When it comes to holding the position of the First Lady of the United States of America, every woman who has had the title has filled the role a little differently. Duties change along with responsibilities and just like the President, the First Lady has different perspectives and causes they wish to focus on. Among some of the most famous and influential First Ladies to have graced the White House are Dolley Madison, Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, and of course, Jackie Kennedy.
Continuing on through our journey of the top 100 Greatest Women on Coins as curated by Whitman Publishing, we take a deeper look into one of the most famous and popular First Ladies in American history. With help from author Ron Guth, we take a look at her time in the White House that ended in one of the most tragic events that have ever occurred to this nation.
#9 - Jacqueline “Jackie” Kennedy
Born Jacqueline Lee Bouvier in July of 1929, Jackie was an accomplished child and a member of high society. She attended Vassar College, the University of Grenoble, the Sorbonne (University of Paris), and George Washington University. She would conclusively earn an undergraduate degree in French literature.
In 1953, she would marry United States Senator John F. Kennedy who would, later on, become the 35th President of the United States in 1960. Young, attractive, and enthusiastic would be the terms to describe the couple as America found themselves infatuated with them. With her poise, elegance, sophistication, and high fashion sense, Jackie became a benefit to JFK’s image. Her intelligence, not to mention her knowledge of French history and ability to speak the language, came as a major asset and lifted American prestige when the young couple visited France in 1961. She also became a part of the redecoration efforts that turned the White House into a “historic house for the American people” instead of just a “home for the president and his family.”
Sadly, on November 23, 1963, Jackie and the world would be shocked when her husband, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated at the hands of Lee Harvey Oswald. The tragic event would be one of the most remembered in history as everyone who was alive at the time would know exactly where they were when it happened. The now-famous images of Jackie would circulate of her immediately after the shooting where she had to take part in the swearing-in of then Vice President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson. More images of her in mourning wearing a black dress next to her children and her husband’s grave have now been made famous.
Soon after President Kennedy’s death, Jackie would begin her work on building the John F. Kennedy Library which would be used to commemorate her husband’s life. Jackie would later marry Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis in 1968. She would then become known as “Jackie O”. Aristotle would pass in 1975 and she would move on to become a book editor in addition to heading up preservation efforts in Washington, D.C. and New York City. In May of 1994, she would die from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Jackie, as popular and admire as she was, appeared on very few coins. The country of Liberia issued a $10 coin in 2002, but the United States still had not featured the First Lady. That changed in 2015 when she finally appeared on the First Spouse gold coin. Because of her popularity, the United States Mint actually tripled the mintage of the bullion coin that featured her without doing so for the other three issued that year. She also appeared on a First Spouse bronze medal.
Ron Guth, the author of the Whitman publication, finds the collecting difficulty of coins featuring the First Lady moderate. He states that while they are not necessarily rare, they are harder to find than some. While her gold First Spouse coin is attractive, it is comprised of half an ounce of gold which makes the coin expensive for most collectors.