On this day, May 19, 1994, Jackie (Bouvier) Kennedy Onassis passed away in her New York City apartment after a battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She was 64 years old.
The enigmatic and glamorous first lady, a global style icon, was born Jacqueline Lee Bouvier on July 28, 1929 in Southampton, New York, to socialite mother Janet Lee and stockbroker father John “Black Jack” Bouvier, according to Ancestralfindings.com.
After a privileged childhood spent in New York City and East Hampton, New York; Virginia; and Newport, Rhode Island, Bouvier enrolled at Vassar College in 1947.
He studied abroad at the Sorbonne in Paris during his junior year, according to History.com.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, MAY 18, 1980, MOUNT ST. HELENS ERUPTS, TRIGGERING THE LARGEST LANDSLIDE IN RECORDED HISTORY
She excelled as an equestrian at a young age and also excelled in ballet dancing. She was fluent in several languages, noted Ancestralfindings.com.
Bouvier graduated from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in 1951, according to History.com.
The first official White House photograph of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Washington, DC, 1961. (Mark Shaw/Underwood Archives/Getty Images)
The summer after graduating, Bouvier was working as a photographer at the Washington Times-Herald when she was introduced to John F. Kennedy at a friend's party in DC.
At the time, Kennedy was a young representative from Massachusetts.
“They did not begin a romantic relationship until almost a year later and became engaged in June 1953,” notes History.com.
By this time, Kennedy had won election to the United States Senate.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, MAY 17, 1954, THE SUPREME COURT DEMELIES SEGREGATION IN THE CASE OF LANDMARK BROWN V. BOARD
The couple married on September 12, 1953 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Newport, Rhode Island.
So Sen. Kennedy suffered crippling back pain from football and wartime injuries and began undergoing corrective surgeries, according to the JFK Library and Museum website.
The book “Profiles in Courage” received the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 1957.
While recovering from surgery, Mrs. Kennedy encouraged her husband to write a book about American senators who risked their careers to advocate for the issues they supported.
The book “Profiles in Courage” received the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 1957.
That same year, the couple's first daughter, Caroline, was born, according to the library.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, MAY 15, 1800, PRESIDENT ADAMS MOVES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FROM PHILADELPHIA TO DC
In January 1960, Senator Kennedy announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. During the campaign, Jackie Kennedy became pregnant with her second child. Doctors advised her to stay home.
While at home, Mrs. Kennedy “wrote hundreds of campaign letters, filmed television advertisements, gave interviews and wrote a weekly newspaper column, 'Campaign Wife,' which was syndicated throughout the country,” according to the website. from the library.
John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier appear at the Kennedy family home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts, shortly after their engagement was announced. The elegant couple appears together on the lawn of the estate. (Getty Images)
On November 8, 1960, Kennedy defeated Republican Richard M. Nixon in a close race to win the presidency.
“Two and a half weeks later, Mrs. Kennedy gave birth to her second son, John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr.,” the site says.
During their tenure in the White House, President Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy “brought a new, youthful spirit to the White House, which they believed should be a place to celebrate American history, culture and achievements,” the site says. library website.
Mrs. Kennedy also accompanied the president on official trips, representing the United States abroad.
“Every once in a while, an individual will capture the imagination of people around the world. You have done this.”
Clark Clifford, a respected lawyer and advisor to President Kennedy, was so pleased with Mrs. Kennedy after her trip to Paris, Vienna and Greece that he sent her a thank-you note, according to the JFK Library.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, MAY 13, 1981, POPE JOHN PAUL II SURVIVES MURDER ATTEMPT
It read: “Every now and then, an individual will capture the imagination of people around the world. You have done this and, more importantly, through your kindness and tact, you have transformed this rare achievement into an incredibly important asset to this nation.”
As first lady, Mrs. Kennedy also traveled to Italy, India and Pakistan.
Jacqueline Kennedy, above, at her Georgetown home in August 1960. (Getty Images)
“His interest in other cultures and his ability to speak several foreign languages, including French, Spanish and Italian, brought him goodwill and admiration around the world,” the JFK Library said.
On August 7, 1963, Mrs. Kennedy gave birth to the couple's third child, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy. The baby suffered from lung disease and was rushed to Boston Children's Hospital, where he died two days later.
While still reeling from the loss, a second tragedy befell the first lady…and the nation.
The word “Camelot” is a unique part of Kennedy's legacy.
On November 22, 1963, President and Mrs. Kennedy were in Dallas, Texas, as the president prepared for his upcoming campaign by visiting important states for his re-election.
“As his car drove slowly past cheering crowds, gunshots were heard. President Kennedy was assassinated and Jacqueline Kennedy was widowed at age 34,” notes the JFK Library.
“As it was broadcast around the world, millions of people shared his pain and admired his courage and dignity,” the same site says.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, MAY 8, 1945, PRESIDENT TRUMAN ANNOUNCES THE RESIGNATION OF NAZI GERMANY FORCES IN WORLD WAR II
The word “Camelot” is a unique part of Kennedy's legacy.
The Kennedys “also created the perception that Kennedy's presidency was like the Age of Camelot, a mythical time associated with a sense of unfulfilled promise,” the National Park Service website says.
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy leave the Capital Building by car shortly after the former was sworn in as President of the United States in Washington, DC, on January 20, 1961. (Getty Images)
Mrs. Kennedy had a deep knowledge of both her husband and his ideals, according to the Center for Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California.
After the death of her husband, in an interview given to LIFE magazine shortly before leaving the White House, Jackie Kennedy said that her husband had always looked at history with an idealized vision, notes that site.
“Let's not forget that there was once a place, for a brief shining moment, that was known as Camelot,” she said, citing her late husband's favorite musical, “Camelot,” People.com said.
He also said: “There will be great presidents again, but there will never be another Camelot.”
“In the 1970s he played an important role in saving Grand Central Terminal in New York City.”
After President Kennedy's death, Mrs. Kennedy began work on the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum as a memorial to her husband, the library notes.
In 1968, Mrs. Kennedy married the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.
They were married until his death in 1975, says Brittanica.com.
President John F. Kennedy's brother Robert F. Kennedy (far left), his sister Patricia Lawford, his daughter Caroline Kennedy, his widow Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy and his son John F. Kennedy Jr. leave the United States Capitol after of accompanying the president's casket to the Capitol Rotunda on November 24, 1963. (JFK Library/National Park Service/Abbie Rowe via Reuters)
After the death of her second husband, Jackie Kennedy worked as a consulting editor at Viking Press and later as an associate and senior editor at Doubleday, the site notes.
“He also maintained his interest in the arts and in the preservation of iconic monuments and, in particular, in the 1970s he played an important role in saving Grand Central Terminal in New York City,” adds Britannica.
“And now it's in God's hands.”
Jackie Kennedy continued her work in book publishing until her death on May 19, 1994 from cancer.
Standing under the entrance canopy outside his New York City apartment, his son, John F. Kennedy, Jr., spoke to the press gathered outside the building.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“As you probably know, last night, around 10:15, my mother passed away,” he said, in part, as UPI reported at the time.
“She was surrounded by her family, her friends, and her books—the people and things she loved. She did it her way and on her own terms. We all feel very lucky about that.”
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
And he added: “And now she is in the hands of God.”
Tragically, the son Jackie Kennedy loved so much died in a plane crash just five years later, on July 16, 1999, along with his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette.
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was buried next to President Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, according to the JFK Library and Museum website.
For more lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyle.
