I had read about Kirk LeMoyne “Lem” Billings earlier but was reminded of him and his friendship with John Kennedy by the post at the link below. Although it is not widely known, Kennedy’s life long friend Lem was gay. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I thought I’d post some interesting points about their friendship (gathered from Wikipedia).
Billings was a prep school roommate of Kennedy, an usher at his wedding and a campaigner for his successful 1960 presidential bid.
Joseph Kennedy Sr. called Lem “my second son”.
Billings, a 16-year-old third-year student, and Kennedy, a 15-year-old second-year student, met at prep school, in the fall of 1933.
They became fast friends, drawn to each other by their mutual distaste for their strict school.
Billings repeated his senior year so that he and Kennedy could graduate together in 1935.
The duo took a summer trip through Europe in the summer of 1937… two and a half months and solidified their friendship.
Billings was an usher at the wedding of Kennedy and Jacqueline Lee Bouvier in 1953, and usher at the wedding of Kennedy’s sister Jean to Stephen Edward Smith in 1956.
He worked on Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1960.
In 1961, Billings declined Kennedy’s offer to appoint him the first head of the Peace Corps or ambassador to Denmark. He later said: "I realized that I did not want to work for the president — because I felt it would change our relationship.”
Lem visited the White House for most weekends during the Kennedy Administration. When a butler commented on the fact that Billings was leaving his belongings in one of the third-floor guest rooms, the First Lady replied: “He’s been my house guest since I was married.”
When the First Lady was away, Billings organized White House dinner parties for the President and old friends.
And when the President traveled he kept the First Lady company.
Billings’ role as "first friend” was assessed by many observers at the time and since. Ted Sorensen called him “an admirer — almost a fawning admirer — of his friend.”
Billings saw the President for the last time when they dined at the White House with Greta Garbo on November 13, 1963,
Friends from the 1970s confirmed that Billings was gay, but not open to discussing it.
In 2006, looking back to the Kennedy Administration, Ben Bradlee (executive editor for the Washington Post) said: “I suppose it’s known that Lem was gay….It impressed me that Jack had gay friends.
Jack made a big difference in my life,” Billings said. “Because of him, I was never lonely. He may have been the reason I never got married.”
"Kennedy disliked photos that showed any public display of affection. ‘Once in New York City he was greeted at the airport by Jack, who kissed him on arrival, but we missed the photo because of a lot of maneuvering on Kennedy’s part. He was supposed to get off the front of the plane but instead he ran out the back where he met Jackie and kissed her quickly. We all made a mad dash and started screaming, 'Kiss her again, Senator.’ 'C'mon, Mrs. Kennedy. Hug him.’ 'Senator, we need a kiss!’ JFK looked at us and smiled. 'You’re sure an affectionate group of photographers.’“
"Even after his inaugural address Kennedy did not kiss his wife, which is why she later told Stanley she loved the photograph he had taken of the them in a convertible returning from Blair House to the White House. The picture shows the President reaching over to tenderly brush hair out of her face. 'It’s my favorite picture of the two of us,’ she said, 'because it shows such great affection.’”
“Stanley recollected that as a candidate 'Kennedy will not pose for any picture which he thinks smacks of corn. As his good friend Joe Alsop says, 'Two things make him nervous–nuns and silly hats.’”
Capturing Camelot: Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images of the Kennedys
Emily Mathay and Stacey Chandler, Archives Reference
At 10 p.m. on February 14th, 1962, Jacqueline Kennedy brought millions of people into the country’s most famous house with her television special A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy. Hosted by the First Lady and CBS correspondent Charles Collingwood, the tour was the public’s first look at Jacqueline Kennedy’s famed White House restoration project. After the broadcast aired, thousands of people wrote to the White House with their opinions. Their letters are now in the archives at the JFK Library, where we’re working on preserving them.
A sampling of items archivists have removed from letters during preservation of the White House Public Opinion Mail.
