Bader Bonnie - Who Was Jacqueline Kennedy?

On May 31, 1961, a large crowd packed the streets of Paris, France. Waving American and French flags, people were waiting for the president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and his wife, Jacqueline.

At last, the car rolled into view. The crowd roared. But they did not shout for the president. Instead, they called out, Jackie! Jackie!

A shy Jackie looked out the car window and waved. Seven months earlier, her husband had become the youngest person elected president of the United States. He was forty-three years old. Jackie was only thirty-one. She was unsure if she would make a good First Lady. But here she wasyoung and beautiful and charmingcaptivating the French people!

A harder test would come later. The president of France, Charles de Gaulle, did not really like anything, or anyone, who wasnt French.

The next night, Jackie got ready for a special dinner in the Kennedys honor. She did not feel well. Her head throbbed. She did not know what to wear. Two dresses were laid out on the bed. An American designer had made one; a French designer named Hubert de Givenchy had made the other. Jackie chose the Givenchy. She was in France, so she wore something French!

Jackie smiled as she glided into the party that night. Her white gown shimmered. Gold clips sparkled in her hair.

At the long candlelit table, Jackie sat next to President de Gaulle. She charmed him with her French. She had lived in Paris for a year during college. She knew all about French art and French history. Because of Jackie, President de Gaulle turned to President Kennedy and said, I now have more confidence in your country.

Talking to reporters back home, President Kennedy jokingly introduced himself as the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris, and I have enjoyed it.

It wasnt only the French president who was fascinated by Jackie. The whole world was. Jacqueline Kennedy had become the most famous woman on earth, yet all her life what she wanted most was privacy.

CHAPTER 1

A Rich Family

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born on July 28, 1929, in Southampton, New York, into a very rich family. Jackies father, John, was handsome and full of life. His wife, Janet, was quiet and shy. She loved riding horses.

Janet and John Bouvier

The Bouviers had two homes. One was a fancy apartment on Park Avenue in Manhattan; the other was a beautiful mansion on Long Island. That was where the family spent summers. It was called Lasata, which was said to be a Native American name for place of peace.

But the Bouvier home was not peaceful. John (usually called Jack) and Janet argued a lot. Janet was practical. Jack liked to have fun and spend money.

Soon after Jacqueline was born, her father lost most of his money. On October 29, 1929, the stock market crashed. It was the start of the Great Depression. Many people lost their jobs and homes. The Bouviers were not hit nearly as hard; still, the family had to move to a smaller apartment. Janets father owned the building and let them live there without paying rent.

From her father, Jacqueline got a nicknameJackie. From her mother came Jackies love of horses. When Jackie was just a year old, Janet put her on a horse and began teaching her to ride.

Jackie on horseback at age five

The Crash of 1929

The date the stock market crashed, October 29, 1929, is known as Black Tuesday. Buying a stock is like buying a share or a part of a company. When a company you have stock in makes money, so do you. When the company loses money, you do, too. In the stock market, prices rise and fall every day.

On Black Tuesday, the stock market fell and lost $14 billion. The total loss that week was $30 billion. As the news of the crash spread, people rushed to banks to take out their money. But the banks did not have enough cash to give out to everyone. Many banks closed. Other businesses did, too. People lost their jobs and their homes. By 1933, many children living in the United States did not have enough to eat. The Great Depression lasted until the end of 1939.

On March 3, 1933, Jackies sister, Caroline Lee, was born. Caroline, who everyone called Lee, was more like the girls fatheroutgoing and daring.

Jackie was more like their mother. Besides horses, she loved books, and by the age of five, Jackie was reading on her own. She loved Mowgli from Rudyard Kiplings The Jungle Book, and the adventures of Robin Hood. Her mother wondered if Jackie might grow up to become a writer.

In 1935, Jackie enrolled at Miss Chapins, an all-girls school in New York City. She got top grades but was also a bit of a troublemaker. Once, Jackie smeared face cream on the schools toilet seats! She said she had been bored and just wanted to have a little fun.