The President and Mrs. Kennedy with son John at the family’s weekend home.

Jackie Kennedy returned from her European trip on October 17, 1963 refreshed.

The President driving his wife and son and a friend on a golf cart, exploring the woods of their new property, October 27, 1963.

In fact, President Kennedy telephoned Greece to speak directly to Aristotle Onassis, who had hosted the First Lady and her sister on his yacht, and profusely thanked the shipping tycoon for the hospitality shown her and the resulting optimism with which she had returned.

By the time Jackie Kennedy was back in the White House, she was especially longing to spend not just a few hours with her husband and their two children but several long days.

In August, shortly after White House Chief Usher J.B. West had learned that Patrick Kennedy had died, he immediately had staff remove the crib and other items intended for his use from the executive mansion.

A room furnished to accomodate her infant son Patrick, who died at two days old. 001

He also asked military aides to do likewise at the family’s new but as-yet unlived-in weekend near Atoka, Virginia, named “Wexford.”

She was eager to finally have not friends and family members come down there to enjoy it, but her husband and children..

First Lady Jackie Kennedy riding her horse at Atoka.

Being married to the President of the United States, however, meant that the immediate days had already long been spoken for.

On Saturday and Sunday, October 19 and 20, the first weekend she was back in the U.S., he would be delivering a speech at the University of Maine and be honored at a large political dinner in Boston, a “New England Salute to the Pesident.” There was also the White House welcoming ceremony and meetings with the President of Bolivia that Tuesday, the 22nd, to prepare for.

The White House nanny Maude Shaw with her wards John Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy on her pony, Clipper in tow.

They finally went down to Wexford that next weekend of Saturday and Sunday, October 26 and 27, joined there by the President’s lifelong friend Lem Billings.

Although he wasn’t harsh or critical of the place, JFK wasn’t sure he really liked it there. As his sister Eunice recalled, there was not yet a paved road to their property and the roads were muddy and tough to navigate by car – even though Jackie reminded him he could come by the presidential helicopter.

Mrs. Kennedy with Clipper and the President at their new weekend retreat.

The other “Kennedys” already in residence there may have been an issue. Along with his daughter’s famous pony named Macaroni, there was also now another one, named Leprechaun. Joining them were the family dogs, the Irish wolfhound named Wolf, the German shephard named Clipper and the Irish spaniel named Shannon.

John Kennedy, Jr. holding a pet turtle, with Clipper and Wolf, at Atoka.

Jackie lavished love and attention on the animals. With his strong allergic reaction to them, the President was not especially big on dogs or ponies.

The next morning, back at the White House, the President issued a statement honoring a famous Texan by the name of Connally who had died. It was Texas Senator Tom Connally, who had been instrumental in the creation of the United Nations.

The following weekend of November 2 and 3 required the President’s presence in Washington for two consecutive days of meetings with Defense and State Department officials on the vacuum of stability resulting from the assassination of South Vietnam’s President Diem and an assessment of the viability of continued U.S. military presence there.

It was the next weekend, Saturday and Sunday of November 9 and 10, that he was able to again slip out of the capital and join his wife and children for an entire weekend of relaxation at Wexford.

The Kennedy family was joined there this time by their friends Ben and Toni Bradlee, the Washington editor of Newsweek and his wife, who had been  neighbors of Jack and Jackie in Georgetown when the President had been serving in the U.S. Senate.

Also there were Eve and Paul Fout, the close friends and fellow Orange County Hunt friends of the First Lady’s.

This time, the President truly enjoyed their new weekend home.

Caroline and John Kennedy ramble through the nearby woods.

The feel of the whole weekend was not unlike any other one enjoyed by Americans wealthy enough to have a second home and servants to cook their meals.

Caroline Kennedy on Leprechaun.

The children explored the nearby woods, followed by their intrepid nanny, the red-haired Maude Shaw.

Caroline Kennedy was showing an impressively emerging confidence in handling herself on her pony, even trying small jumps and galloping the open fields.

While the First Lady went riding, the President read the paper as his children played on a swing set.

John Kennedy searching for his turtle in the basket as his mother approaches, October 27, 1963.

At one point JFK and Bradlee began practicing golf swings, immediately drawing the attention of John and Caroline.

Their father patiently obliged in teaching them how to hold a golf club.

They tried to mimic him and swing the adult-size ones, despite being dwarfed by the clubs.

And the President had his famous showdown with one of the ponies.

Caroline Kennedy’s pony Leprechaun nipping on the President, friend Toni Bradlee laughing

After feeding it a sugar cube, JFK was overcome with slobbery licks and nose shoves from the pony for more.

Sitting against the side of the house, Kennedy tried to push the fellow away, but the pony was having none of it and soon pushed him over into laughter.

It drew the interest of the dogs and even the First Lady gave him a hard time, riding the pony back over to beg for more.

Jackie Kennedy teasingly brought the pony over to her husband.

Finally, he managed to rise and pat the pony with cautious respect.

The President’s son had recently taken up a fascination with the disciplined marching of the dozens of servicemen he encountered living in the White House and often dropping by his father’s office in the West Wing.

Over the past few days, the First Lady had been teaching him how to march in order.

The First Lady and her son, who she taught to salute. (www.pinterest.com)

And how to salute.

His concentration broke easily, however, when one of the dogs wanted some attention. As soon as Shannon came up to Jackie, she lifted and let him lick her face – and John came over to hug them both, falling over with the dog to the ground.

The Kennedy family leaving church on Sunday, October 27, 1963.

JFK conceded that the house that Jackie built was truly an escape, unlike Camp David where there were necessary military personnel about, however discreet their presence.

He even mentioned that it would be the ideal place to isolate over the coming winter weekends in planning his 1964 re-election campaign.

The following weekend of November 16 and 17,  however, was already tightly scheduled.

Over those two days he would be traveling to Maryland, New York and then down to Florida.

Aboard the USS Observation Island to watch a Polaris Missile launching, JFK tries on the leather jacket given him by the crew.

There, he was to observe the firing of a Polaris missile and an inspection visit of Cape Canaveral.

Still, JFK so enjoyed Wexford that weekend that he wanted to return there, if even for only one of the weekend’s days.

President Kennedy at Cape Canaveral.

That’s why he and Jackie scheduled their return to Wexford for Sunday afternoon, November 24. They planned to come there directly from the three day political trip they were making to Texas.

As it turned out, November 9 and 10 would be the Kennedy family’s last weekend anywhere.

Later, Jackie Kennedy reflected that she was so glad home movies had been made of them all those two final days all together:

Related articles

• The Kennedy Family’s Last Public Appearance Together (carlanthonyonline.com)
• The House that Jackie Built: Home Movie Inside the Kennedy Weekend Home (carlanthonyonline.com)
• Why John F. Kennedy Took His Son to Arlington Cemetery (carlanthonyonline.com)
• JFK and Jackie Kennedy’s Home Goes on Sale (think-privateclients.co.uk)
• Jackie Kennedy’s Country Estate in Middleburg (ghostsofdc.org)

Categories: First Families, First Ladies, Presidents, The Kennedys