From a broken engagement to a marriage marked by tragedy, and finally, to a controversial second husband, this is the iconic former First Lady’s story of love and loss.

Raised to believe that wealth and power were the keys to a successful marriage, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis found herself torn between love and duty at 22 when she fell for a man her mother deemed unworthy.

He later recalled how she ended things in an unexpectedly cold manner and walked away without a word. Soon after, Jacqueline moved on, stepping into a world of politics and prestige — one that would shape the rest of her life.

A Love That Wasn’t Meant to Be

Before Jacqueline became one of the most iconic First Ladies in American history, she was a young woman torn between independence and the expectations placed upon her.

Marriage seemed to offer the independence she longed for and this led to a brief engagement to New York stockbroker John G. W. Husted Jr.

Her professional ambitions led her to Vogue, where she briefly worked as a junior editor at 21. With a degree in French literature, she was well-suited for the role.

However, by mid-morning on her first day, she resigned. She reportedly feared that working in a female-dominated environment would limit her chances of meeting the kind of husband her mother, Janet Bouvier Auchincloss, expected her to marry.

By the time she was twenty-two, Jacqueline felt a strong pull toward domestication, wanting to establish her own identity outside of their mother’s control.

Marriage seemed to offer the independence she longed for and this led to a brief engagement to New York stockbroker John G. W. Husted Jr.

She was introduced to John by her mother in 1951. After meeting John through high-society connections orchestrated by her husband, Standard Oil heir Hugh Auchincloss, Jacqueline’s stepfather, Janet knew he would be perfect for her daughter.

Unlike the boisterous and flashy men she had previously encountered, John was polished, well-educated, and came from a respected family. He was a Yale graduate, a World War II veteran, and had built a promising career as a stockbroker.

Jacqueline’s mother had always emphasized that financial security was the key to happiness.

Following their introduction, his romance with Jacqueline quickly blossomed. John recalled their first date at a Dancing Class in Washington, a formal social event. “I was immediately attracted to her, and we began seeing each other every weekend,” he said.

By January 1952, they were engaged, and Jacqueline was convinced she had found the love of her life. In a heartfelt letter to Father Joseph Leonard, she wrote:

“I’m so terribly much in love – for the first time – and I want to get married. And I KNOW I will marry this boy. I don’t have to think and wonder – as I always have before – if they are the right one. I just KNOW he is and it’s the deepest happiest feeling in the world.”

But love alone wasn’t enough — at least not in the eyes of her mother, who had a very clear vision for her daughter’s future.

Jacqueline’s mother had always emphasized that financial security was the key to happiness. At one of the family’s mother-daughter teas, she asked her girls — including Jacqueline’s sisters Lee and Janet Jr. — “Do you know what the secret to ‘Happily Ever After’ is?”

Before they could answer, she declared, “Money and power.” Having divorced Jacqueline’s father, John Vernou “Black Jack” Bouvier III, Janet remarried Hugh, cementing her belief that wealth was crucial to stability.

She instilled this lesson in her daughters, making it clear that a husband’s fortune was just as important as his character. Unfortunately for John, despite his respectable background, he didn’t meet Janet’s financial expectations.

When she later inquired about his earnings, he admitted to making $17,000 a year — a decent salary, but not enough for the extravagant lifestyle Janet envisioned for Jackie. He later recalled:

“My prospects for making more money were reasonable but not assured. And I had no great family fortune, at least not the kind she wanted for Jackie.”

Without a word, she slipped her engagement ring into his jacket pocket.

Jacqueline was taken aback when she learned the extent of John’s financial situation, who was making almost three times less than her father was when he married her mother more than 20 years earlier. “How did I not know this?” she asked her mother. “You tell me,” Janet countered.

During a family dinner at Merrywood, the Auchincloss estate, the topic of John came up. Jacqueline, visibly concerned, confessed that she didn’t want to hurt him.

However, Janet dismissed her worries. “Why care about him when, in a week, he won’t be in our lives?” she said. “We won’t even remember his name.”

After dinner, Janet pushed her daughter to end the engagement. Jacqueline, reluctant but obedient, insisted she wanted to do it kindly. “But it’s not your job to take care of his feelings,” Janet reminded her. “That’s what his family is for.”

John visited Merrywood for the weekend, unaware of what awaited him. Days later, Jacqueline took him to the airport for his return flight. Without a word, she slipped her engagement ring into his jacket pocket. John later recalled:

“She was ice cold. Like we never knew each other. I understood that the end had come. I never heard from her again. Not ever.”

Jackie and John – A Marriage That Defined an Era

After breaking off her engagement to John, Jacqueline moved forward with her life, unaware that she was about to meet her future husband and president of America.

When she was introduced to John F. Kennedy, a charismatic young senator from Massachusetts, the attraction was immediate. Jacqueline captivated him with her distinctive gaze, holding onto his every word.

