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Kathy McKeon

Biography

Kathy McKeon

The fourth of eight children, Kathy McKeon grew up in Ireland and came to America in 1964 when she was 19. She was then hired as Jackie Kennedy’s assistant and occasional nanny to her children from 1964 to 1976. She is now a mother of three and a grandmother and lives in Florida.

Kathy McKeon

Books by Kathy McKeon

Jackie's Girl: My Life with the Kennedy Family
by Kathy McKeon - Memoir, Nonfiction

In 1964, Kathy McKeon was just 19 years old and newly arrived from Ireland when she was hired as the personal assistant to former first lady Jackie Kennedy. The next 13 years of her life were spent in Jackie's service, during which Kathy not only played a crucial role in raising young Caroline and John Jr., but also had a front-row seat to some of the 20th century’s most significant events. Because Kathy was always at Jackie’s side, Rose Kennedy deemed her “Jackie’s girl.” And although Kathy called Jackie “Madam,” she considered her employer more like a big sister. Kathy was there during Jackie and Aristotle Onassis’ courtship and marriage and Robert Kennedy’s assassination, dutifully supporting Jackie and the children during these tumultuous times in history.