Editing Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (section)

== Legacy ==
=== Popularity ===
[[File:Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy.gif|thumb|upright|Official portrait of Kennedy at the White House. Her [[pleated linen]] dress was designed by Irish fashion designer [[Sybil Connolly]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Tierney|first=Tom|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/17308697|title=Great fashion designs of the fifties : paper dolls in full color : 30 haute couture costumes by Dior, Balenciaga and others|date=1985|publisher=Dover Publications|isbn=0-486-24960-3|location=New York|oclc=17308697|archive-date=May 6, 2022|access-date=January 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506213622/http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/17308697|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
Jacqueline Kennedy's marriage to Aristotle Onassis caused her popularity to decline sharply among an American public who viewed it as a betrayal of the assassinated president.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Dies of Cancer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/20/obituaries/death-of-a-first-lady-jacqueline-kennedy-onassis-dies-of-cancer-at-64.html |access-date=February 4, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=May 20, 1994 |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107204501/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/20/obituaries/death-of-a-first-lady-jacqueline-kennedy-onassis-dies-of-cancer-at-64.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Swanson |first1=Kelsey |title=From Saint to Sinner and Back Again: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Rehabilitates Her Image |journal=Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II |date=2005 |volume=10 |issue=Article 9 |pages=70–86 |url=https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1116&context=historical-perspectives |access-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-date=August 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819235045/https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1116&context=historical-perspectives |url-status=live }}</ref> Her lavish lifestyle as Onassis's "trophy wife",<ref>Swanson, p. 78.</ref> in contrast to "the shy, selfless, and sacrificing mother the American public had come to respect" as First Lady,<ref>Swanson p. 76.</ref> led the press to portray her as "a spendthrift and a reckless woman".<ref>Swanson p. 75.</ref>

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis took conscious control of her public image and, by the time of her death, succeeded in rehabilitating it.<ref>Swanson, p. 71.</ref> By moving back to New York City after Onassis's death, working as an editor for Viking Press and Doubleday, focusing on her children and grandchildren, and participating in charitable causes, she reversed her "reckless spendthrift" image.<ref>Swanson, pp. 80–82.</ref> She also reestablished her relationship with the Kennedy family and supported the [[John F. Kennedy Library and Museum]].<ref>Swanson, pp. 84–85.</ref>

Onassis remains one of the most popular First Ladies. She was featured 27 times on the annual [[Gallup (company)|Gallup]] list of the top 10 most admired people of the second half of the 20th century; this number is surpassed by only [[Billy Graham]] and Queen Elizabeth II and is higher than that of any U.S. president.<ref name=NationalGeographic>{{cite news|url=http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/killing-kennedy/articles/jacqueline-bouvier-kennedy/|title=Jackie Kennedy's Enduring Spell |date=October 15, 2013 |publisher=National Geographic Channel |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125045820/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/killing-kennedy/articles/jacqueline-bouvier-kennedy/|archive-date=January 25, 2016 |access-date=January 31, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Both [[Tina Turner]]<ref>{{cite book|title=And I Quote (Revised Edition): The Definitive Collection of Quotes, Sayings, and Jokes for the Contemporary Speechmaker|year=2003|publisher=Thomas Dunne Books|isbn=978-0-312-30744-8|page=355}}</ref> and [[Jackie Joyner-Kersee]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url={{Google books|LbsDAAAAMBAJ|page=PA56|keywords=onassis role model to me|text=|plainurl=yes}}|title=Death of Namesake Jacke O. Inspires Jackie Joyner-Kersee To New U.S. Long Jump Record|magazine=Jet|date=June 6, 1994}}</ref> have cited Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis as an influence.

