Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's Extraordinary Life in Photos

We're taking a look back on the life of an American icon.

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Jacqueline Kennedy
(Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives)

When Jaqueline Bouvier married John F. Kennedy in 1953, she became the other half of a society couple that was envied and idolized the world over. Soft-spoken and supremely stylish, Jackie first earned international fame as her husband's reluctant companion on the campaign trail. The two brought youth and optimism to the White House, but it was images of the First Lady and her young children bidding farewell to JFK after his tragic assassination that cemented the Kennedy legacy in history, making them iconic political and public figures for years to come. Beyond her life as a Kennedy, Jackie reinvented herself in her second marriage to Aristotle Onassis in 1968, and later embarked on her second chapter as a book editor in New York.

Now, more than 25 years after she passed away from Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 64, we're taking a look back on the remarkable life of Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis.

1934
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1934

A young Jaqueline Kennedy (née Bouvier), leading a pony at a Southampton horse show.

1948
(Image credit: Frances McLaughlin-Gill/ Condé Nast via Getty Images)

1948

Jackie, the daughter of a wealthy New York Stock Broker, at 18 posing for Vogue magazine.

1953
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1953

Jackie and her fiancée, John F. Kennedy, play tennis at his family's home in Hyannis Port, MA.

1953
(Image credit: Lisa Larsen/The LIFE Picture Collection)

1953

John and Jackie Kennedy at their wedding in Newport, Rhode Island.

1953
(Image credit: Lisa Larsen)

1953

Jackie wears her ivory silk wedding gown with a portrait neckline and a ruffled bouffant skirt, which was designed by custom New York City dressmaker Ann Lowe.

1954
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1954

JFK says goodbye to Jackie as she leaves their Washington D.C. townhouse to attend classes at the Georgetown University Foreign Service School. The newlyweds relocated to the nation's capitol for John's term as senator.

1955
(Image credit: Horst P. Horst/Conde Nast via Getty Images)

1955

Jackie poses with her sister, Lee.

1956
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1956

Five Kennedy women—Jackie, Patricia Lawford, Ethel Kennedy, Eunice Shriver, and Jean Kennedy—attend a party.

1958
(Image credit: Ed Clark/The TIME Picture Collection)

1958

JFK and Jackie relax at home with their first child, Caroline.

1959
(Image credit: Slim Aarons)

1959

Jackie Kennedy at the April in Paris ball in New York City.

1960
(Image credit: Paul Schutzer/The LIFE Picture)

1960

Jackie and her husband wave to crowds in Massachusetts during the beginning of his presidential campaign.

1960
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1960

Jackie, dressed for summer in a gingham print dress and pearls, relaxes with husband JFK and daughter Caroline.

1960
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1960

Jackie hosts reporters and editors for an interview over high tea at their Georgetown home during JFK's campaign in 1960.

1960
(Image credit: Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection)

1960

Jackie on the campaign trail for her husband Jack's presidential run.

1960
(Image credit: Alfred Eisenstaedt)

1960

Jackie scrapbooks newspaper clippings with her young daughter, Caroline, while her husband is on the presidential campaign trail.

1960
(Image credit: Paul Schutzer)

1960

Jackie joins her husband on-stage in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts the day after he was announced as the President-elect. The future First Lady was nine months pregnant with their son, John F. Kennedy Jr.

1960
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1960

Jackie with her newborn son, John F. Kennedy Jr., at his christening in Georgetown.

1961
(Image credit: Leonard McCombe/The LIFE Picture Collection)

1961

Jackie Kennedy stands along side her husband at his inauguration.

1961
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1961

On the evening of President Kennedy's inauguration, he and Jacqueline Kennedy arrive at the inaugural ball at the National Guard Armory in Washington D.C.

1961
(Image credit: Art Rickerby/The LIFE Picture Collection)

1961

Jackie and JFK on Air Force One as they arrive in Latin America.

1961
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1961

Jackie Kennedy wears her signature pillbox hat while attending an event as First Lady.

1961
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1961

Jackie Kennedy and Queen Elizabeth pose for photos during an American state visit to Buckingham Palace. The event was the first time an American president dined at the Palace since 1918 and was even depicted on Season 2 of The Crown.

1961
(Image credit: John F. Kennedy Library)

1961

The First Family arriving at the White House.

1961
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1961

Jackie tours the Theater of Epidaurus on a visit to Greece.

1961
(Image credit: Ed Clark)

1961

Shortly after moving into the White House, Jackie embarked on a complete restoration of the historic residence. Here, during a meeting of the White House restoration project, Jackie moves two antique footstools dating all the way back to the Teddy Roosevelt presidency.

1961
(Image credit: Mirrorpix)

1961

Jackie departs Buckingham Palace while on a private visit to London for her niece, Anna Christina Radziwill's christening.

1961
(Image credit: Paul Schutzer)

1961

Jackie Kennedy looks stunning in a white taffeta column evening gown for a state reception in Ottawa, Canada in 1961.

