Jackie Kennedy Nearly Married This Man Instead Of JFK

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was, at one point, arguably the most famous woman in the world. Not to mention the most talked about, the most sought after, and, to many, the most admired. She married then-Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1953 and, in 1961, became the first lady of the United States when her husband became the 35th president. Also in 1961, Gallup listed her No. 2 on the list of the 10 most admired women in the U.S. and, in 1962, she was No.1 (via The New York Times). Kennedy was the youngest man ever elected president at 43 years old, and his wife, Jackie, as she was known, was just 31. The couple brought a youth and energy to the highest office in the land. The Kennedy White House was dubbed Camelot since it epitomized an idealized period of optimism (via Political Dictionary).

As first lady, Jackie Kennedy was known for her personal style, her love of history and the arts, and for her restoration of the White House. During the restoration, Jackie created a White House Fine Arts Committee and created the job of White House curator. She restored all the public rooms in the "People's House." When she gave a televised tour of the newly restored White House, 80 million people tuned in to watch and it earned her an honorary Emmy Award (via the JFK Library).

While Jackie Kennedy was thrust into the public eye with her marriage to JFK, he wasn't the first serious relationship in her life. She was actually engaged to be married before she met the future president. 

In December of 1951, the young Jacqueline Bouvier accepted the proposal of stockbroker John Husted Jr., whom she had met while attending Vassar, and the couple set a wedding date for June of 1952, per The List. But, at the couple's engagement party, Jackie's mother, Janet Lee Bouvier, reportedly found out the young Husted only made $17,000 a year as a stockbroker, which is equivalent to around $160,000 today. Jackie's mother encouraged her to break off the engagement, which she did (via People). When Jackie later took John to the airport, she dropped the engagement ring in his pocket. "She was ice cold," Husted later said. "Like we never knew each other," according to People magazine. Jackie Bouvier went on to marry a future president and the rest, as they say, is history.