=== Style icon ===
[[File:President and Mrs Kennedy deplane from Air Force One (3083217259) (cropped).jpg|right|upright|thumb|Kennedy wearing [[Pink Chanel suit of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy|her pink Chanel suit]]]]
Jacqueline Kennedy became a global fashion icon during her husband's presidency. After the 1960 election, she commissioned French-born American fashion designer and Kennedy family friend [[Oleg Cassini]] to create an original wardrobe for her appearances as First Lady. From 1961 to 1963, Cassini dressed her in many of her ensembles, including her Inauguration Day fawn coat and Inaugural gala gown, as well as many outfits for her visits to Europe, India, and Pakistan. In 1961, Kennedy spent $45,446 more on fashion than the $100,000 annual salary her husband earned as president.<ref name="fashion"/>

Kennedy preferred French [[Haute couture|couture]], particularly the work of [[Coco Chanel|Chanel]], [[Cristóbal Balenciaga|Balenciaga]], and [[Hubert de Givenchy|Givenchy]], but was aware that in her role as first lady, she would be expected to wear American designers' work.<ref name=bowles>{{cite book |last1=Bowles |first1=Hamish |last2=John F. Kennedy Library and Museum|author-link1=Hamish Bowles |title=Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years : Selections from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum |date=2001 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-0-87099-981-9 |pages=28–29 |url={{Google books|f_3NzYT79dIC|page=PA29|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> After noticing that her taste for Paris fashion was being criticized in the press, she wrote to the fashion editor [[Diana Vreeland]] to ask for suitable American designers, particularly those who could reproduce the Paris look.<ref name=bowles/> After considering the letter, which expressed her dislike of prints and her preference for "terribly simple, covered-up clothes," Vreeland recommended [[Norman Norell]], who was considered America's first designer and known for his high-end simplicity and fine quality work. She also suggested [[Ben Zuckerman]], another highly regarded tailor who regularly offered re-interpretations of Paris couture, and the [[Sportswear (fashion)|sportswear]] designer Stella Sloat, who occasionally offered Givenchy copies.<ref name=bowles/> Kennedy's first choice for her Inauguration Day coat was originally a purple wool Zuckerman model that was based on a [[Pierre Cardin]] design, but she instead settled on a fawn Cassini coat and wore the Zuckerman for a tour of the [[White House]] with Mamie Eisenhower.<ref name=bowles/>

In her role as first lady, Kennedy preferred to wear clean-cut suits with a skirt hem down to middle of the knee, three-quarter sleeves on notch-collar jackets, sleeveless [[A-line (clothing)|A-line]] dresses, [[evening glove|above-the-elbow gloves]], low-heel pumps, and [[pillbox hat]]s.<ref name="fashion">{{cite web|title=Return of the Jackie Look&nbsp;– Sort of Fashion from A-Line Dresses to Fitted Jackets |work = [[Newsweek]] |url=http://www.newsweek.com/1994/08/28/return-of-the-jackie-look-sort-of-fashion-from-a-line-dresses-to-fitted-jackets.html |date=August 28, 1994}}</ref> Dubbed the "Jackie" look, these clothing items rapidly became fashion trends in the Western world. More than any other First Lady, her style was copied by commercial manufacturers and a large segment of young women.<ref name="FirstLadies" /> Her influential [[bouffant]] hairstyle, described as a "grown-up exaggeration of little girls' hair," was created by [[Mr. Kenneth]], who worked for her from 1954 until 1986.<ref name=vf>{{cite magazine|last=Collins|first=Amy Fine|title=It had to be Kenneth|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2003/06/kenneth-battelle-hairdresser-jackie-kennedy|access-date=December 3, 2012|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=June 1, 2003|archive-date=April 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421151645/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2003/06/kenneth-battelle-hairdresser-jackie-kennedy|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Wong, pp. 151–154</ref> Her tastes in eyewear were also influential, the most famous of which were the bespoke pairs designed for her by French designer, François Pinton. The coinage 'Jackie O glasses' is still used today to refer to this style of oversized, oval-lensed sunglasses.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jackie O Sunglasses - How She Changed Fashion History |url=https://www.mouqy.com/blog/jackie-o-sunglasses/ |access-date=August 16, 2022 |website=Mouqy Eyewear |archive-date=August 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816081306/https://www.mouqy.com/blog/jackie-o-sunglasses/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

