FIRST LADY JACQUELINE B. KENNEDY - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED - HFSID 259266

JACQUELINE KENNEDY
With the trial of freelance photographer Ron Galalla over, she can concentrate on carpets for her New York apartment.
Auyograph Letter Signed: "Jacqueline Onassis", 2p, 5½x8. [New York, 1973]. On her personal 1040 Fifth Avenue stationery. To Mr. Ortiz. In full: "Could you please order the brown carpet for the childrens (sic) hall - so that we can put it down as soon as possible - Once it is down, we can decide about the walls. I am leaving today for Europe but will call you when I return in mid April - I hope by then you will have found a carpet with an all-over pattern for the dining room - and maybe another carpet for the front hall - I will have more time to look at carpets seriously then - it was so confusing all these weeks at the trial. Thank you so much for all your attention." Freelance photographer RON GALELLA brought suit in 1972 against JACQUELINE ONASSIS and three Secret Service agents for false arrest, malicious prosecution and interference with trade. Galella claimed that under orders from Mrs. Onassis, the three agents had falsely arrested and maliciously prosecuted him and that this incident, in addition to several others described in the complaint, constituted an unlawful interference with his trade. His complaint was dismissed and Galella appealed. A trial was held in 1973 at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mrs. Onassis testified, denying any role in the arrest or any part in the claimed interference with his attempts to photograph her, and counterclaimed for damages and injunctive relief, charging that Galella had invaded her privacy, assaulted and battered her, intentionally inflicted emotional distress and engaged in a campaign of harassment. The case was decided on September 13, 1973. The court ruled in favor of Mrs. Onassis. At the time, her children Caroline was 15 and John, Jr. was 12. Born Jacqueline Bouvier in 1929, Jackie married John F. Kennedy in 1953. The third-youngest first lady, she left behind no policy initiatives but set a high standard for style and grace in her person and in the White House, and with her tragic dignity after her husband's assassination. From 1968 until his death in 1975, she was married to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. From 1978 to 1994 she was an editor at Doubleday in New York.  Joseph P. Kennedy, Jackie's father in law, referred to in this letter as sick but still living, died on November 18, 1969. Although she influenced and wrote introductions for many other books, Jackie left no finished memoirs of her own. A manuscript like this one therefore offers rare insights into the memories of the First Lady of Camelot. Lightly creased. Staple holes and fold at blank upper left corners. Overall, fine condition.