Who was Arabella Kennedy? The untold story of JFK’s daughter
It is no secret that the Kennedy family has seen its fair share of political success and wealth. Although JFK and his wife experienced five pregnancies, only two kids survived. Arabella Kennedy was the stillborn daughter of John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy. Her brief life remains a lesser-known part of the Kennedy family story.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Arabella Kennedy was the stillborn daughter of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy.
- She was born on 23 August 1956 and died the same day.
- Jackie later called her Arabella, although the name was not officially recorded.
- Arabella was eventually buried at Arlington National Cemetery, where her father and brother Patrick were later buried.
Arabella Kennedy’s profile summary
Full name | Arabella Kennedy |
Gender | Female |
Date of birth | 23 August 1956 |
Date of death | 23 August 1956 |
Birthplace | Newport, Rhode Island, USA |
Burial place | Arlington, Virginia, USA |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | Irish and French ancestry |
Parents | John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy |
Siblings | Caroline, John Jr. and Patrick |
Interesting facts about JFK’s daughter, Arabella Kennedy
Arabella Kennedy was the stillborn daughter of John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy, born in 1956. She was the couple's second child, following a miscarriage the previous year. Although Jackie considered herself a mother of five, only three of her children were born alive, and just two survived into adulthood.
Source: Original
The birth of Arabella Kennedy
Jacqueline became pregnant in 1955 but lost the child after the first trimester. She was expectant a year later. Unlike Jackie’s first pregnancy, this time, she carried it past the first and second trimesters.
However, things took a turn for the worse on 23 August 1956 when she was rushed to the hospital after experiencing bleeding. Sadly, the child, whom Jackie would later call Arabella, was stillborn.
JFK’s reaction to Arabella’s death
John Kennedy was reportedly on a yacht in the Mediterranean when he received the heart-breaking report about his child’s death. JFK was allegedly advised to return home to his grieving wife.
According to the Huffington Post, John’s friend, George Smathers, told JFK to rush home after he warned him that his absence would negatively affect his political career.
You better return home to your wife if you ever want to run for president.
Source: Getty Images
Where was Arabella Kennedy buried?
Jackie and John buried their daughter at a Catholic cemetery in Rhode Island. After JFK’s death, she had the baby’s remains transferred to Arlington National Cemetery, where he was laid to rest. Arabella’s grave was marked ‘’Daughter’’.
As documented by the First Ladies Archive, the Kennedys did not officially name their stillborn daughter. Jackie later referred to her as Arabella, and the name does not appear on the child's official birth documentation. As a result, Arabella Kennedy's full name and middle name cannot be confirmed from official records. The name “Arabella Kennedy” is the one commonly used in historical accounts today.
About Arabella Kennedy’s siblings
Despite Jacqueline’s pregnancy difficulties, the couple kept trying to have kids. On 27 November 1957, the couple welcomed their daughter, Caroline Bouvier Kennedy.
Two weeks after John was elected president in 1960, the family welcomed their first son, John Kennedy Jr. However, initial reports that the infant was healthy were misleading. He had been born prematurely and with a respiratory defect.
Source: Getty Images
Although JFK Jr. survived a tracheostomy at birth, he would later die in a plane crash at 38. In 1963, Jackie was once again expectant. This time, she went into labour five and a half weeks early via an emergency caesarean section.
Sadly, the baby named Patrick Bouvier Kennedy had breathing difficulties due to respiratory distress syndrome. He died 39 hours after his birth. When editing Arthur Schlesinger’s book A Thousand Days, JFK’s wife confirmed they had five kids in 10 years.
How did Arabella’s dad die?
John Kennedy was assassinated on 22 November 1963 during a political trip to Dallas, Texas. US Marine veteran Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the crime but denied having a hand in it.
A few days later, Harvey was shot dead by Jack Ruby, who succumbed to cancer on 3 January 1967. Various conspiracy theories exist regarding JFK’s tragic murder.
Who replaced JFK when he died?
JFK’s vice president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, became the 36th president of the United States after his death. He served from 1963 to 1969.
FAQs
- What happened to Jackie Kennedy's daughter Arabella? Arabella had already passed away at the time of her birth. Her mother, Jackie, had already lost a child before becoming pregnant with Arabella.
- How old would Arabella Kennedy be today? Arabella's age would be 70 years in 2026. She was born on 23 August 1956 and was stillborn the same day.
- How many stillbirths did Jackie Kennedy have? Jackie had one stillbirth, when her daughter Arabella was born on 23 August 1956. She also experienced a miscarriage in 1955 and lost her son Patrick Bouvier Kennedy two days after his premature birth in 1963.
- How many of JFK's kids are still alive? Caroline Bouvier is JFK and Jackie’s only surviving child. Among her children is Jack Schlossberg.
- What happened to JFK’s son? JFK's only living son (John-John) passed away in a plane crash in 1999 alongside his wife, Carolyn Bessette, and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette.
- How old was Jackie when JFK died? Jackie became a widow at 34. Five years after her husband’s death, she married Greek-Argentinian business magnate Aristotle Onassis.
- Is Jackie still alive? The book editor passed away from cancer on 18 May 1994 at 64. She was buried at Arlington National Cemetery next to JFK and their children.
- Who was the hidden Kennedy daughter? The “hidden Kennedy daughter” was Rosemary Kennedy, JFK’s older sister and the eldest daughter of Joseph and Rose Kennedy.
In 1956, Jackie gave birth to her first child with JFK, a stillborn daughter she would later name Arabella Kennedy. The duo struggled with having kids but eventually had two living ones before the death of their only son, John-John.
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Source: Briefly News
Ruth Gitonga (Lifestyle writer) Ruth Gitonga has a background experience in Mass Communication for over six years. She graduated from the University of Nairobi with a degree in Mass Communication in December 2014. In 2023, Ruth finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. She has worked for Briefly.co.za for seven years now. She specializes in topics like lifestyle, entertainment, travel, technology, and sports. Email: gitongaruth14@gmail.com.
Sharon Boit (Lifestyle writer) Sharon J. Boit is a writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience in digital publishing. She writes across lifestyle, entertainment, sports, education, and finance, with work featured on MSN News, Ihamba Adventures, Industry Biz, and Briefly.co.za. She previously worked as a project manager and researcher at the Center for Urban Research and Innovations, University of Nairobi. She holds a BA in Urban and Regional Planning and is pursuing an MA in Environmental Law. You can reach Sharon J. Boit by email at boit@gmail.com.
