A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.
In many ways, the Kennedy First Family was the perfect embodiment of a new young decade. The 1960s began with a sense of idealism, personified by the youthful and handsome new President. In 1961, John F. Kennedy made it seem like anything was possible, and Americans were eager to believe him. The next three years would be fondly and famously labeled “Camelot,” suggesting an almost mythical quality about the young President and his family.
The famous label came from John’s fashionable and beautiful wife, Jackie, whose elegance and grace made her the most popular woman in the world. Her popularity threatened to eclipse even her husband’s, who famously quipped on one presidential trip to France that he was “the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris.”
Americans were fascinated by the young First Lady’s style, and the manner in which she glamorously positioned both the First Family and the White House in those years, and Jackie remains one of the country’s most popular First Ladies. But it was in the face of adversity that she truly made her lasting mark, with the country taking its cue from her in the aftermath of the president’s assassination. Having devised and lit the eternal flame at JFK’s tombstone, Jackie also set about securing her husband’s legacy, a time still fondly and mythically remembered as Camelot today, despite his legendary transgressions and infidelities.
Jackie continued to fascinate Americans over the next several decades, acting as a living symbol of the Kennedy years and a popular unofficial representative for her country abroad. She famously went on to marry Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, earning her the nickname Jackie O, and she took up a career in publishing beginning in the mid-70s. Until her death in 1994, even in her 60s she continued to be the subject of popular interest and intense tabloid and paparazzi coverage.
American Legends: The Life and Legacy of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis details the fame and fashion of the famous First Lady, while also examining her legacy during and after her years in the White House. Along with pictures of Jackie and important people, places, and events in her life, you will learn about Jackie O like you never have before, in no time at all.
