 1980s.
3. Renovating the White House
Winning the election with a $50,000 budget in her pocket, Jackie began redesigning the White House. Her massive renovation plans drained the budget but she wouldn’t stop. Jackie created the White House Historical Association, which helped her find pieces of historical significance from private donors and museums.
Jackie filled the White House with antiques and artifacts from historical figures, including ones from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. In February of 1962, she gave Charles Collingwood a televised tour of the White House. Jackie earned a special Emmy Award for all her efforts.
4. A school in the White House
5. Jackie’s style was used against her
Jackie’s fashion sense garnered both praises and criticism in the 1960s. She was classy and sensible, but also had a thing for pricey French couture. It was her preference for foreign designers over American ones that was questioned during the campaign.
Joseph Kennedy, her father-in-law, came to the rescue, completely changing her image by finding American designer Oleg Cassini. Cassini became the First Lady’s “Secretary of Style”, designing over 300 of Jackie’s iconic outfits. Women everywhere rushed out to get the signature “Jackie” look.
6. She rode horses really well
Janet Bouvier, Jackie’s mother, was an accomplished rider herself. Jackie was just one when her mother set her on a horse. At the age of 11, Jackie was winning national competitions. In 1940, The New York Times wrote about her skills on horseback:
“Jacqueline Bouvier, an eleven-year-old equestrienne from East Hampton, Long Island, scored a double victory in the horsemanship competition. Miss Bouvier achieved a rare distinction. The occasions are few when a young rider wins both contests in the same show.”
7. She had class and sass
Jackie was a bright student, but misbehaving was a part of her personality. Her former teacher described her as, “a darling child, the prettiest little girl, very clever, very artistic, and full of the devil.”
Jackie got sent to the principal’s office fairly often as a girl. There was even a D on her report card for a class she missed frequently. Jackie’s behavior got her kicked out of that particular classroom.
8. The Camelot image
An interview with Life Magazine had Onassis bring up her late husband’s belief that history was made by heroes. He also loved the legend of King Arthur. She compared his administration to “Camelot.”
Jackie told the reporter that JFK enjoyed the soundtrack for the Camelot musical on Broadway. The lyrics of the musical were the work of a former classmate of Kennedy’s at Harvard, Alan Jay Lerner. The couple would often listen to it before bed, with JFK loving the line that went, “Don’t ever let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was Camelot.”
Her powerful statement, “There will be great presidents again, but there will never be another Camelot” helped shape people’s perception of JFK and his administration. Jackie had a way with words.
9. Jackie received elite education
Jackie Bouvier was born to wealthy parents, with her education matching the social circles of her mother and father. She went to elite grammar schools in New York City, and for high school, the esteemed Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Connecticut. Jackie attended Vassar College for two years, studied abroad at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, for a year, then finished college at George Washington University.
She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in French literature.
In her senior year of college, Jackie won a junior editorship at Vogue magazine. The position meant she had to spend half a year at the magazine’s Paris office. Jackie’s mother had her reject the offer. Her first job was as a reporter for the Washington Times-Herald as the “Inquiring Camera Girl” where she interviewed citizens on everything from politics and finance, and even personal relationships.
10. There was someone else before John F. Kennedy
Jackie Bouvier was engaged to World War II veteran and Wall Street Banker John Husted. It was even announced in The New York Times in January of 1952. She was just 22 at the time and the idea of becoming a housewife began stressing her out.
She called the whole thing off in March. Months later, she began dating John F. Kennedy who was still a congressman at the time. They got married in September of 1953.
11. Jackie was fluent in French, Spanish, and Italian
Jackie became fluent in French, Italian, and Spanish thanks to her love for learning other cultures. When John F. Kennedy was a senator, she translated French books on Southeast Asia for him. President Lyndon Johnson even considered making her the U.S. ambassador to Mexico.
She helped her husband’s presidential campaign by addressing voters in their own languages. She impressed voters in Louisiana with her French then used Spanish for the working class in Texas.
Jackie also charmed a Parisian audience with her command of their language. John F. Kennedy introduced himself to the crowd as simply “the man who accompanied Jackie Kennedy to Paris.”
12. She still wore her bloodstained dress hours after the assassination
November 22, 1963 was the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Jackie Kennedy was sitting right next to him as the car drove through Dallas, Texas when the bullet struck, his blood splattering all over that pink wool knock-off Chanel suit.
She didn’t remove it. When Lyndon Johnson was sworn in, Jackie continued to wear the blood-stained dress. She refused to change, saying, “No, I’m going to leave these clothes on. I want them to see what they have done.”
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