After leaving the White House, Kennedy underwent a style change. Her new looks consisted of wide-leg [[pantsuit]]s, silk [[Hermès]] headscarves, and large, round, dark sunglasses.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jacqueline Kennedy's Style Changes After The White House |url=https://refermate.com/blog/jacqueline-kennedy-s-style-changes-after-the-white-house/ |access-date=September 5, 2022 |website=Refermate }}</ref> She began wearing [[jeans]] in public as part of a casualization of her look.<ref name="LIFE">{{cite magazine |title = Jackie Kennedy: Post-Camelot Style |magazine = [[Life (magazine)|Life]] |url = http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/31382/jackie-kennedy-postcamelot-style |access-date = October 9, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090802091821/http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/31382/jackie-kennedy-postcamelot-style |archive-date = August 2, 2009 |url-status = dead }}</ref> 

[[File:Jacqueline Kennedy after State Dinner, 22 May 1962.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Kennedy at a [[State dinner]] on May 22, 1962]]
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis acquired a large collection of jewelry throughout her lifetime. Her triple-strand [[Pearl#Pearls in jewelry|pearl necklace]], designed by American jeweler [[Kenneth Jay Lane]], became her signature piece of jewelry during her time as first lady in the White House. Often referred to as the "berry brooch", the two-fruit cluster brooch of strawberries made of rubies with stems and leaves of diamonds, designed by French jeweler [[Jean Schlumberger (jewelry designer)|Jean Schlumberger]] for [[Tiffany & Co.]], was personally selected and given to her by her husband several days prior to his inauguration in January 1961.<ref>{{cite web|title=Treasures of the Kennedy Library |url=http://www.jfklibrary.org/NR/rdonlyres/5CE1EDAD-4E84-4DE6-AE2A-E01C47655B32/22759/TreasuresExhibit.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029153313/http://www.jfklibrary.org/NR/rdonlyres/5CE1EDAD-4E84-4DE6-AE2A-E01C47655B32/22759/TreasuresExhibit.pdf |archive-date=October 29, 2007 }}</ref> She wore Schlumberger's gold and enamel bracelets so frequently in the early and mid-1960s that the press called them "Jackie bracelets"; she also favored his white enamel and gold "banana" earrings. Kennedy wore jewelry designed by [[Van Cleef & Arpels]] throughout the 1950s,<ref name="jackiesjewelry.com">{{cite web|title=The Jacqueline Kennedy Collection by Camrose & Kross|url=http://jackiesjewelry.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312140801/http://jackiesjewelry.com/|archive-date=March 12, 2013|access-date=August 16, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> 1960s<ref name="jackiesjewelry.com" /> and 1970s; her sentimental favorite was the Van Cleef & Arpels wedding ring given to her by President Kennedy.

Kennedy, a Catholic, was known for wearing a [[mantilla]] at Mass and in the presence of the Pope.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://auction.universityarchives.com/auction-lot/jacqueline-kennedys-black-lace-mantilla-with-impe_10F4EA7BFD|website=University Archives|title=Jacqueline Kennedy's Black Lace Mantilla With Impeccable Provenance|date=June 10, 2020|accessdate=June 9, 2021|archive-date=June 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609115028/https://auction.universityarchives.com/auction-lot/jacqueline-kennedys-black-lace-mantilla-with-impe_10F4EA7BFD|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Mary Tyler Moore]]'s ''[[The Dick Van Dyke Show|Dick Van Dyke Show]]'' character Laura Petrie, who symbolized the "feel-good nature" of the Kennedy White House, often dressed like Kennedy.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Sixties Chronicles|first=David|last=Farber|page=153|publisher=Publications International Ltd.|isbn=1-4127-1009-X|date=2004}}</ref>

Kennedy was named to the [[International Best Dressed List]] Hall of Fame in 1965.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/bestdressed/bestdressed_women?currentPage=1 |title=The International Best Dressed List: The International Hall of Fame: Women |magazine=Vanity Fair |year=1965 |access-date=February 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130712215415/http://www.vanityfair.com/style/the-international-best-dressed-list/hall-of-fame-women |archive-date=July 12, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Lambert and Zilkha, pp. 64–69, 90.</ref> Many of her signature clothes are preserved at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum; pieces from the collection were exhibited at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in New York in 2001. Titled "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years", the exhibition focused on her time as a first lady.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://metmuseum.org/press/exhibitions/2000/jacqueline-kennedy-the-white-house-years|title=JACQUELINE KENNEDY: THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS|date=November 14, 2000|publisher=[[The Metropolitan Museum of Art]]|access-date=April 11, 2016|archive-date=April 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419212824/http://metmuseum.org/press/exhibitions/2000/jacqueline-kennedy-the-white-house-years|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2012, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on its All-TIME 100 Fashion Icons list.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2110513_2110627_2110761,00.html|title=All-TIME 100 Fashion Icons: Princess Diana|newspaper=Time|date=April 2, 2012|access-date=February 1, 2017|first=William|last=Lee Adams|archive-date=November 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128093215/http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2110513_2110627_2110761,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, ''[[Forbes]]'' included her on the list "10 Fashion Icons and the Trends They Made Famous".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/sboyd/2016/03/14/10-fashion-icons-and-the-trends-they-made-famous/|title=10 Fashion Icons and the Trends They Made Famous|first=Sara|last=Boyd|magazine=Forbes|date=March 14, 2016|access-date=May 10, 2017|archive-date=February 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202095256/https://www.forbes.com/sites/sboyd/2016/03/14/10-fashion-icons-and-the-trends-they-made-famous/|url-status=live}}</ref>
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===Historical assessments===
In 2020, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine included her name on its list of 100 Women of the Year. She was named Woman of the Year 1962 for her efforts in uplifting American history and art.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://time.com/5793609/jacqueline-kennedy-100-women-of-the-year/|title=1962: Jacqueline Kennedy|magazine=Time|date=March 5, 2020|access-date=March 6, 2020|archive-date=March 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319162327/https://time.com/5793609/jacqueline-kennedy-100-women-of-the-year/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is seen as being customary in her role as first lady,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.aol.com/article/2016/01/30/who-will-the-next-first-lady-or-first-gentleman-of-the-us-be/21304258/ | title=Who will the next first lady (or first gentleman) of the US be? | first=Morgan | last=Whitaker | website=AOL | date=January 30, 2016 | archive-date=December 27, 2021 | access-date=December 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227101349/https://www.aol.com/article/2016/01/30/who-will-the-next-first-lady-or-first-gentleman-of-the-us-be/21304258/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-08-17/vitamins-and-caviar-getting-to-know-melania-trump |title=Vitamins & Caviar: Getting to Know Melania Trump |first=Emily |last=Greenhouse |work=Bloomberg Politics |date=August 17, 2015 |access-date=September 4, 2015 |archive-date=August 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150830095105/http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-08-17/vitamins-and-caviar-getting-to-know-melania-trump |url-status=live }}</ref> though Frank N. Magill argued that her life was validation that "fame and celebrity" changed the way that first ladies are evaluated historically.<ref>Magill, p. 2817.</ref> [[Hamish Bowles]], curator of the "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years" exhibit at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], attributed her popularity to a sense of unknown that was felt in her withdrawal from the public which he dubbed "immensely appealing".