Jacqueline Kennedy: First Lady of the New Frontier (Modern First Ladies) [Hardcover]

Barbara A. Perry (Author)

Book Description

Series: Modern First Ladies | Publication Date: September 2004

In a mere one thousand days, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy created an entrancing public persona that has remained intact for nearly forty years. Even now, a decade after her death, she remains a figure of enduring-and endearing-interest. Yet, while innumerable books have focused on the legends and gossip surrounding this charismatic figure, Barbara Perry's is the first to focus largely on Kennedy's White House years, portraying a First Lady far more complex and enigmatic than previously perceived.

Noting how Jackie's celebrity and devotion to privacy have for years precluded a more serious treatment, Perry's engaging and well-crafted story illuminates Kennedy's immeasurable impact on the institution of the First Lady. Perry vividly illustrates the complexities of Jacqueline Bouvier's marriage to John F. Kennedy, and shows how she transformed herself from a reluctant political wife to an effective, confident presidential partner. Perry is especially illuminating in tracing the First Lady's mastery of political symbolism and imagery, along with her use of television and state entertainment to disseminate her work to a global audience.

By offering the White House as a stage for the arts, Jackie also bolstered the president's Cold War efforts to portray the United States as the epitome of a free society. From redecorating the White House to championing Lafayette Square's preservation to lending her name to fund-raising for the National Cultural Center, she had a profound impact on the nation's psyche and cultural life. Meanwhile, her fashionable clothes and glamorous hairdos stood in stark contrast to the dowdiness of her predecessors and the drab appearances of Communist leaders' spouses.

Never before or since has a First Lady (and her husband) sparkled with so much hope and vigor on the stage of American public life. Perry's deft narrative captures all of that and more, even as it also insightfully depicts Jackie's struggles to preserve her own identity amid the pressures of an institution she changed forever.

Grounded on the author's painstaking research into previously overlooked or unavailable archives, at the Kennedy Library and elsewhere, as well as interviews with Jacqueline Kennedy's close associates, Perry's work expands and enriches our understanding of a remarkable American woman.

This book is part of the Modern First Ladies series.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Written to assess "Jackie Kennedy's historical impact on the institution of the First Lady," this account by Perry, a professor of government, chronicles Kennedy's push to restore the White House, promote the arts and cultural institutions, and define her husband's legacy. Perry argues that Kennedy was significant, in part, because she was a transitional figure. She was, according to Perry, among the last of the "traditional First Ladies"—women who defined themselves as "supportive spouses/model wives"—but she also stepped out of that role. In fact, Kennedy "established a pattern that her successors could adopt and adapt to publicize their own less traditional policy agendas." However, Perry spends little time expanding this insight. Instead, her book chronicles Kennedy's work and decision making in minute detail, recounting the particulars of correspondence between the First Lady and her staff about White House decor or plans for redesigning Lafayette Square. Perry also portrays Kennedy as a woman who presented herself, her family and the White House as icons of American freedom designed to promote democracy and challenge the legitimacy of Soviet communism. But once again, this argument remains undeveloped. Perry's study provides few new analytic insights about Jacqueline's tenure in the White House or beyond. The book's strength lies in Perry's attention to detail. 16 photos.
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From the Back Cover

"Free from Camelot idolatry and untainted by revisionist sensationalism, Perry delivers a nuanced and insightful profile of Jacqueline Kennedy's fascinating life, from debutante to First Lady to custodian of her husband's legacy. More clearly than ever, we can now appreciate how much she changed the institution of First Lady and, also, how much it changed her."--Douglas Brinkley, author of Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War

"Perry has done a superb job, looking beyond the multitude of myths surrounding one of our most enigmatic First Ladies to reveal not just what she did but how her inner circle worked. . . . An important contribution."--Betty Boyd Caroli, author of First Ladies: From Martha Washington to Laura Bush

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Kansas (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0700613439
• ISBN-13: 978-0700613434
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,197,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( O ) > Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy

More About the Author

I used to tease my dear mother that she turned me into a political scientist at the tender age of four! In October 1960 she loaded me and my two older brothers into our '56 Chevy for a trip to downtown Louisville, Kentucky, to attend a presidential campaign rally and see her new political hero--Senator John F. Kennedy. We arrived early and stood right in front of the podium where the handsome candidate spoke and reached over to shake my brother's hand. I was hooked! From that point on, I adored politics and began a life-long fascination with the Kennedy clan. On family vacations, I would urge my parents to stop at all the historic sights and memorials dedicated to JFK and his family. From Boston, to Hyannis Port, to Palm Beach, to Georgetown, to Arlington Cemetery, we made the pilgrimage.

