Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (# 131)
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Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (# 131) An Inventory of Her Personal Papers At the John F. Kennedy Library National Archives and Records Administration THE JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM Columbia Point Boston, MA 02125 617-514-1629 www.jfklibrary.org The Personal Papers of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994) Introduction Abstract Papers 1919-2002 The Personal Papers of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, First Lady of the United States (1960- 1963.) Textual materials include staff files of Mary Gallagher, Pamela Turnure, Letitia Baldridge and Nancy Tuckerman, condolence mail, and printed materials. These files contain press releases, official and personal correspondence, notes, clippings, and other papers relating to trips, state visits, redecoration projects, social events. Audiovisual materials include staff file photographs of Pamela Turnure and Anne H. Lincoln, and Mrs. Kennedy Onassis’ personal collection of photographs, moving image, and sound recordings relating to her early life, her family, her marriage, John F. Kennedy’s life and work, and her other interests; her life and work as First Lady, including documentation of trips, state visits, the White House Restoration, social events, personal occasions, and family events; and her interests and concerns after her years in the White House. Access Open in part. Usage Restrictions According to the deeds of gift signed June 2009 and December 2010, copyright of these materials has been assigned to Caroline Kennedy and her children. Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish. Copyright The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. The copyright law extends its protection to unpublished works from the moment of creation in a tangible form. Direct your questions concerning copyright to the reference staff. Copyright to the unpublished writings of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is held by Caroline Kennedy. No permissions will be granted to use Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's unpublished writings for the following: 1) the publication of her handwriting; 2) the publication of quotations that exceed the bounds of fair use; and/or 3) the publication of derivative materials. It is the researcher's responsibility to determine whether his/her use is appropriate under applicable law. [2] Please direct all questions concerning copyright to the Library's reference staff. Provenance Received from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, The Estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Caroline Kennedy of New York, New York between 1979 and 2009 (Acc. 1988-028, 2004- 089, 2010-021, 2010-126, 2010-127, 2010-128, 2010-129, 2010-130, 2010-131, 2010-132, 2010-133, 2010-134, 2011-082) Extent Summary About 21,000 textual items opened in February, 2012 (20 linear feet, 8 linear inches; 23.892cubic feet ). About 4,800 photographs opened in February, 2012 (8 linear feet, 4 linear inches; 9.358 cubic feet). This refers to the main body of archival materials (including oversized items,) which is organized by series and into boxes and folders. Please see the Collection Description for additional information. Items Separated from Main Collection Museum objects Selected folders may contain separation sheets indicating that museum objects were removed from the collection and transferred to Museum Collections staff. Valuable Items Selected folders may contain items designated as valuable that have been replaced by research copies in the physical collection in order to prevent loss and damage. Oversized items Selected folders may contain separation sheets indicating that oversized items were removed from the collection due to their size and rehoused in appropriately-sized folders and boxes. Items withdrawn from the Main Collection: Classified Items Selected folders may contain withdrawal sheets where documents containing national security classified information were removed from this collection. Deed-Restricted Items Selected folders may contain withdrawal sheets where documents, in accordance with the donor's deed of gift, were removed from the collection. These include documents which may be used to injure or harass any living person. All withdrawn documents have been placed under seal and upon request the Kennedy Library will review any material which has been closed for a period of not less than 2 years for the purpose of opening items which no longer require restrictions. Researchers should consult the reference staff to obtain the appropriate form(s). [3] Date Opened Partially opened February 2012. Processed by Jennifer Beaton, James Hill, Lindsey Fresta. Finding Aid Prepared by Jennifer Beaton, James Hill, Lindsey Fresta. Related Collections White House Social File, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. White House Staff Files of Sanford L. Fox Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Oral History Interview, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library White House Photograph Collection, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library President’s Collection Photographs, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Kennedy Family Collection Photographs, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library [4] The Personal Papers of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994) Biographical Note Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was born Jacqueline Lee Bouvier on July 28, 1929, in Southampton, New York to John Vernou Bouvier III, a Wall Street stockbroker and his wife Janet Norton Lee. In 1933 Mrs. Kennedy’s sister Caroline “Lee” Bouvier was born. Their primary residences during these years were in New York City and East Hampton, New York. Mrs. Kennedy’s parents divorced in 1940, and in 1942 her mother Janet married Hugh D. Auchincloss the heir of Standard Oil, with whom she had two children, Janet and James. In addition to half siblings, the marriage also brought Mrs. Kennedy two stepbrothers Hugh Jr. (Yusha) and Tommy, as well as a stepsister Nina. After the divorce of her parents Mrs. Kennedy and her sister Lee resided in New York with their father, or McLean, Virginia and Newport, Rhode Island with their mother. Mrs. Kennedy spent her early school years in New York City, first at Miss Yates’s preschool before attending Miss Chapin’s School on East End Avenue. In 1942 she enrolled at Holton-Arms School, in Bethesda, Maryland, before attending Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Connecticut in 1944 until 1947. Upon graduation, she attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, spent her junior year studying in France, first at the University of Grenoble and then at the Sorbonne. Upon her return she transferred to George Washington University in Washington D.C. to finish up her senior year of college, graduating in 1951 with a bachelor’s degree in French Literature. After graduation Mrs. Kennedy and her sister Lee spent the summer touring Europe, from which they published the book One Special Summer. Upon her return to the United States in 1952, the Washington Times-Herald hired Mrs. Kennedy as their “Inquiring Camera Girl” and she produced a column which including photographs of people interviewed on a variety of subjects. It was during this time that she was briefly engaged in December 1951 for three months to John Husted, a stock broker. Mrs. Kennedy first met Senator John F. Kennedy at a dinner party thrown by a mutual friend Charles Bartlett. They began dating, and their engagement was announced on June 25, 1953. The couple was married by Boston's Archbishop Richard Cushing at St. Mary’s Church in Newport, Rhode Island on September 12th 1953, and they honeymooned in Acapulco, Mexico. Upon their return they moved to Hickory Hill in McLean, Virginia for four years before selling it to John F. Kennedy’s brother Robert and wife Ethel, and subsequently moving to N Street in Georgetown. During this time Mrs. Kennedy suffered a miscarriage in 1955 and gave birth to a stillborn daughter, Arabella Kennedy, on August 23, 1956. In the year that followed Jacqueline gave birth to a daughter Caroline Bouvier Kennedy on November 27, 1957. In January 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. Mrs. Kennedy, pregnant and advised by doctors to remain at home, was still an active campaigner. She answered letters, taped commercials, gave interviews, and wrote a weekly nationally distributed newspaper column, “Campaign Wife.” On November 8, 1960, John F. Kennedy won the presidential election and on November 25, Mrs. Kennedy gave birth to their second child, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. On January 20, 1961, at the age of 31, Jacqueline Kennedy became the First Lady of the United States of America. In this role she was responsible for the planning and execution of social events at [5] the White House such as state dinners, diplomatic receptions, and in this capacity promoted the arts by inviting artists, writers, scientists, poets, and musicians to mingle with politicians, diplomats, and statesmen. Mrs. Kennedy’s first major project as First Lady was the restoration of the White House. She enlisted the aid of many experts, established a White House Fine Arts Committee, and created the post of White House curator. Gathering outstanding examples of American art and furniture from around the United States including many historic items that had belonged to former presidents and their families, she eventually restored all the public rooms in the White House.