Mary Lincoln and Jackie Kennedy

[L Verge]

Just as I have a soft spot in my heart for Mary Lincoln, I have one for Jackie Kennedy. I think she took on a very large job when she married into the rambunctious and driven Kennedy family and brought a little grace and elegance to the fold. The fact that her sole surviving daughter, Caroline, arrived this week in Japan to become our country's ambassador to this critical ally speaks well of the upbringing that she received, IMO. Her son attracted more press attention, but he seemed to have been following a fairly straight path at the time of his death. Jackie once commented about the necessity to be a good parent, and I think she was. Even the questionable marriage to Onassis was probably driven by her desire to keep her children safe after the murder of Bobby Kennedy. Two assassinations of her husband and brother-in-law - all certainly political in nature and both within five years of each other - must have scared the beejeebies out of her. I would have been looking for a safe haven also.

As for her finding happiness: My personal feeling is that she did that after the death of Onassis when she returned to New York and took a job in the publishing world where her talents in the English language (and others) and intellect could be put to proper use. I also appreciate the work that she did in supporting the arts, and especially historic preservation, during those years. I think she also found the companionship of Maurice Templesman a calming and happy one until her death at a fairly early age. Frankly, I continue to admire the lady.