1962
(Image credit: NBC NewsWire)

1962

Jackie Kennedy hosts NBC News at the White House to discuss the original plans of the Kennedy Center (formerly known as the National Cultural Center).

1962
(Image credit: Cecil Stoughton/The LIFE Images Collection)

1962

John F. Kennedy Jr. is seen playing with his mother's pearls.

1962
(Image credit: Darren McCollester)

1962

Jackie stuns in a pale pink strapless gown as she and the President greet guests for an official dinner at the White House.

1962
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1962

The First Lady watches the America's Cup Race in Newport, Rhode Island.

1962
(Image credit: Art Rickerby/The LIFE Picture Collection)

1962

Jackie Kennedy poses in front of the Taj Mahal on a visit to India.

1962
(Image credit: John F. Kennedy Library)

1962

Jackie sits in a classroom while visiting daughter Caroline's school.

1962
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1962

JFK and Jackie spend the day sailing in Newport, Rhode Island during America's Cup.

1962
(Image credit: PhotoQuest)

1962

Jackie and her children on horseback in Glen Ora, the Kennedy Estate in Middleburg, Virginia.

1962
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1962

Jackie arrives to a U.S. State Department fashion show dressed in a classic cream tweed skirt suit, pearls, white gloves, and pillbox cap.

1962
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1962

The First Lady dressed casually while strolling with Marella Agnelli during a vacation on the Amalfi coast.

1962
(Image credit: John F. Kennedy Library)

1962

The Kennedys with Jackie's sister Lee and her husband, Prince Stanislas Radziwill, and their children at the White House.

1963
(Image credit: MPI)

1963

The First Family attend Mass in Palm Beach on Easter Sunday, shortly after announcing that Jackie was pregnant.

1963
(Image credit: Historical)

1963

A pregnant Jackie aboard a yacht in August 1963. Shortly thereafter, she would prematurely go into labor and give birth to a baby boy, Patrick, who tragically passed away at just a few days old.

1963
(Image credit: Art Rickerby/The LIFE Picture Collection)

1963

On the day President Kennedy was assassinated, Jackie arrived at the Dallas airport wearing a pink Chanel suit. Despite the bloodstains covering it, she wore it when Vice President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as President.

1963
(Image credit: George Silk/The LIFE Picture Collection)

1963

Jacqueline Kennedy holds the hands of her children, Caroline and JFK Jr., at the funeral of her husband, President Kennedy.

1963
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1963

Jackie moved out of the White House after her husband's death. The widow and her two small children stayed at a friend's residence in Georgetown before she bought a home of her own nearby. Here, Jackie leaves her new home with her sister, Lee Radziwill, and her decorators before moving in.

1964
(Image credit: PhotoQuest)

1964

Jackie Kennedy greets well-wishers in Washington D.C. following the assassination of her husband.

1964
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1964

The former First Lady appeared in a television special about her late husband on what would have been his 47th birthday. Here she arrives in Hyannis Port ahead of her appearance.

1965
(Image credit: Henry Groskinsky/The LIFE Picture Collection)

1965

Jackie arrives with Ted Kennedy and his wife Joan to meet Pope Paul VI.

1965
(Image credit: Michael Stroud)

1965

Jackie attends the dedication of a memorial to her late husband in Surrey, England.

1965
(Image credit: Ted West)

1965

Jackie and her sister Princess Lee Radziwill take their children and dogs for a walk, surrounded by security, in London.

1965
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1965

Jackie and her daughter Caroline enjoy themselves on a family ski trip.

1965
(Image credit: Hulton Archive)

1965

The former First Lady attends a private audience with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican.

1966
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1966

Jackie Kennedy wears a white lace Mantillas while at a bullfight in Seville, Spain with the Duchess of Alba.

1966
(Image credit: Express Newspapers)

1966

Jackie composes herself as she arrives at her younger sister's London home in 1966. She looked stylish in a white tattersall plaid coat.

1966
(Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives)

1966

Jackie and her son, John Jr. walk through a Florida airport.

1967
(Image credit: Larry Burrows)

1967

While visiting Cambodia in 1967, Jackie is presented with silver finger bowls by the Cambodian Prince Sihanouk. She wore a green one-shoulder evening gown and white elbow-length gloves for the occasion.

1967
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1967

The Kennedys take a horse-back ride while visiting Ireland during a summer holiday.

1967
(Image credit: Santi Visalli)

1967

Jackie stylishly dressed in a long-sleeve gown and gold bejeweled belt at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center.

1968
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1968

Jackie, her children, and the Radziwills visit the grave site of Robert F. Kennedy, her brother-in law, who was assassinated while running for President.

1968
(Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives)

1968

The former First Lady looks chic in a camel trench coat and her iconic dark sunglasses while out and about in Paris.

1968
(Image credit: Evening Standard)

1968

Jackie visits her sister Lee at her horse farm, Turville Grange, in the English countryside.