On a high school field trip to Washington, D.C., I sat outside the White House and vowed to my mother that someday I would come back to work in the nation's capital. I did--from internships to fellowships--in all three branches of government. With a master's degree from Oxford and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, I became a specialist on the presidency, the Supreme Court, and, of course, the Kennedys. In addition to serving as a Supreme Court Fellow, I have produced five books on the justices, appointments, and civil rights and liberties. My book on First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy continues to prompt media inquiries, especially comparing Mrs. Obama to "Jackie O." Currently, I am writing a political biography of Rose Kennedy, based on her recently released papers at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jacqueline Kennedy Through a Different Prism, May 16, 2005

By 

T. R. Yarborough (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jacqueline Kennedy: First Lady of the New Frontier (Modern First Ladies) (Hardcover)

As one of the most charismatic and intriguing women in modern American history, Jacqueline Kennedy has been the subject of numerous books, articles, and even made-for-television movies. Those attempts, however, focused almost exclusively on Mrs. Kennedy's aura of celebrity---until now. Enter Dr. Barbara Perry, the Carter Glass Professor of Government at Sweet Briar College in Virginia. In "Jacqueline Kennedy: First Lady of the New Frontier," Perry does an outstanding job of telling a familiar story from a scholar's perspective. She provides a highly readable, yet serious examination of Jacqueline Kennedy in the White House.

In researching the glamorous and sometimes enigmatic First Lady, Dr. Perry states that her mission "was to write the first scholarly treatment of her [Kennedy's] work as first lady and filter out the extremes of previous books that range from hagiographic tributes to mean-spirited or sensationalized accounts." That mission was a particularly daunting one in that Jacqueline Kennedy's personal papers and oral history, located in the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, remain closed. Not to be dissuaded, Dr. Perry apparently did exhaustive research into virtually every available primary source. The result is a fascinating, insightful look at a first lady who emerges as a surprisingly assertive, independent, and even bold actor on the White House stage. Jackie, of course, is best known as the driving force in the restoration of the White House, but she was equally influential in the creation of the White House Historical Society, the preservation of Lafayette Square, and support of the arts. Her personl correspondence on these projects is quite revealing, suggesting that she had a clear vision of how the White House, the presidency, and the first family should be presented to the public---and how she attempted to preserve and present her own identity. Professor Perry is especially effective in exploring this area, having previously authored a compelling analysis of the symbolism and imagery of the U.S. Supreme Court and how the court presents itself to the public (see "The Priestly Tribe: The Supreme Court's Image in the American Mind").

Barbara Perry's work is a much-appreciated scholarly addition to the body of literature on Jacqueline Kennedy. Until the Kennedy papers are opened to the public (in about 40 years), it will stand unchallenged as the definitive account for viewing and understanding an American icon inside the White House.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating account of a fascinating woman, June 18, 2006

By 

Cindy Gerlach Mueller "So Many Books, So Litt... (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jacqueline Kennedy: First Lady of the New Frontier (Modern First Ladies) (Hardcover)

Unlike more gosspiy biographies, political scientist Barbara Perry approaches the life of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy as a scholar. She writes about the early influences in her life, her role as first lady and the passions and causes that she undertook in her official life. Perry touches on such issues as JFK's infidelity and deftlly handles the criticism leveled at Mrs. Kennedy for, among other things, her spending on her wardrobe and her "francophile" attachments. So while the book doesn't get bogged down in the tawdry details of their personal lives, neither does it ignore them. It's a well-written, well-documented account of a White House that was so different than any other in modern times -- much due, in part, to the youth and flair of Jacqueline Kennedy. For those who want an objective account, this is an excellent read.