Nancy Ludlow Tuckerman (October 24, 1928 – August 1, 2018) was the White House Social Secretary during the

Kennedy administration John F. Kennedy's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 35th president of the United States began with Inauguration of John F. Kennedy, his inauguration on January 20, 1961, and ended with Assassination of John F. Kennedy, his ...

. After the Kennedy assassination, she remained the personal secretary to Jackie Kennedy until the latter's death in 1994.

Early life

Tuckerman (nicknamed "Tucky") was the daughter of Betty (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Thompson; 1901-1977) and Roger Tuckerman (1898-1967). She grew up in Southampton, New York and

Farmington, Connecticut Farmington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. The populati ...

. Her father was a successful Manhattan stockbroker. Her aunt (her father's sister) was the decorator Dorothy Draper. She had a sister, Cynthia Tuckerman Gay (died 2014) and a brother, Roger Tuckerman. Her nephew John Gay Jr., married Deborah Hearst, of the Hearst family. Her brother Roger was married to Caryn Ryan, daughter of businessman Clendenin J. Ryan. She was also related to Walter Tuckerman. Her great-great-great grandfather was

Oliver Wolcott Oliver Wolcott Sr. ( ; November 20, 1726 December 1, 1797) was an American Founding Father and politician. He was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation as a representative of Connecticut, ...

, the 19th

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Connecticut Military Department, military forces. The Governor (United States), governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...

. Jackie Bouvier and Tuckerman met as 8 or 9 year olds at the Chapin School in New York City. Their families spent summers together on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. They later were roommates at Miss Porter's Boarding School in Connecticut before becoming debutantes. Tuckerman was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Bouvier and John F. Kennedy in 1953.

Career

Tuckerman started her own travel business before being asked by Jackie Kennedy to work for her in the White House after her husband was elected president. In 1963, Jackie Kennedy threw a surprise 35th birthday party for Tuckerman at the White House. When John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Tuckerman was responsible for responding to the thousands of letters that poured into the White House as condolences for Jackie Kennedy. These letters are now collectors items and are signed by Tuckerman. After leaving the White House, she remained the personal secretary to Jackie Kennedy until the latter's death in 1994. Tuckerman's personal papers reflecting her time in the White House were released in 2015 and are known as the ''Nancy Tuckerman Files'' within the ''Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Personal Papers'' . In 1994, Tuckerman was left 250,000 U.S. dollars in Jackie Kennedy's last will and testament. In the 1970s, Tuckerman worked in public relations for Olympic Airways, which was owned by

Aristotle Onassis Aristotle Socrates Onassis (, ; , ; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975) was a Greek and Argentine business magnate. He amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and was one of the world's richest and most famous men. He was marri ...

; in that role, she helped develop the first New York City Marathon. She also co-authored a revised edition of ''Amy Vanderbilt’s Complete Book of Etiquette'' in 1995. A private person, she apparently never gave an interview or wrote a book about her relationship with Jackie Kennedy Onassis. She spoke with author William Kuhn in preparation for his book, ''Reading Jackie''. She lived her retirement in

Salisbury, Connecticut Salisbury () is a New England town, town situated in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is the northwesternmost in the state of Connecticut; the Connecticut-Massachusetts-New York tri-state marker is located at the northwest ...

. In the 2016 biographical film '' Jackie'', Tuckerman is portrayed by actress Greta Gerwig.

Death

Tuckerman died on August 1, 2018, of

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. GOLD defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory s ...

, at an assisted-living center in

. She was 89.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuckerman, Nancy 1928 births 2018 deaths People from Manhattan Miss Porter's School alumni Kennedy administration personnel Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis American book publishers (people) Respiratory disease deaths in Connecticut Deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease