During the early 1960s, President Kennedy lived a life of glamour and power that was unprecedented in American politics — a brief moment in time now remembered as "Camelot."
John F. Kennedy with his daughter Caroline (center-right), niece Maria Shriver (center-left), and brother-in-law Steve Smith aboard the presidential yacht, Honey Fitz. July 28, 1963. Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum President Kennedy was enamored with the ocean and spent as much of his free time on the water as possible. Here he is happily commandeering the Manitou.Aug. 12, 1962. John's Island, Maine.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Frank Sinatra and John F. Kennedy share a table at the president's inaugural ball. The two became good friends and spent countless raucous weekends together.Jan. 20, 1961. Mayflower Hotel, Washington D.C.
GAB Archive/Redferns/Getty Images The Kennedy White House was filled with all sorts of animals, including the dogs Charlie and Pushinka (pictured here).John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum JFK looks out into the crowd reflected in his Ray Bans during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Dan Luis Dam.Aug. 18, 1962. Pacheco Pass, California.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images President Kennedy enjoying his ice cream aboard the Honey Fitz.Sept. 7, 1963. Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Caroline Kennedy rides her pony, Macaroni, from the South Lawn of the White House to the West Wing Colonnade.June 22, 1962. White House, Washington, D.C.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Younger brother and Attorney General Robert Kennedy speaks privately with his older brother and commander-in-chief.Oct. 3, 1962. White House, Washington, D.C.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum President Kennedy greets trainees of the Peace Corps who have eagerly anticipated him on the South Lawn.Aug. 9, 1962. White House, Washington, D.C.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Members of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs meet with the president in the Oval Office — wearing their finest Sunday dresses for the occasion.Aug. 2, 1961. White House, Washington, D.C.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Jacqueline Kennedy and three kids take a ride across the South Lawn — in a sleigh being pulled by Caroline's pony, Macaroni.Feb. 13, 1962. White House, Washington, D.C.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum The president and his brother-in-law Peter Lawford chat aboard the U.S. Coast Guard yacht Manitou.Aug. 12, 1962. John's Island, Maine.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Composer Igor Stravinsky and his wife Vera de Bosset Stravinsky attend a White House dinner party and socialize with the president and the first lady.Jan. 18, 1962. White House, Washington, D.C.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Frank Sinatra has a chat with JFK's brother, Edward, during the "Key Women for Kennedy in California" rally being held at actress Janet Leigh's house. She had just finished filming Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.1960. Beverly Hills, California.
Ralph Crane/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images The White House held a luncheon in honor of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco — otherwise known as actress Grace Kelly — in the first few months following JFK's inauguration.May 24, 1961. White House, Washington, D.C.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum The president speaks with Dr. Rosa Gragg, the president of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, at a dinner honoring Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.Feb. 20, 1962. White House, Washington, D.C.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum The president and his son take a break from politics to play together in the Oval Office.Oct. 15, 1963. White House, Washington, D.C
Liaison Agency/Getty Images John F. Kennedy having breakfast with his daughter Caroline after being nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.1960. Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Frank Sinatra escorting Jacqueline Kennedy to her box at a gala Sinatra staged to help pay off the campaign debts of Kennedy and the Democratic Party.Jan. 19, 1961. National Guard Armory, Washington, D.C.
GAB Archive/Redferns/Getty Images First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy lets her guard down while enjoying a picnic.1960s.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Kennedy listens to the concerns of NAACP representatives Medgar Evers, Calvin Luper, Edward Turner, Reverend W.J. Hodge, Dr. S.Y. Nixson, C.R. Darden, and Kelly M. Alexander.July 12, 1961. White House, Washington, D.C.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum John F. Kennedy Jr. plays a game of hide-and-seek in his father's office.Oct. 15, 1963. White House, Washington, D.C.
Liaison Agency/Getty Images The Kennedy family celebrates the night after JFK won the 1960 presidential election. From left, Eunice Shriver (on chair arm), Rose Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy (on chair arm), Jacqueline Kennedy (head turned away from camera), and Ted Kennedy. Back row, from left, Ethel Kennedy, Stephen Smith, Jean Smith, JFK, Robert F. Kennedy, Sargent Shriver, Joan Kennedy, and Peter Lawford.Nov. 9, 1960. Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
Paul Schutzer/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Marilyn Monroe, Robert Kennedy (left), and John F. Kennedy mingle at a party at the home of movie executive Arthur Krim. Monroe sang her famous "Happy Birthday" iteration for JFK at Madison Square Garden only hours before.May 19, 1962. New York, New York.
Cecil Stoughton/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images Frank Sinatra attending a campaign event for his friend and Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kennedy.Nov. 1, 1960. San Francisco, California.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra (center-right) and Peter Lawford (right) with Lawford's wife, Pat Kennedy Lawford (left) and actor Tony Curtis (center-left) at the 1960 Democratic National Convention.July 1, 1960. Los Angeles, California.
Ed Clark/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images John F. Kennedy speaks with Harry Belafonte (center) and his wife, dancer Julie Robinson, at a party in New York.May 19, 1962. New York, New York.
Cecil Stoughton/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images Frank Sinatra (right) with then-Sen. John F. Kennedy at a fundraiser on the eve of Kennedy's selection as the Democratic presidential nominee.July 10, 1960. Los Angeles, California.
Bettmann/Getty Images A dapper President Kennedy attending a state banquet and ballet performance in the Louis XV Theater at the Chateau of Versailles, during a state visit with French President DeGaulle.June 2, 1961. Paris, France.
Paul Schutzer/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images President John F. Kennedy with his daughter Caroline outside the family's home on Election Day.Nov. 1, 1960. Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
Paul Schutzer/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images The U.S. president and his wife hosting a welcome party for Pakistan's president Mohamed Ayub Khan and his daughter.Joseph Scherschel/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Then-Sen. John Kennedy with his partner-in-crime, daughter Caroline, at their home after the Democratic Party chose him as their presidential candidate.Aug. 1, 1960. Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy holding daughter Caroline while awaiting results on Election Day.Nov. 1, 1960.
Paul Schutzer/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images The charisma and star power embodied by John F. Kennedy was unprecedented in presidential terms — and clear from the faces of overwhelmed admirers.Sept. 1, 1960.
Paul Schutzer/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images President Kennedy enjoying a cigar during a Democratic fundraising dinner.Oct. 19, 1963. Commonwealth Armory at Boston University, Massachusetts.
Bettmann/Getty Images Actress Judy Garland speaking with presidential candidate John F. Kennedy at the 1960 Democratic National Convention dinner.July 1960. L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California.
Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Easter Sunday with the Kennedys.April 14, 1963. Palm Beach, Florida.
MPI/Getty Images High school cheerleaders perform an enthusiastic cheer for a campaigning Kennedy.March 1960. Wisconsin.
Stan Wayman/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images The Kennedys spend their last weekend together before the then-senator hits the campaign trail.Aug. 28, 1960. Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
President John F. Kennedy lights up after a long day's work at a Washington banquet.Sept. 23, 1961. Washington, D.C.
Bettmann/Getty Images President Kennedy does some reading on the deck of one of his boats.Aug. 4, 1963.
Corbis/Getty Images The thirty-fifth president of the United States — the youngest to ever become president — relaxes in one of his many rocking chairs in the Oval Office.1960. Washington, D.C.
Corbis/Getty Images John Jr. has his finger in his mouth as the first family heads for a cruise aboard the Honey Fitz in Narragansett Bay.Sept. 15, 1963. Bailey's Beach, Newport, Rhode Island.
Bettmann/Getty Images The president reads the paper aboard the Honey Fitz during a cruise on Lake Worth.March 16, 1963. West Palm Beach, Florida.
Bettmann/Getty Images
Captivating Kennedy Photos That Capture The ‘Camelot’ Era In All Its Glory View GalleryThe assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963 shook America to its core. Millions of Americans were left with the terrifying feeling that if the nation's leader could be murdered in broad daylight, nobody was truly safe.
Following his death, it was his grieving widow, Jacqueline Kennedy, who worked on cementing the "Camelot" mythology that would come to define his presidency. The image of JFK as an honorable and unwavering man of integrity appeared again and again in televised interviews and LIFE magazine spreads.
Kennedy's time in the White House, following his inauguration in 1961 to that dark day in November nearly three years later, was cast as a time of burgeoning cheer and optimism, a brief golden moment cut short before it could blossom into the full, lasting brilliance of a golden age.
"Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment, that was known as Camelot," she told LIFE, quoting the Lerner and Loewe musical. "There'll be great presidents again, but there'll never be another Camelot... It will never be that way again."
From the photo of Kennedy's son saluting his father's coffin to pictures of Kennedy gallivanting with his brothers, this somber yet romantic iconography was curated entirely by Jacqueline Kennedy. The myth of Camelot — Kennedy's court of compatriots, named after one of his favorite song lyrics — took hold and has captivated Americans for decades since.
Kennedy's Camelot: Nights Of The Oval Office
The musical that inspired the first lady's myth-making centered on the beneficent realm of King Arthur. It was a place of idealism and admirable principles — a perfect foundation for the image of Kennedy's White House.
The early 1960s were certainly an incredible time for Kennedy and his wife. Confident of his victory in the coming election, the Massachusetts senator attended a Rat Pack show in February 1960 and introduced himself to Frank Sinatra as the "next president of the United States."
It didn't take long for the crooner and the candidate to become fast friends; the marriage of Kennedy's sister, Patricia, to Rat Pack member Peter Lawford only strengthened the bond among Sinatra's circle and the Kennedys.
Sinatra, in his turn, would introduce Marilyn Monroe to the campaign hopeful along with another woman, Judith E. Campbell, who would have a two-year-long affair with Kennedy.
JFK Presidential Library & MuseumJohn F. Kennedy with his daughter Caroline (center-right), niece Maria Shriver (center-left), and brother-in-law Steve Smith aboard the presidential yacht, Honey Fitz. July 28, 1963. Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
From private jet trips to Palm Springs on the weekends to vibrant birthday parties at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the Camelot days at the White House were often as romantic as the revisionist history made them out to be.
With galas and events that included figures as famous as Ella Fitzgerald and Gene Kelly to Nat King Cole and Milton Berle, Kennedy's White House distinguished itself as a haven of revelry for a younger generation much looser than its predecessors. The good times eventually wound toward their tragic end — but not before those in Camelot had their fun.
The Myth Of Camelot: From Fairy Tale To Nightmare
John F. Kennedy was so promiscuous that his standard greeting for old flings whose names he'd forgotten was a simple, "Hello, kid."
The commander-in-chief didn't tone down this behavior once elected president, and he routinely skinny-dipped in the White House pool with interns nicknamed Fiddle and Faddle.
On at least one occasion, the president smoked three joints that had been scored by one of his mistresses, Mary Meyer, a CIA official's ex-wife and "close friend" of Jacqueline Kennedy, per Washington Post executive Jim Truitt.
"I can't get to sleep unless I've had a lay," Kennedy told author Clare Booth Luce. He also complained to Harold Macmillan, at the time Britain's prime minister, that not having sex on a daily basis gave him headaches.
Even though these conquests were well known among Kennedy's associates, the youngest man ever elected president remained largely protected by his staff. After swimming with women, for instance, an actual clean-up crew would work on removing any leftover evidence.
"There was a conspiracy of silence to protect his secrets from Jacqueline and to keep her from finding out," said White House kennel keeper Traphes L. Bryant.
Archival footage from the Kennedys' home movies depicting the mythologized Camelot era of the early 1960s.Frank Sinatra famously renamed his friend's entourage "the Jack Pack" in Kennedy's honor, while the singer's daughter Tina admitted that those weekends at her father's place in Palm Springs were not something "you brought the kids into."
It was Kennedy's brother-in-law Peter Lawford who later said, "I'm not proud of this. All I will say is that I was Frank's pimp and Frank was Jack's. It sounds terrible now, but then it was a lot of fun."
Ultimately, it was Jacqueline who ensured that her husband's mythos was not one of infidelity and hypocrisy in the wake of his death.
"It is astounding to me that a week after JFK's death, she had the presence of mind to come up with the extraordinary and unexpected reference that stuck with us for decades," said Jackie screenwriter Noah Oppenheim.
The Kennedy Camelot myth would hold a strong grip on the imagination of many American baby boomers as they came of age after Kennedy's assassination, a portrait of a lost age of innocence that would never come again — a time that never will be and never was.
After exploring Kennedy's Camelot, read about 23 of the ugliest skeletons in the Kennedy family closet. Then, learn about the little-known story of Rosemary Kennedy and her brutal lobotomy.
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