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-enduring-legacy-of-jacqueline-kennedy-a-master-at-shaping-public-appearance/2013/11/19/1d70ce78-457e-11e3-a196-3544a03c2351_story.html|title=The enduring legacy of Jacqueline Kennedy, a master at shaping public appearance|access-date=November 20, 2013|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 19, 2013|first=DeNeen L.|last=Brown|archive-date=November 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131121051354/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-enduring-legacy-of-jacqueline-kennedy-a-master-at-shaping-public-appearance/2013/11/19/1d70ce78-457e-11e3-a196-3544a03c2351_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After her death, Kelly Barber referred to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis as "the most intriguing woman in the world", furthering that her stature was also due to her affiliation with valuable causes.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2004&dat=19940608&id=uLoiAAAAIBAJ&pg=4916,1712143|first=Kelly|last=Barber|title=Jackie Kennedy was a role model|date=June 8, 1994|department=Letters to the Editor|work=Allegheny Times|via=Google News|archive-date=May 19, 2021|access-date=October 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519164706/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2004&dat=19940608&id=uLoiAAAAIBAJ&pg=4916,1712143|url-status=live}}</ref> Historian Carl Sferrazza Anthony summarized that the former first lady "became an aspirational figure of that era, one whose privilege might not be easily reached by a majority of Americans but which others could strive to emulate".<ref name=NationalGeographic/> Since the late 2000s, Onassis's traditional persona has been invoked by commentators when referring to fashionable political spouses.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2016/0323/Is-Melania-Trump-the-next-Jackie-Kennedy-video|title=Is Melania Trump the next Jackie Kennedy? (+video)|date=March 23, 2016|first=Lisa|last=Suhay|work=The Christian Science Monitor|access-date=April 2, 2016|archive-date=March 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331072441/http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2016/0323/Is-Melania-Trump-the-next-Jackie-Kennedy-video|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/why-michelle-obama-not-next-jackie-o-85219|title=Why Michelle Obama Is Not the Next Jackie O|date=November 28, 2008|first=Katie|last=Connolly|work=Newsweek|archive-date=April 4, 2016|access-date=April 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404041223/http://www.newsweek.com/why-michelle-obama-not-next-jackie-o-85219|url-status=live}}</ref> A wide variety of commentators have positively credited the work of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in restoring the White House, including [[Hugh Sidey]],<ref name=NationalGeographic/><ref>{{cite book|title=Regarding Heroes|first1=Yousuf|last1=Karsh|first2=David|last2=Travis|year=2009|page=170|publisher=David R Godine|isbn=978-1-56792-359-9}}</ref> [[Letitia Baldrige]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/jacqueline-kennedy-onassis-dies-1994-article-1.2219628|title=Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis dies in 1994|date=May 18, 2015|newspaper=Daily News|location=New York|archive-date=February 22, 2016|access-date=February 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222143656/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/jacqueline-kennedy-onassis-dies-1994-article-1.2219628|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Laura Bush]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Spoken From the Heart|pages=[https://archive.org/details/spokenfromheart00bush/page/183 183.]|first=Laura|last=Bush|author-link=Laura Bush|publisher=Scribner|isbn=978-1-4391-5520-2|year=2010|url=https://archive.org/details/spokenfromheart00bush/page/183}}</ref> Kathleen P. Galop,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.preservationnation.org/forum/library/public-articles/the-historic-preservation-legacy-of.html|title=The Historic Preservation Legacy of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis|date=Spring 2006|first=Kathleen P.|last=Galop|work=Forum Journal|publisher=[[National Trust for Historic Preservation]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306233932/http://www.preservationnation.org/forum/library/public-articles/the-historic-preservation-legacy-of.html|archive-date=March 6, 2016|access-date=March 6, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Carl Anthony.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstladies.org/blog/jackie-kennedy-interviewoverview/|title=The Political and Public Influence of Jacqueline Kennedy|first=Carl|last=Anthony|publisher=firstladies.org|date=September 4, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301032846/http://www.firstladies.org/blog/jackie-kennedy-interviewoverview/|archive-date=March 1, 2016}}</ref>

