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Full Name Nancy Ludlow Tuckerman Born December 24, 1928 (age 88)Connecticut, U.S. ( 1928-12-24 ) Books The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette Similar Jack Valenti, Theodore H White, Caspar Phillipson, Greta Gerwig, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis | ||
Nancy Ludlow Tuckerman (born December 24, 1928) is widely known for having served as the White House Social Secretary during the Kennedy administration.
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Early life
Tuckerman (nicknamed "Tucky") is the daughter of Betty (née Thompson; 1901-1977) and Roger Tuckerman (1898-1967). She grew up in Southampton, New York and Farmington, Connecticut. Her father was a successful Manhattan stockbroker. Her aunt (her father's sister) was the decorator Dorothy Draper.
She had a sister, Cynthia Tuckerman Gay (died 2014) and a brother, Roger Tuckerman. Her nephew John Gay. Jr. married Deborah Hearst, of the Hearst family. Her brother Roger was married to Caryn Ryan, daughter of Clendenin J. Ryan. She is also related to Walter Tuckerman. Her great-great-great grandfather was Oliver Wolcott, the 19th Governor of Connecticut.
Jackie Bouvier and Tuckerman were childhood friends, debutantes who grew up spending summers together on Long Island. They later were roommates at Miss Porter's Boarding School in Connecticut. Tuckerman was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Bouvier and John F. Kennedy in 1953.
Career
Tuckerman started her own travel business before being asked by Jackie Kennedy to work for her in the White House after her husband was elected president. In 1963, Jackie Kennedy threw a surprise 35th birthday party for Tuckerman at the White House.
When John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Tuckerman was responsible for responding to the thousands of letters that poured into the White House as condolences for Jackie Kennedy. These letters are now collectors items and are signed by Tuckerman. After leaving the White House, she remained the personal secretary to Jackie Kennedy until the latter's death in 1994. Tuckerman's personal papers reflecting her time in the White House were released in 2015 and are known as the Nancy Tuckerman Files within the Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Personal Papers . In 1994, Tuckerman was left 250,000 U.S. dollars in Jackie Kennedy's last will and testament.
Tuckerman also worked for Doubleday Publishing in the 1970s. She is now retired and lives in Salisbury, Connecticut.
In the 2016 biographical film Jackie, Tuckerman is portrayed by actress Greta Gerwig.