Janet Lee Bouvier

Janet Norton Lee Auchincloss (born Janet Norton Lee, previously known as Janet Lee Bouvier; December 3, 1907 – July 22, 1989) was an American socialite. She was the mother of Jacqueline Kennedy, the 35th First Lady of the United States, and Lee Radziwill. She was also the mother-in-law of President John F. Kennedy.

Early Life and Education

Janet Norton Lee was born in Manhattan, New York City. Her birth date is December 3, 1907. She was the middle child of James T. Lee (1877–1968), a lawyer and real estate developer, and Margaret A. Merritt (1880–1943). Although she made claims regarding her genealogy, including that she was "from the Maryland Lees," both her parents were of Irish Catholic descent. She had two sisters: Marion Merritt Lee (1904–1947), who married John J. Ryan Jr. and was the mother of Mary Cecil, wife of William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil; and Margaret Winifred Lee (1910–1991), who married Franklin D'Olier.

Janet Lee graduated from Miss Spence's School and attended Sweet Briar College and Barnard College. While she was a member of the Barnard College class of 1929, records indicate she did not graduate. She was a skilled equestrian, winning the hunter championship at the National Horse Show three times.

Career

Janet Bouvier served on the boards of the Newport Historical Society and the Redwood Library. She held the position of honorary director of the Robert E. Lee Memorial Association in Stratford, Virginia.

Personal Life

First Marriage and Family

In 1928, Janet married John Vernou Bouvier III (1891–1957). He was the son of Major John Vernou Bouvier Jr. (1866–1948), a prominent attorney, and Maude Frances Sergeant (1870–1940). John Vernou Bouvier was the brother of Edith Bouvier Beale, who became known from the documentary film "Grey Gardens." Janet and John Vernou Bouvier had two daughters:

- Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (1929–1994), who married future U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1953, divorced him in 1963, then married Aristotle Onassis in 1968, remaining married until his death in 1975.

- Caroline Lee Bouvier (1933–2019) married Michael Temple Canfield in 1953; the marriage was annulled in 1962. Later that year, she married Prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł; they divorced in 1974. In 1988, she married director Herbert Ross; the couple divorced in 2001.

The marriage between Janet Lee and John Vernou Bouvier ended in divorce in 1940, due to his womanizing and drinking.

Second Marriage

In 1942, Janet married Hugh Dudley Auchincloss Jr. (1897–1976), an attorney and heir to Standard Oil. This was her second marriage. They had two children:

- Janet Jennings Auchincloss (1945–1985), who married Lewis Polk Rutherfurd in 1966.

- James Lee Auchincloss (born 1947).

Third Marriage

In 1979, Janet married Bingham Willing "Booch" Morris (1906–1996), a childhood friend and retired investment banker. Jacqueline Kennedy served as her witness at this wedding. Morris's first wife, Mary Rawlins Morris, had been a bridesmaid at Janet's first wedding. Janet and Booch Morris separated in 1981 but remained married until her death.

Death

Janet Lee Auchincloss died on July 22, 1989, from complications related to Alzheimer's disease.