By 1962, many Americans knew about Jacqueline Kennedy’s project to fill the White House with antiques from the time of its original construction; she had already helped create the White House Historical Association, the Fine Arts Committee, and the position of White House Curator. But her televised tour showcased the results of all that work for the first time, and invited the world to hear about the history she chose to preserve. The broadcast led many viewers to write to the White House with their own views about history – and the way political figures discussed it.
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Most of the letters noted Jacqueline Kennedy’s appearance in some way, offering praise or criticism of her style, expressions, and tone of voice.
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Some messages offered thoughts (positive and negative) about the content of the tour itself, including personal connections to the history and art the First Lady talked about.
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Others sent in clippings of positive reviews, requested for photographs of the First Family, or asked questions the tour hadn’t quite answered for them. A common question from kids who watched the black-and-white broadcast: are rooms like the Red Room really decorated in the colors they are named after?
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Throughout the boxes of letters, one unexpected figure pops up: Astronaut John Glenn, who blasted into space in the Mercury capsule Friendship 7 just six days after the First Lady’s tour. Letters to the White House often comment on both the White House Tour and Glenn’s success, creating a documentary record of public reaction to both the intimate and the (quite literally) ‘out of this world.’
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A month after the broadcast, a new Nielson report noted that the number of White House visitors in the first week of March had increased by over 5,000 from the previous year. Though we can’t be sure that the dramatic uptick was a result of the First Lady’s broadcast, letters from the public reflect an overwhelmingly positive response to the preservation of the nation’s past even as it began to explore the new frontiers of the future.
“Dear Mrs. Kennedy” is one of the episodes on Netflix’s The Crown Season 2. The episodes is about the meeting of two of the greatest women of the twentieth century. Inspired by Jackie Kennedy and against her government’s wishes, Queen Elizabeth takes an unconventional approach to resolving an issue with Ghana. Jackie is a 2016 biographical drama film starred Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy and tells the story of her life immediately after the 1963 assassination of her husband John F. Kennedy.
I watched more than five times specifically for that episodes and two times for the movie. I feel a connection and respect towards her. There were lines in the episodes that I liked, “A shy person will seek out someone strong to protect them. And a strong character’s often one who enjoys public life who thrives on it. And then, before you know it, the very person you’ve turned to in order to protect you is the very reason your are exposed. Jack’s idea of heaven is a crowd.” I quite understand her through the lines since I’m also a shy person by nature.
Jackie is also a bonafide fashion icon who inspired millions with her chic wardrobe and effortless style. Elements that defined Jackie’s signature style were pillbox hat, gloves, perfectly styled hair, three layered pearls, and amazing coats. I saw numerous celebrities channeled her style such as Amal Clooney, Duchess of Cambridge and Duchess of Sussex. It’s clear that Jacqueline’s style legacy lives on today.
Just in time for my office three days two night outing in July. This year’s theme for the gala dinner – where usually falls on the eve of second day is ICONIC MOVIE CHARACTER. It feels different this year since I put more effort preparing and feel excitement towards the gala dinner. I searched for inspiration who will I be with several choices like Miranda Priestly, Mary Poppins, Vivian and even my brother suggested me to become Thor Girl.
She famously wore a Chanel pink suit and matching pillbox hat on the day her husband was assassinated. The outfit cannot get out of my head and I finally chose to channeled her pink suit style. Weeks before the outing I went searching for the outfit that looks similar to what Jacqueline wore on that day. I spent a lot of time looking for the pillbox hat, gloves, three layered pearls and of course the blazer and the skirt.
I get my hair done, put on my costume and not to forget the pillbox hat, and ordered 20 stalks of fresh roses to channeled JFK and Jackie Kennedy’s arrival in Dallas. The missing part is, if I become Jackie Kennedy, who is my JFK? Our group leader and partner in my office pose a picture with me, not to forget the roses I’m holding. I am not disappointed when I learned that I did not win the best costume or even nominated. I’m already content with all the preparations that I had and able to channeled her style is like a dream come true.
