Jackie O - Biography

Last Editor: snowflwr0122				Jackie O Biography -   Name : Jackie O Profession : Singer Birth Details : born and died in August, 1963

Jackie O Trivia -

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Jackie O Detailed Biography -

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born into New York society. Jackie was the elder daughter of John "Black Jack" Vernou Bouvier III (1891-1957), and Janet Norton Lee Bouvier Auchincloss Morris (1907-1989). Janet's paternal great-grandfather, a potato-famine Irish immigrant, was a superintendent of New York City public schools. She preferred to tell people that he was a Maryland-born veteran of the United States Civil War. In Washington, D.C., she briefly attended The Holton-Arms School(which has since moved to Bethesda, Maryland). Jackie was joined by a sister, Caroline Lee, in 1933. Through their father, the Bouvier sisters were descended from the Van Salees, a merchant family of Dutch/African ancestry that settled in New Amsterdam in the 17th century. Black Jack was a playboy stockbroker of 1/4 French and mostly Irish descent whose womanizing led to his eventual divorce from Janet when Jackie was a young girl. While Black Jack never remarried, Janet wed the wealthy Hugh D. Auchincloss, Jr.. As a child, Jackie became a well-trained equestrienne and began a lifelong love affair with horseback riding. She won several trophies and medals for her riding and the ample land at the Auchincloss's Hammersmith Farm gave her something to appreciate. She loved reading, painting, writing poems and shared a warm relationship with Black Jack. Her relationship with Janet was somewhat distant. Jackie attended Miss Porter's School from 1944-1947 and afterward she was named "Debutante of the Year" for the 1947-48 season. She was also educated at three secondary education institutions. She began at Vassar College and attended there from 1947-1948. In 1949, she spent some time studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, France through a Junior Year Abroad program with Smith College. An avid painter, Jackie graduated in 1951 from George Washington University, where she earned a degree in art. Jackie's first job was as the "Inquiring Photographer" for The Washington Times-Herald. She would travel around Washington D.C. asking people for their opinions on certain issues and then take their picture. This is how she came to meet Massachusetts Senator John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy, one of the Democratic Party's rising stars. After breaking her engagement to stockbroker John Husted and canceling their planned June 1952 wedding, she was engaged to Jack when he called her in London while she was covering Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation. They married on September 12, 1953, at Newport, Rhode Island. Their reception was held at Hammersmith Farm. Together they had four children: Arabella (stillborn, 1956), Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (b. 1957), John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. (1960–1999), and Patrick Bouvier Kennedy (born and died in August, 1963). The marriage had its difficulties as her husband had affairs and debilitating health problems, which were hidden from the public. Jackie spent a lot of time and money early in their marriage shopping for clothes or redecorating their home. They spent their first years of marriage in a townhouse on N street in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Jackie was fond of her father-in-law, Joseph P. Kennedy and the affection was returned. He saw the great PR potential of her as a politician's wife. She was also close to her brother-in-law, Robert "Bobby". Yet she was not fond of the competitive, sporty, and somewhat abrasive nature of the Kennedy clan. She was quieter and more reserved. The Kennedy sisters nicknamed her "the deb," and Jackie was always reluctant to join in the traditional family touch-football games. Once, she broke her leg in a game of baseball with them. Kennedy narrowly beat Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election, becoming the 35th President of the United States in 1961. Jackie Kennedy became one of the youngest First Ladies in history. She had taken an active role in the campaign, even speaking to grocery store shoppers over the PA system in one town. West Virginia hit her the hardest as she had not witnessed this kind of poverty before. Later, in the White House, when the need for new glassware came up, Jackie suggested a company out of the impoverished state supply it. As First Lady (a title she wasn't fond of, saying it sounded like the name of a horse), she was forced into the public spotlight with everything in her life under scrutiny. Jacqueline knew her children would be in the public eye, yet she was determined to protect her children from the press and give them a normal childhood. She allowed very few photographs to be taken of them and when she was gone, the President would let the White House photographer Cecil Stoughton snap away. Due in part to her French ancestry, Jackie had always felt a bond with France which was reinforced by her schooling there. This was a love that would later be reflected in many aspects of her life, such as the menus she chose for White House state dinners and her taste in clothing. She spoke French, Spanish, and Italian fluently, and she preferred her name to be pronounced in the French fashion as ʒaklin. She had a strong preference for French haute couture clothes designers, but these clothes were expensive, and she feared wearing them might be perceived as disloyalty to American designers. She often got around such restrictions by having American dressmakers like Chez Ninon in New York copy or adapt contemporary French designs for her. For her state wardrobe, she chose the Hollywood designer Oleg Cassini. During her days as First Lady, she would become a fashion icon domestically and internationally. When the Kennedys visited France, she impressed Charles de Gaulle with her French and the public there went mad over her presence. The restoration of the White House was her first major project. Jackie was dismayed during her formal tour of the Executive Mansion which was conducted by Mamie Eisenhower. All of the rooms were full of reproduction furniture and lacked a real sense of history. Being an avid lover of all things historical, Mrs. Kennedy felt that the Mansion that represented her nation should represent it well. She requested that a fine arts committee be formed to oversee the restoration process in the Mansion. They tried hard to find authentic furniture and art that would fit the original design of the White House. Seeking the best of the best, Jackie contacted Henry Dupont and interior designer Henry Boudin to consult on the restoration. The First Lady even wrote personal letters to people she learned had personal effects of previous occupants of the House. On February 14, 1962, Mrs. Kennedy took American television viewers on a tour of the White House with Charles Collingwood of CBS. Jackie planned many social events that brought the First Couple to the forefront of the Nation's cultural spotlight. The appreciation for art, music, and culture was a new chapter in American History. Jackie's penchant for entertaining made guests in the White House feel they were part of a magical evening every time they attended a state dinner. For instance, she removed the u-shaped dining table from the State Dining Room and replaced it with round tables that seated eight. Her social graces were legendary as can be noted by the way she communicated with Nikita Kruschev in Vienna. The President's summit turned out to be a disaster, but the Premier enjoyed Mrs. Kennedy's company.