Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

:Alternate meanings: Jackie O is also an Australian radio host, while Jacqueline Bouvier also refers to a character from "The Simpsons."

Early life, family and education

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born into New York society, the eldest daughter of John "Jack" Vernou Bouvier III (1891-1957), a playboy stockbroker of 1/4 French and mostly Irish descent, and his wife, Janet Norton Lee Bouvier Auchincloss Morris (1907-1989), a bank president's daughter. Janet's paternal great-grandfather, a potato-famine Irish immigrant, was a superintendent of New York City public schools, though she preferred to tell people that he was a Maryland-born veteran of the United States Civil War. Jackie´s parents divorced when she was young and her mother remarried the wealthy Hugh D. Auchincloss, who had previously been married to the mother of novelist Gore Vidal.

Related Topics:
New York - John "Jack" Vernou Bouvier III - 1891 - 1957 - French - Irish - Janet Norton Lee Bouvier Auchincloss Morris - Potato-famine - Irish - New York City - Maryland - United States Civil War - Gore Vidal

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She had a younger sister, Caroline Lee Bouvier Canfield Radziwill Ross, who was married and divorced three times: to publishing executive Michael Canfield, to Polish prince Stanislas Radziwill, and movie director Herbert Ross. Lee had 2 children by her second husband. 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.

Related Topics:
Caroline Lee Bouvier Canfield Radziwill Ross - Stanislas Radziwill - Herbert Ross

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As a child, Jackie Bouvier was a well-trained equestrian and loved riding horses (and always would, even as an adult). She won several trophies and medals for her riding and the ample land in Hammersmith Farm gave her something to appreciate at the home of her stepfather. She loved reading and writing poems and apparently adored her father. Her mother was said to be old-fashioned and strict, instilling in her children a strong sense of etiquette, manners, dress, and upper-class customs. While she and her father had a warm and affectionate relationship, her mother was apparently more controlling.

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After being named "Debutante of the Year" for the 1947-48 season, she was educated at Miss Porter's School 1944-1947, Vassar College 1947-1948, and George Washington University, where she earned a degree in art in 1951. In 1949, she spent some time studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. Her stay in France was, it seems, one of the most enjoyable of her life: she learned a great deal and developed a deep love for France and its culture, 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 and Spanish fluently, and her name was pronounced in French fashion as JACK-leen. She then moved on to her first real job as a photographer (nicknamed "the inquiring camera girl") for The Washington Times-Herald, which is how she came to meet many Washington politicians, including her first husband.

Related Topics:
Debutante of the Year - Miss Porter's School - Vassar College - George Washington University - Paris - France - The Washington Times-Herald

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