Jackie Kennedy Onasis Essay, Research Paper

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born on July 28th, 1929 in East Hampton, Long Island. Jacqueline?s mother was Janet Lee Bouvier, a highly ambitious horseback rider. Jacqueline was nicknamed "Jackie" after her father, Jack Bouvier. Young Jackie?s parents were a very well off coupled. Her father had an estimated fortune of 7 million dollars and Janet came from a wealthy family also, her father had been chairman of the board of Chase National Bank.

Asides for the Bouviers wealth, the other thing they were most noted for was their beauty, Jack in particular. His slim nose, wide set blue eyes, shiny black hair and muscular build earned him the description as "drippingly handsome". Jack?s cutting edge instincts, swarthiness, and love for beautiful young women earned him the nick name " Black Jack". Janet, who was sixteen years younger than Jack was not as beautiful as he was handsome. Janet did not possess a showgirl prettiness but she was said to have possessed an interesting look. She was petite and had a somewhat animated look to her. Her nose and chin were long and pointed. When Jackie was born it was happily noted that Jackie looked like Jack Bouvier. (Birmingham)

Though Janet Lee?s family was well off, they were not members of the esteemed highest social caste as were the Bouviers. Janet lived her life with a constant sense of unease because of this difference in lineage.(Birmingham)

Because Black Jack was known for having erratic financial history, James Lee, Janet?s father, offered to allow Janet and Jack to live rent free in a building he owned. This offer came under one condition. Jack would have to cut back on his flamboyant lifestyle. (Heymann)

On March 3rd 1933, the Bouvier family was completed by the birth of Jackie?s sister, Lee. When Lee was born, Jackie was no longer the baby of the family.She spent most of her time tending and riding her horse. Jackie also excelled in school. She was so intelligent that she found all her elementary grade work as boring. Janet had once stated that, "Jackie?s intellectual ambition ran ahead of her chronological age." (Heymann)

Soon problems began occurring between Black Jack and Janet. Jackie has never spoken about her parent?s marriage issues but they are thought to have arisen because of money. At the time Black Jack was undergoing a string of unending failures in the stock market. Jack also found it hard to tell Janet about his financial problems.(Heymann)

Then Jack began to see other women. At first Janet did not know that her husband was still playing his role as a ladies? man but when she found out she immediately demanded Jack?s fidelity. Jack didn?t know the meaning of the word. Several months after Jackie?s 7th birthday in 1936, her parents separated. When their separation agreement ran out six months later, the Bouviers gave the marriage another try. It lasted for five months. Then at the end of august 1937, Jack and Janet separated permanently, although they did not get divorced until 1940. (Guthrie)

Janet won custody of her two daughters. Jackie and Lee considered living with their mother "humdrum " while visiting their father was a "treat". Jack had great influence over his daughters. He taught them about personal style and what men looked for in women. Whatever their father considered good, these girls did.(Guthrie)

Janet did not stay single for long. Two years after her divorce from Jack, Janet remarried Hugh Auchincloss. Auchincloss was a Scottish man with good values and work ethics. Not only was Auchincloss a hard working man but his family had an equally high social standing as the Bouviers. Auchincloss?s fortune was also greater than the Bouviers. Hugh owned a large estate, Merrywood, in Virginia. At Merrywood he lived with Janet, his three children, Jackie and Lee, and soon the two children that Janet and he would have together,

(Lowe)

Jackie did not live in Merrywood for long, she soon went away to Miss Porters school in Farmington, Conn. Jackie loved school there, she got to bring her beloved horse Danseuse with her and she graduated with an A average. After graduation, Jackie attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Her father was thrilled by her choice because she would be much closer to him rather than his mother at Merrywood. Despite Jack?s happiness, Jackie rarely visited her father. She was said to have only visited Jack if she had a date in Manhattan that evening.(Birmingham)

After Jackie?s first year at Vassar, she traveled to Europe for two months on a trip paid for by her father. The trip was with her Latin teacher and was run by Vassar. When Jackie arrived home from her trip, she decided she did not want to continue school at Vassar. Jackie then enrolled in George Washington University in Washington, DC.(Heymann)

Early in 1951, Jackie became engaged to a New York Banker, John Husted. The summer after Jackie Finished college, the engagement was broken off and Jackie returned to revisit Europe.(Heymann)