Unlike the women he typically surrounded himself with, she carried a quiet elegance rather than the boldness of his sisters or the overt allure of his past girlfriends.

Beyond their fertility struggles, the couple’s marriage was tested by John’s well-known infidelities.

There was also something unique about her appearance. Her features were striking, her hands strong, and her frame slender, yet her beauty was undeniable. John later told a friend:

“I’ve never met anyone like her. She’s different from any girl I know.”

In 1953, Jacqueline and John married in a lavish ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island, attended by political elites and high society figures.

The couple would go on to have four children, though only two — Caroline and John F. Kennedy Jr. — survived infancy. In 1956, she gave birth to a stillborn daughter, Arabella, a loss that devastated her. Their heartbreak continued in 1963 when their newborn son, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, died just 39 hours after birth.

Beyond their fertility struggles, the couple’s marriage was tested by John’s well-known infidelities. By most accounts, Jacqueline was aware of her husband’s affairs. A close family friend said:

“It was a marriage of its time. It was kinetic between them. She wasn’t trying to change him.”

Others, however, reported that John’s unfaithfulness was a source of tension between them. “There were many senators and people who worked for the president who were really well aware of the conversations that Jackie had with JFK, in which she made it really clear that she knew what was going on,” author J. Randy Taraborrelli shared.

“She wasn’t naive to it. They did have many conversations about it, and she did tell him that she was sick of it and she didn’t like it,” he added. But despite everything, their connection remained strong. A friend of the couple revealed:

“At the end of the day, Jack came back to Jackie — and that was it. They loved each other.”

Proof of Jacqueline’s devotion to John surfaced decades later when her handwritten letters and meal plans for him were put up for auction in July 2023, revealing the depth of her care for her husband.

Love, Loss, and a New Beginning

On November 22, 1963, Jacqueline’s world as she knew it was shattered. While riding through the streets of Dallas in an open-top limousine, John was shot and killed beside her.

As she struggled to cope, the tragedy left her in a deep depression, and according to biographer Barbara Leaming, Jacqueline exhibited symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The American Psychiatric Association did not officially recognize PTSD until 1980, but Barbara argued that Jacqueline’s behavior in the years following the assassination aligned with the disorder’s symptoms.

Lee was devastated when she learned of her sister’s plans to marry the man she loved.

Following this tragedy, Jacqueline turned to Aristotle Onassis, a Greek shipping magnate. “Jackie said it best — that he rescued her from the darkest time in her life. He protected her and her children,” Randy revealed. However, their union was not without complications.

Years earlier, Lee had fallen in love with Aristotle while married to Prince Stanislaw Radziwill, with whom she had two children. “Lee fell hard for him,” Randy said. He added:

“The only reason she did not end up with him at the time was because with JFK in office and Jacqueline as the First Lady, Janet said to her, ‘You’re not going to bring this kind of scandal to your sister’s doorstep and into the White House.'”

“She tells her, ‘You have to leave him. You have to do it for your sister.’ Ultimately, Lee did and she still held out hope that things would work out for the two of them,” Randy continued.

When Jacqueline was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1993 — the same time that Lee’s son was also battling cancer — their shared struggles brought them together.

But Lee’s hopes were dashed when Jacqueline, drowning in grief, accepted Aristotle’s proposal. “After Bobby was killed, as much as she wanted to be with him, she gave him up for Jackie,” Randy explained.

Lee was devastated when she learned of her sister’s plans to marry the man she loved. She arrived in Greece for the wedding in October 1968, angry and hurt.

But when she saw Jacqueline’s relief after so much loss, she softened. As they embraced, Jacqueline whispered to her sister, “I need this, Lee.” Randy shared:

“Lee realized that Jackie, who was suffering from PTSD over J.F.K., who was drinking and having nightmares and suicidal thoughts — that she did need it.”

Still, the decision haunted Lee for the rest of her life. In the years that followed, they experienced periods of closeness and distance. The sisters’ relationship had always been complicated, with a rivalry that had been fostered by their mother.

When Jacqueline was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1993 — the same time that Lee’s son was also battling cancer — their shared struggles brought them together. However, the years of rivalry, resentment, and unresolved wounds were never fully healed.

But despite this, when Lee visited Jacqueline’s bedside the day before she died in May 1994, she put everything aside to say goodbye. “I love you so much. I always have, Jacks. I hope you know it,” Lee said.

Jacqueline’s path to love was shaped by duty, loss, and survival. Forced to abandon her first engagement, she married John, only to endure personal heartbreak and his tragic assassination.

Seeking protection, she turned to Aristotle — her sister’s former lover — forever altering their complicated bond. In the end, Jacqueline’s choices were never just about love but about securing her future in a world that demanded it.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “help” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.