7. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
During her brief stay in the White House as America’s First Lady, Jackie Kennedy left an enduring impression. She commissioned and approved the paint scheme for Air Force One, an iconic image of the power of the Presidency around the world. Her renovation of the White House, followed by a guided tour of the Executive Mansion televised to the nation, demonstrated her sense of style and taste. Millions of American women emulated, or attempted to emulate, her style of dress, her hats, and her graciousness. Her influence extended to a generation of young American women and girls. Around the world she was known by the name Jackie; even Pope John XXIII so addressed her when he received her in Rome, accompanied with a Papal hug.
The memories of her courage and poise following the stunning murder of her husband as she sat at his side haunted the nation at the time and for decades. In the terrible four days of his death and national mourning which followed, she displayed her pain and her resolve simultaneously, planning his funeral, standing publicly with head held high, her children’s hands in hers. Jackie’s dignity in the midst of a horrible tragedy helped hold the nation together, earning her the admiration of all who saw her at one of American history’s worst times. Subsequent events led to scandal and gossip, some true and some false, but there is no question she was a positive influence whose contributions to American history as First Lady and as a widow are still seen and felt.