As the finale for the 28 Days of Love series, here is an article about John (aka Jack) and Jackie Kennedy published in the August 1963 edition of Good Housekeeping magazine. JFK was assassinated only 3 month later. After reading this account of the Kennedys and their 2 young children living at the Whitehouse, no one would have imagined that Jackie was soon to be a widow and the country would soon have a new president. The timing of this article is striking.
The article gave the reader a glimpse of a typical day for the first lady. Young children such as 5 year old Caroline and 2 year old John Jr were a rare presence at the White House.
After the children’s nap, Mrs. Kennedy usually takes them outdoors to play. A jungle gym, sandbox, swing and slide have been set up behind the rhododendron bushes.
The article was clear to point out that the family had plenty of help with the children which gave Jackie time to spend on her First Lady duties.
There is no doubt that Mrs. Kennedy is serious about her devotion to her children, and that she arranges her schedule to spend hours of playtime with them every day. But rearing a child in a family of great wealth, in the White House or no, is not nearly so demanding as in most American households.
The First Family represented the quintessential mid-century life. Jack and Jackie were easily the most iconic couple of the time due to their status and good looks.
The story about the Kennedys was part of a bigger article written by Marianne Means titled “What Three Presidents Say About Their Wives”. The article included details about the marriages of past presidents Eisenhower and Truman as well as the Kennedys. More from this article will be shared in a future post. Meanwhile, I have scanned the pages written about the Kennedys. You can download them below.
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Fellow mid-century icon Marilyn Monroe was rumored to have had an affair with JFK. She famously preformed at his 45th birthday party by singing “Happy Birthday Mr. President” in May of the previous year. Marilyn committed suicide under questionable circumstances a few months later on August 5.
Her performance at JFK’s birthday event was described in an earlier Good Housekeeping article about Marilyn Monroe and her ex-father-in-law Isadore Miller. Here is an excerpt from that article and a link to the MidCenturyPage.com post to read the full article.
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