Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (Jackie) was born to wealth having attended prestigious schools and excelling at horse back riding. Her entire upbringing centered around tradition and properness yet her senior quote about her life ambition was “not to be a housewife”.[1] In 1952 Jackie met the then young congressman John F. Kennedy who she would marry a year later. By 1960 J.F.K. was running for president and Jackie, then pregnant, stayed at home working diligently to answer letters, interviews and write for her weekly newspaper the “Campaign Wife”. In 1961, as First Lady, Jackie took on the complete restoration of the White House which remains one of the largest projects completed by a First Lady while in residence. She also conducted the 1962 White House Tour which was the most viewed television program in history at that time with 80 million worldwide viewers. Jackie’s deep appreciation for history and art drove her to preserving a piece of American History through its most famous house.[2] On November 22, 1963 J.F.K. was assassinated while driving through Dallas as part of an early campaign for the upcoming year. Jackie infamously remained in her bloody clothes to let the world see the violent and tragic end of her husband’s life. Following the assassination of her husband, Jackie began to work on the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in his honor. Jackie’s insistence on preservation is part of why the Kennedy’s have remained intertwined with the legend of Camelot and American myth. The director of the film Jackie stated in an interview “she is the most unknown well-known person ever”.[3]
[1] “Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis,” Biography, accessed November 9, 2020, https://www.biography.com/us-first-lady/jacqueline-kennedy-onassis.
[2] “Life of Jacqueline B. Kennedy | JFK Library,” accessed November 9, 2020, https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/life-of-jacqueline-b-kennedy.
[3] Michael O’Sullivan, “Q&A: Pablo Larraín, Director of ‘Jackie’ and ‘Neruda,’ Talks about the Anti-Biopic,” Washington Post, March 3, 2017, sec. Lifestyle, https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/qanda-pablo-larrain-director-of-jackie-and-neruda-talks-about-the-anti-biopic/2017/03/03/61b3d57c-fde4-11e6-8ebe-6e0dbe4f2bca_story.html.
Sources:
Bettmann. “John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Sit Together in the Sunshine…” Getty Images. Accessed November 10, 2020. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/john-f-kennedy-and-jacqueline-bouvier-sit-together-in-the-news-photo/515586136?adppopup=true.
Biography. “Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.” Accessed November 9, 2020. https://www.biography.com/us-first-lady/jacqueline-kennedy-onassis.
“Life of Jacqueline B. Kennedy | JFK Library.” Accessed November 9, 2020. https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/life-of-jacqueline-b-kennedy.
Lowe, The Estate of Jacques. “Portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy as She Poses on a Porch, Hyannis Port,…” Getty Images. Accessed November 10, 2020. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/portrait-of-jacqueline-kennedy-as-she-poses-on-a-porch-news-photo/933815838?adppopup=true.
O’Sullivan, Michael. “Q&A: Pablo Larraín, Director of ‘Jackie’ and ‘Neruda,’ Talks about the Anti-Biopic.” Washington Post, March 3, 2017, sec. Lifestyle. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/qanda-pablo-larrain-director-of-jackie-and-neruda-talks-about-the-anti-biopic/2017/03/03/61b3d57c-fde4-11e6-8ebe-6e0dbe4f2bca_story.html.
