Letitia Baldrige was Jacqueline Kennedy’s social secretary in the White House. Having been acquaintances with Mrs. Kennedy since their time together at Miss Porter’s School in Connecticut, Ms. Baldrige assisted the First Lady in planning the many state dinners and social gatherings in the White House. Before working at the White House, Ms. Baldrige worked in the American Embassies in Rome and Paris at a time when women were rarely given overseas jobs. She then became the first female executive at Tiffany & Co in 1956. After leaving the White House, she founded Letitia Baldrige Enterprises, a marketing and public relations agency that was one of the first companies in the country run by a female CEO. She has written numerous books on social etiquette and has been an advisor to five subsequent first ladies.
1926 Born, Miami, Florida
1946 Bachelor’s in Psychology, Vassar College
1946-1948 Graduate studies, L’Université de Geneve, Switzerland
1948-1951 Personal Social Secretary to U.S. Ambassador, Paris
1951-1953 Intelligence Officer, American Embassy, Paris
1953-1956 Assistant to U.S. Ambassador, Rome
1956-1961 Director, Public Relations, Tiffany & Co.
1961-1963 Social Secretary and Chief of Staff for Mrs. Kennedy
1964-1969 President, Letitia Baldrige Enterprises, Chicago
1969-1971 Director, Consumer Affairs, Burlington Industries
1972- President, Letitia Baldrige Enterprises, New York City
Author
Roman Candle, 1956
Tiffany Table Settings, 1958
Of Diamonds and Diplomats, 1968
Home, 1972
Juggling, 1976
Amy Vanderbilt’s Complete Book of Etiquette, 1978
Amy Vanderbilt’s Everyday Etiquette, 1979
Entertainers, 1981
Letitia Baldrige’s Complete Guide to Executive Manners, 1985
Letitia Baldrige’s Complete Guide to a Great Social Life, 1987
Letitia Baldrige’s Complete Guide to the New Manners for the ‘90s, 1989
Public Affairs, Private Relations, 1990
Letitia Baldrige’s New Complete Guide to Executive Manners, 1993
Letitia Baldrige’s More than Manners!, 1997
In the Kennedy Style: Magical Evenings in the Kennedy White House (with Rene Verdon), 1998
Legendary Brides: From the Most Romantic Weddings Ever, Inspired Ideas for Today’s Brides, 2000
Lady, First: My Life in the White House and the American Embassies of Paris and Rome, 2001
Letitia Baldrige’s New Manners for New Times: A Complete Guide to Etiquette, 2003
The Kennedy Mystique (with Jon Goodman, Hugh Sidey, Robert Dallek and Barbara Baker Burrows), 2006
Sources
“Baldrige, Letitia.” Who’s Who of American Women 1989-1990. 16th edition. Wilmette, IL: Macmillan Directory Division. 1988.
Baldrige, Letitia. Lady, First: My Life in the White House and the American Embassies of Paris and Rome. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam Inc. 2001.
“The Letitia Baldrige Page.” http://www.letitia.com/