Last night on West Wing they mentioned in passing that Lincoln and Kennedy had children who died while they were in office. Lincoln I knew about, but Kennedy? That’s news to me.
Or did I not hear it right?
I know that Jackie had a miscarriage at one time. It may have been during the Presidency of JFK.
Haj
I was wondering the same thing after I head that.
So, I went looking on-line, and found this article, which says that a younger brother Patrick was born in August 1963, but died two days later.
A couple of other children have died in the White House. Off the top of my head I can add:
Ruth Cleveland (who the candy bar “Baby Ruth” is names after) and one of Calvin Coolidge’s sons (played tennis, got a blister on his toe, got infected, dies of septicemia). Franklin Pierce’s son was killed in a train accident as the family was about to board it to come to Washington for the inaugural. It put Jane Pierce around the bend and she became a recluse.
Snopes on Baby Ruth.
Don’t forget Willie Lincoln. His death and Patrick Kennedy’s are often included in those pointless lists of Lincoln/Kennedy coincidences.
According to the Snopes site, the Curtiss Company’s official explanation for the name is Ruth Cleveland. Since they make it, I’m of the opinion that they can give whatever explanation they want for the name and that settles the question. Why argue with the company that makes the product?
Curtiss wanted to latch onto the success of baseball star Babe Ruth without having to pay him royalties, so they named the candy bar Baby Ruth and made up the story about it being named for President Cleveland’s daughter.
That’s why argue.
Patrick Bouvier Kennedy is buired in Arlington @ the eternal flame w his Dad
Bryan, we didn’t forget Willie Lincoln. You know sometimes it pays to read the OP, not just the heading.
Whoops.
Patrick Bouvier Kennedy died of hyaline membrane disease, a condition of the lungs that is common in premature infants.
It happened when I was 11; I remember it well. The nation mourned, but it was far overshadowed with his father’s assassination only a few months later.
My father sent a sympathy card to the White House, when this occured. Some months later, he recieved a hand printed acknowledgement, with signature, from Mrs. Kennedy. I inherited that when he died, and it hangs in my playroom in a presentation case.