Jackie Kennedy and the Modern Presidency

You’ve heard the phrase: “Behind every successful man, there is a strong woman.” (Thank you, Eleanor Roosevelt!) In no case is this more true than in the story of John F. Kennedy’s presidency and legacy. Television made John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy the ultimate celebrity during his presidency, yet the JFK we remember is actually the one his wife, Jackie, created after his death.

While she was always pictured by her husband’s side, few people know how much of an impact she made on her own. From the Oval Office to the Rose Garden to Air Force One, Jackie’s stamp was on everything, and still is today.

Have you ever noticed how the presidential seal appears whenever the president speaks?  That’s thanks to Jackie. How did welcoming ceremonies for foreign leaders go from simple airport greetings to elaborate hosted events at the White House?  Jackie again.  And just hours after JFK’s death, still in a blood-splattered dress and carrying the grief of a world in shock, Jackie directed that his funeral reproduce the rites of Abraham Lincoln’s funeral a century earlier.  That decision would forever link JFK to Lincoln.

“He so wanted to be a great president. I think he still can be.” – Jackie Kennedy

Jack and Jackie were both obsessed by the judgements of history.  Two weeks after Jack’s death, Jackie famously stated, “He so wanted to be a great president. I think he still can be.”  She devoted the rest of her life to making him just that.  Today, JFK still remains the most popular U.S. president among those who have no living memory of him.

Learn more in the CuriosityStream original documentary JFK: Fact and Fable.

Copy Text