For Immediate Release: September 17, 2010
Further information: Rachel Day (617) 514-1662, rachel.day@jfklfoundation.org
Boston, MA – In celebration of the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library today announced that it has launched a new Twitter feed based on Jacqueline Kennedy’s syndicated “Campaign Wife” columns. The feed – @JBK1960 – begins September 17, 2010, exactly 50 years after the first column was released. It serves as a companion feed to @Kennedy1960, the Kennedy Library’s Twitter project that follows the day-to-day workings of Senator John F. Kennedy’s campaign.
A few weeks into her husband’s campaign for President, Mrs. Kennedy learned that she was pregnant. During the summer of 1960, following her doctor’s advice, she greatly reduced her travel and resigned to their home in Hyannisport, MA. Concerned that Mrs. Kennedy’s absence was noticed and disapproved of on the campaign trail, Senator John F. Kennedy’s advisors suggested that she publish a weekly newspaper column that would appeal to women voters.
Distributed by the Democratic National Committee and syndicated in newspapers nationwide, “Campaign Wife” provided a glimpse into the daily life of the young wife of a presidential candidate. Weaving together personal stories about everything from child-rearing to shopping with information on campaign policies and initiatives, the columns added a friendly voice to the campaign while educating voters on the issues.
The Kennedy Presidential Library constructed the @JBK1960 feed from transcripts of the original seven “Campaign Wife” columns that were published from September 17th until November 1st. YouTube links to Mrs. Kennedy’s campaign commercials and interviews that are referred to in the columns will add to the virtual experience.
The “Campaign Wife” Twitter feed is being posted in conjunction with @Kennedy1960, which was launched on January 2, 2010 – 50 years after Senator John F. Kennedy announced his candidacy for President of the United States. @Kennedy1960 provides frequent updates gathered from sources in the Kennedy Library Archives, including campaign schedules, quotes from JFK’s speeches, scanned images of original campaign documents, video of campaign commercials, and more.
By collaborating with other organizations across the country, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation seeks to remind a new generation of Americans of the ideals that President Kennedy embraced: the responsibilities of citizenship and the importance of public service; a belief in democracy, civil rights, and the pursuit of social justice; the value of civil political debate; and a commitment to internationalism and science to build a better and secure world.
Click here to watch the Kennedy Library’s 50th Anniversary Celebration video.
For additional archival resources, visit the Kennedy Library website’s “Campaign of 1960.”
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is a presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and supported, in part, by the Kennedy Library Foundation, a non-profit organization. For more information, visit www.jfklibrary.org on the Internet.