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Campaign
 “All the talk over what I wear and how I fix my hair has amused and puzzled me…What does my hairdo have to do with my husband’s ability to be President?”
—Jacqueline Kennedy
John F. Kennedy announced his presidential candidacy in January 1960. From the start, Jacqueline Kennedy was a valuable contributor to her husband’s campaign. Not only did her charm and ability to connect with people serve the campaign well, but also did her proficiency in French and Spanish. She even acquired some Polish and Italian along the way.
 Her personal style, however, soon became a focus of interest everywhere she went. In fact, her preference for French fashion drew some unwelcome media attention, spurring the opponent’s wife, Pat Nixon, to publicly defend American designers. This ultimately led the first lady to trust an American-based designer, Oleg Cassini, with coordinating much of her “official” wardrobe.
Mrs. Kennedy retired from the grind of the campaign in the final months of her pregnancy. Even so, she continued to write her nationally syndicated column, ?Campaign Wife,? from the sidelines. John F. Kennedy won the election on November 8, 1960, and John F. Kennedy, Jr., was born later that month.
In the exhibition, you’ll see footage from the campaign trail, dresses Jacqueline Kennedy wore while campaigning, and Kennedy campaign memorabilia.
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