Upon Jackie?s return from Europe, she was offered a job as a journalist by one of Hugh Auchincloss?s friends. Jackie became the writer of a section in the Washington Times Herald called the inquiring Photographer. Jackie was soon introduced to another photographer, Charles Bartlett. Bartlett invited Jackie over to his house for a dinner party one evening. There she met a young Congressman named John Kennedy. Jackie and Kennedy went on a few dates but were not exposed to the public eye. In January 1953, Kennedy escorted Jackie to Eisenhower?s Inaugural Ball.(Birmingham)

In May of 1953, Jackie and John Kennedy became engaged. They were married in Newport, Rhode Island in 1953. There were thousands at their wedding. It was a very popular social event and it kept the streets lined with people hoping to glimpse someone rich and famous. The one person who was not at the wedding was Jack Bouvier. After the wedding, John and Jackie honeymooned in Aculpoco. After being in Aculpopo for only a few days, Jackie wrote her father apologizing for him not being invited to the wedding. John Carrere, Jack Bouvier?s business partner, recalled that Jack read Jackie?s letter with tears in his eyes and thought it as being the most compassionate thing he had ever read.(Guthrie)

The first years of Jack and Jackie?s marriage were not easy. Jack was suffering back problems and was very ill, he lost 140 pounds in less than one year.In addition to Jack?s physical problems, he was also undergoing political stresses and he required back surgery. After his surgery, he was bed ridden for eight months. During the time he was bed ridden, he could not just lay back and be still, he needed something to occupy him. He wrote a book, Profiles in Courage. Profiles in Courage became a best seller and won a Pulitzer Prize.(Klien)

In 1955, Jackie suffered a miscarriage. Jack was running for the position of Democratic Vice President. He started campaigning very hard, but he soon lost the nomination. Only days after he lost the nomination, Jackie had a baby girl stillborn. The news was devastating to the couple.(Guthrie)

Jack and Jackie were then again hit with more bad news. On July 27th 1957, the day before Jackie?s 28th birthday, her father was admitted to Lenox Hill Hospital due to a "liver condition." A week later on August 3rd, Jack Bouvier died.(Heymann)

Finally, the couple?s string of bad luck ended, on November 27th 1957, Jackie gave birth to a beautiful daughter, Caroline. A few days after the birth of Caroline, John announced that he would be running for the presidential election of 1960.(Heymann) Jackie worked hard to help her husband gain publicity for this election. She went on talk shows and spoke to people of different cultures to give her husband publicity.(Guthrie)

Kennedy won the election and became the 35th president of the united states though Jackie was only the 31st first lady. On November 26th John F. Kennedy jr. was born.(Birmingham) In January, Jackie attended the inauguration party and became a role model for millions of women. Jackie not only had a fantastic sense of personal style, she was turning the white house into a showcase of art culture.(Klein)

J.F.K. enlisted his wife in his public relations campaign.she traveled with him in Europe and dazzled the European public. She was her husband?s tool to make foreigners love America. (Klein)

In August 1963, Jackie had yet another bad childbirth. Her son Patrick Kennedy was born and then died thirty-nine hours later. To take some time off for relaxation, Jackie accompanied her sister,Lee, on a cruise along with her sister?s boyfriend, Aristotle Onassis.(Klein)

On November 22nd, Jackie and John traveled to San Antonio Texas to have a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce. After leaving then went directly to Dallas where Kennedy was to meet with business leaders. At one o? clock p.m. John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas Texas.

At JFK?s funeral, Jackie was the epitome of composure and as Ted Kennedy said," held us together as a family and a nation." Four days after the funeral, Jackie gave an interview in Time magazine and then moved to New York to attempt a low profile life style. The low profile lifestyle was very hard to obtain. The press was constantly inquiring if Jackie had any new love interests.

Then on October 20th 1968, Jackie married Aristotle Onassis on the Greek island Scorpios. Aristotle was not only her sister?s ex boyfriend, but he was also the richest man in the world. Their relationship was short lived. The couple had different tastes and their relationship had been condemned from the beginning.

In march 1975, Aristotle was planning on divorcing Jackie, before he could do so he died. After his death, Jackie became very wealthy. She needed something to occupy herself with so she became an editor with Viking Press. Two years later she moved over to Doubleday Press.

In December on 1993, Jackie was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She was treated for the disease with chemotherapy until May of 1994. In may she declared that she wanted to return to her home to die. On May 19, 1994, at 10:15 a.m., Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died surrounded by her friends and family. Her funeral took place at St. Ignatious Loyola church, the same church where she was baptized. She was later buried in Arlington cemetery next to John Kennedy.