Since 1982 [[Siena College Research Institute]] has periodically conducted surveys asking historians to assess American first ladies according to a cumulative score on the independent criteria of their background, value to the country, [[intelligence]], [[courage]], accomplishments, [[integrity]], [[leadership]], being their own women, public image, and value to the president. Consistently, Onassis has ranked among the three-eight highly regarded first ladies in these surveys.<ref name="Siena2014">{{cite web |title=Eleanor Roosevelt Retains Top Spot as America's Best First Lady Michelle Obama Enters Study as 5th, Hillary Clinton Drops to 6th Clinton Seen First Lady Most as Presidential Material; Laura Bush, Pat Nixon, Mamie Eisenhower, Bess Truman Could Have Done More in Office Eleanor & FDR Top Power Couple; Mary Drags Lincolns Down in the Ratings |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FirstLadies2014Release_Final.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu |publisher=Siena Research Institute |access-date=May 16, 2022 |date=February 15, 2014 |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327181939/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FirstLadies2014Release_Final.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In terms of cumulative assessment, Onassis has been ranked:
*8th-best of 42 in 1982<ref name="Siena2014"/>
*7th-best of 37 in 1993<ref name="Siena2014"/>
*4th-best of 38 in 2003<ref name="Siena2014"/>
*3rd-best of 38 in 2008<ref name="Siena2014"/>
*3rd-best of 39 in 2014<ref name="Siena2014"/>
*4th-best of 40 in 2020<ref name="Siena2020results">{{cite web |title=Copy of FirstLadies_Full Rankings_working_dl_2.xls |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/First-Ladies-Full-Rankings-2020.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu |publisher=Siena Research Institute |access-date=March 11, 2025 |date=2020 |archive-date=April 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240413013554/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/First-Ladies-Full-Rankings-2020.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the 2008 Siena Research Institute survey, Onassis was ranked in the top-five of all criteria, ranking the 2nd-highest in background, 4th-highest in intelligence, 2nd-highest in value to the country, 4th-highest in being her "own woman", 4th-highest in integrity, 5th-highest in her accomplishments, 2nd-highest in [[courage]], 4th-highest in leadership, 1st in public image, and 3rd-highest in her value to the president.<ref name="2008Siena">{{cite web |title=Ranking America's First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt Still #1 Abigail Adams Regains 2nd Place Hillary moves from 5th to 4th; Jackie Kennedy from 4th to 3rd Mary Todd Lincoln Remains in 36th |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FL_2008Release.pdf |publisher=Siena Research Institute |access-date=May 16, 2022 |date=December 18, 2008 |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222164606/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FL_2008Release.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 2003 survey, Onassis made the top-five in half of the categories, being ranked 1st-highest in background, 5th-highest in intelligence, 4th-highest in courage, 4th-highest in value to the country, and 1st-highest in public image.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ranking America's First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt Still #1 Abigail Adams Regains 2nd Place Hillary moves from 2nd to 5th; Jackie Kennedy from 7th to 4th Mary Todd Lincoln Up From Usual Last Place |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ranking20americas20first20ladies.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu |publisher=Siena College Research Center |access-date=October 23, 2022 |date=September 29, 2003 |archive-date=December 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208161720/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ranking20americas20first20ladies.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 2014 Siena Research Institute survey, in the rankings of 20th and 21st century American first ladies in additional survey questions, Onassis was ranked 2nd-highest for management of family life, 4th-highest for advancement of women's issues, 3rd-greatest as a political asset, 4th-strongest public communicator, and 2nd-highest for creation of a lasting legacy.<ref name="Siena2014"/> In the 2014 survey, Onassis and her first husband were also ranked the 6th-highest out of 39 first couples in terms of being a "power couple".<ref>{{cite web |title=2014 Power Couple Score |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Appendix_C_Power_Couples.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu/ |publisher=Siena Research Institute/C-SPAN Study of the First Ladies of the United States |access-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327132048/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Appendix_C_Power_Couples.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the 1982 Siena College Research Institute survey, Onassis had been ranked the lowest in the criteria of integrity. In subsequent iterations of the survey, historians' regard for her integrity markedly improved. The initial disapproving view of her integrity may have been due to sentiments towards her marriage to Aristotle Onassis. Historians' overall opinions towards Onassis as a whole appear to have become more favorable in the subsequent years as she, in her second widowhood, demonstrated her independence with her career in publishing.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton Top First Lady Poll |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Press-Release-1.10.94.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu |publisher=Siena College |access-date=October 23, 2022 |date=January 10, 1994 |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108043708/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Press-Release-1.10.94.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>