Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis (née Bouvier, July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular first lady, she endeared the American public with her fashion sense, devotion to her family, and dedication to the historic preservation of the White House. During her lifetime, she was regarded as an international fashion icon.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in French literature from George Washington University in 1951, Bouvier started working for the Washington Times-Herald as an inquiring photographer. The following year, she met then-Congressman John Kennedy at a dinner party in Washington. He was elected to the Senate that same year, and the couple married on September 12, 1953, in Newport, Rhode Island. They had four children, two of whom died in infancy. Following her husband’s election to the presidency in 1960, Kennedy was known for her highly publicized restoration of the White House and emphasis on arts and culture, as well as for her style. At age 31, she was the third-youngest first lady of the United States when her husband was inaugurated.
After the assassination and funeral of her husband in 1963, Kennedy and her children largely withdrew from public view. In 1968, she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, which caused controversy. Following Onassis’s death in 1975, she had a career as a book editor in New York City, first at Viking Press and then at Doubleday, and worked to restore her public image. Even after her death, she ranks as one of the most popular and recognizable first ladies in American history, and in 1999, she was listed as one of Gallup’s Most-Admired Men and Women of the 20th century. She died in 1994 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery alongside President Kennedy. (wikipedia)
As a child, Onassis was a bright, curious and occasionally mischievous child. One of her elementary school teachers described her as “a darling child, the prettiest little girl, very clever, very artistic, and full of the devil.”
Onassis enjoyed a privileged childhood of ballet lessons at the Metropolitan Opera House and French lessons beginning at age of 12. Like her mother, Onassis loved riding and was highly skilled on horseback. She won a national junior horsemanship competition at the age of 11 in 1940.
These adorable photos that show very young Jacqueline Bouvier when she was a child.
Long Island, New York, August 1934
the Tuxedo Horse Show, 1939
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