1968
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1968

On the day before her wedding to Aristotle Onassis, Jackie Kennedy and her children walk around Skorpios Island in Greece.

1968
(Image credit: Bill Ray/The LIFE Picture Collection)

1968

For her wedding to Greek magnate Aristotle Onassis, Jackie opted for a knee length pleated and lace Valentino dress and a simple white hair bow.

1968
(Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives)

1968

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on vacation in Greece.

1969
(Image credit: Time Life Pictures/The LIFE Picture Collection)

1969

Jackie and her second husband Aristotle Onassis celebrate their first wedding anniversary at the Neraida nightclub in Greece.

1970
(Image credit: Alain Dejean)

1970

As one of the most recognizable figures in the world, Jackie O attempts to go incognito in large sunglasses and a headscarf.

1970
(Image credit: Ron Galella)

1970

Arriving for dinner with husband Aristotle at the restaurant La Cote Basque in New York City.

1970
(Image credit: Ron Galella)

1970

Jackie and her sister Lee are spotted following a performance at the Alvin Theater in New York.

1970
(Image credit: Tom Wargacki)

1970

Jackie O makes her way through London's Heathrow Airport in a stylish ensemble.

1970
(Image credit: Pictorial Parade)

1970

Jackie on a bike ride in New York's Central Park.

1970
(Image credit: Ron Galella)

1970

Jackie, a life-long equestrian, wears riding gear while at a horse show with her family.

1970
(Image credit: Tom Wargacki)

1970

Jackie out with her second husband, Aristotle Onassis, in New York City.

1970
(Image credit: Ron Galella)

1970

Jackie and her sister, Lee Radziwill, take their children on a shopping trip in Capri, Italy.

1970
(Image credit: Ron Galella/WireImage)

1970

Jackie O smiles onboard a boat off of Skorpios in Greece.

1971
(Image credit: Ron Galella)

1971

Jackie Kennedy Onassis is photographed by Ron Galella as she walks in her Upper East Side neighborhood in New York.

1972
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1972

Jackie and her sister Lee at a party with Norman Mailer (far right).

1973
(Image credit: Henri Bureau)

1973

Jackie and her children on vacation in the South of France.

1973
(Image credit: Tom Wargacki)

1973

Arriving for dinner at the 21 Club in New York City.

1974
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1974

Aristotle Onassis and Jackie relax on a boat while cruising down the Nile River.

1975
(Image credit: Hulton Archive)

1975

Jackie Onassis and her children Caroline and John F. Kennedy Jr. attend the funeral of her second husband, Aristotle Onassis.

1976
(Image credit: Bettmann)

1976

Photographed with the New York City skyline behind her as she sails through New York Harbor from Staten Island.

1976
(Image credit: Tom Wargacki)

1976

Jackie arrives at the Metropolitan Opera House.

1976
(Image credit: Tom Wargacki)

1976

Jackie Onassis arrives for an event with Tom Guinzburg for whom she worked as an editor at Viking Press.

1976
(Image credit: Ron Galella)

1976

Wearing her signature over-sized sunglasses and a striped shirt at the annual RFK Pro-Celebrity tennis tournament.

1976
(Image credit: Ron Galella)

1976

Attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art's 'Glory of Russian Costume' Exhibit.

1977
(Image credit: Images Press)

1977

Jacqueline and her friend Henry Geldzahler in New York City.

1977
(Image credit: Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection)

1977

Jackie Kennedy Onassis in her office at Viking Press where she worked as an editor during her third act.

1977
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1977

Jackie and her children, John and Caroline, attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.

1979
(Image credit: Ron Galella)

1979

Attending the Costume Institute Gala a the Met celebrating 'Fashions of the Hapsburg Era.'

1980
(Image credit: Micahel Abramson/The LIFE Images Collection)

1980

Jackie leaves a fundraiser for her brother-in-law Ted Kennedy's presidential campaign.

1981
(Image credit: David McGough/The LIFE Picture Collection)

1981

Seen walking in New York City.

1984
(Image credit: Images Press)

1984

Attending a social event in New York City.

1986
(Image credit: Images Press)

1986

Jacqueline Onassis with brother-in-law Ted Kennedy at her daughter Caroline's wedding in Hyannis Port.

1989
(Image credit: Time Life Pictures/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection)

1989

With her children Caroline and John F. Kennedy Jr.

1992
(Image credit: New York Post Archives)

1992

Jackie leaves a polling location after showing her support for the democratic candidate, Robert Abrams, in the 1992 New York state Senate race.

1993
(Image credit: JOHN MOTTERN)

1993

Democratic President, Bill Clinton, chats with JFK Jr. and Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis at the opening of the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.

1994
(Image credit: Steve Allen)

1994

Jackie and Templesman sit on a bench in Central Park only a few months before her death from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in May 1994.

Charlotte Chilton
Charlotte Chilton