Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, wife of President John F. Kennedy, captivated the world as she evolved from political wife to widow to pop-culture icon and became famous in her own right as Jackie O. Jacqueline was complex, creative, elegant, intelligent, and ambitious; qualities which endeared her to many and which ensured her a place in the history of twentieth century American celebrities.

Jacqueline was born to wealthy parents, John (Black Jack) Vernou Bouvier, III and Janet Lee, in East Hampton, New York, on July 28, 1929. In 1947, she was dubbed "debutante of the year," and was the toast of East Coast society. Jacqueline's parents divorced in 1940, but her mother married wealthy Hugh Dudley Auchincloss, which permitted Jacqueline and her sister Lee to live on in wealth and privilege. She was educated at Vassar College, studied one year in France...