Jackie Kennedy’s life story reads like a chapter from an epic American narrative. Born Jacqueline Lee Bouvier on a summer’s day in 1929 in the affluent community of Southampton, New York, she entered the world as the daughter of John Vernon Bouvier III and Janet Lee Bouvier. The world came to know her as Jackie, a woman who would leave an indelible mark on American history.
Jackie grew up amidst privilege, her early days filled with equestrian lessons, creative writing, and the arts. With her family’s wealth, she attended prestigious private schools and lived a life peppered with time in New York City, Hampton, and Rhode Island. Here, she began penning poems and stories, often illustrating them herself, and even took up ballet.
Her education began at Miss Chapin’s School, where one teacher, Miss Platt, noted her to be both exceptionally artistic and playfully mischievous. Yet, Jackie was no stranger to trouble; a geography class incident led to a notably poor mark in conduct on her report card.
At ten, the fabric of her family changed with her parents’ divorce, and her mother’s subsequent marriage to Hugh D. Auchincloss brought them closer to the political heartbeat of Washington D.C.
Her academic journey continued as she blossomed at Vassar College and later absorbed culture and language at the Sorbonne in Paris. She finished her studies with a degree from George Washington University in 1951, a year she described with fervent affection, recognizing her own insatiable appetite for knowledge and a burgeoning love for Europe.
Jackie’s career began at the Washington Times-Herald, where she was known as the “Inquiring Camera Girl,” a role that had her weaving through the streets of Washington D.C., capturing the faces and voices of the day with her camera and pen. It was through her journalistic endeavors that she encountered a young Senator John F. Kennedy at a dinner party in Georgetown. The connection was instantaneous.
Their love story quickly unfolded, and by September 12, 1953, Jackie and John were married in Newport, Rhode Island, soon after which John Kennedy’s senatorial and presidential ambitions surged.
Their journey together was the subject of national fascination, with Jackie ascending to the role of First Lady as her husband took office as the youngest elected president. Her grace, style, and intellect captivated the nation, but her life within the White House remained largely a personal mystery.
Tragedy struck on a November day in 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated. The nation mourned with Jackie, who faced a future she never anticipated. In time, she would find love again, remarrying and continuing to shape her unique path.
Years later, insights into the private life of Jackie Kennedy would emerge, revealing the woman behind the enigmatic public figure. Clint Hill, her former bodyguard, shared reflections on his time with her, giving a rare glimpse into the day-to-day life of one of the most iconic women of the twentieth century.
