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Pamela Turnure

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American press secretary (1937–2023)
Pamela Turnure
Press Secretary for the First Lady
In office
January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
PresidentJohn F. Kennedy
LeaderJacqueline Kennedy
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byLiz Carpenter
Personal details
Born(1937-11-20)November 20, 1937
New York City, U.S.
DiedApril 25, 2023(2023-04-25) (aged 85)
Edwards, Colorado, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseRobert N. Timmins
Alma materGeorgetown University

Pamela Harrison Turnure Timmins (November 20, 1937 – April 25, 2023) was the first Press Secretary hired to serve a First Lady of the United States. She was the Press Secretary to Jacqueline Kennedy. Turnure reportedly had an extramarital affair with 35th President of the United States John F. Kennedy.

Early life and education

Turnure was born in New York City on November 20, 1937. She attended the Bolton School for girls in Westport, Connecticut, then Colby Junior College (now called Colby-Sawyer College) in New Hampshire. She went on to study at Mount Vernon Junior College in Washington.

Career

Turnure worked for then-United States Senator John F. Kennedy as a receptionist and secretary in his Senate office from 1958 until his election in 1960. Turnure then was hired as the first Press Secretary to a First Lady in United States history, working under Jacqueline Kennedy.

In her role as press secretary, Turnure was frequently present at diplomatic receptions and to receive foreign dignitaries. Turnure also helped to coordinate Ms. Kennedy's nationally televised White House tour and historical preservation efforts.

Turnure was aboard Air Force One at Love Field Airport as Lyndon B. Johnson took the oath of office two hours and eight minutes after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. Shortly after the assassination took place, Vice President Johnson kissed Turnure on the hand.

After the assassination and funeral, Turnure left for New York and worked on President Kennedy's administrative papers, a project that was funded by Aristotle Onassis. Turnure also served for a period as the manager of Mrs. Kennedy Onassis' private office and was present at her funeral.

After working for the Kennedy family, Turnure was an interior designer in the Manhattan area.

Alleged affair with Kennedy

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In The Dark Side of Camelot published in 1997, author Seymour Hersh alleged that Kennedy had an extramarital affair with Turnure starting in 1958 when she was working in his Senate office and continuing long thereafter. In 1958, Turnure's landlady Florence Kater allegedly took a photograph of the senator leaving Turnure's apartment building in the middle of the night, a photograph that Kater tried repeatedly to bring to public attention to ruin the senator's presidential campaign, according to Hersh. Kater and her husband allegedly rigged a tape recorder to pick up sounds of the couple's lovemaking and made an enlargement of their picture of Kennedy as he exited the building. The credibility of The Dark Side of Camelot was called into question immediately after its 1997 publication.

Personal life

Turnure was the daughter of Louise Gwynn and Lawrence Turnure, a New York banker. Her stepfather was Frederic Drake, who was the publisher of Harper's Bazaar and Vice President of Hearst Communications.

Turnure previously dated Prince Aly Khan. She also had an affair with singer Eddie Fisher as claimed in his autobiography, Been There, Done That. Turnure was married to New York investment banker Robert N. Timmins and resided in Manhattan. Jacqueline Kennedy attended the wedding and threw a private reception for the couple at her Fifth Avenue apartment.

Turnure resided in Edwards, Colorado. She died from lung cancer at her home on April 25, 2023, at the age of 85.

In popular culture

In the 2016 film Jackie, Turnure was portrayed by Hélène Kuhn.

References

  1. "Women John F. Kennedy is rumored to have had affairs with". IrishCentral.com. 2017-05-24. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  2. Dallek (2003). An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917 - 1963. Little, Brown, and Co. pp. 475, 476. ISBN 9780316172387.
  3. reporter, Patrick T. Reardon, Tribune staff (23 May 2003). "Much ado about an 838-page book's 36 words". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-03-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. Flows, Capital. "John F. Kennedy's Final Days Reveal A Man Who Craved Excitement". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  5. "Diplomatic Reception, 6:00PM | JFK Library". www.jfklibrary.org. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  6. "Diplomatic Reception, 6:00PM | JFK Library". www.jfklibrary.org. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  7. "Private Camelot". Vanity Fair. 8 May 2004. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  8. "Trip to Texas: Swearing-in ceremony aboard Air Force One, Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) as President | JFK Library". www.jfklibrary.org. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  9. Johnson, Samuel (2011), "Horrour of the last", in Hawkins, John (ed.), The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D, Cambridge University Press, pp. 408–410, doi:10.1017/cbo9781139056465.104, ISBN 9781139056465
  10. Jones, Chris (2013-09-16). "The Flight from Dallas". Esquire. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  11. "Milestones: Oct. 14, 1966". Time. 1966-10-14. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  12. Schlesinger, Arthur Meier (2007). Journals, 1952-2000. Penguin. ISBN 9781594201424.
  13. "Agent Tamer Howard New York Real Estate | Douglas Elliman". www.elliman.com. Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  14. O'Brien, Michael (2006-05-16). John F. Kennedy: A Biography. Macmillan. ISBN 9780312357450.
  15. "Hersh's History", Barbara Comstock, National Review, May 20, 2004
  16. "LAWRENCE TURNURE TO WED MISS GWYNN; Washington Girl Will Be New York Banker's Bride in Ceremony Here Today". The New York Times. 1934-03-16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  17. "Pamela Turnure Timmins, press secretary to Jackie Kennedy, dies at 85". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  18. "Pamela Turnure Engaged to Wed Robert Timmins; Aide of Mrs. Kennedy Fiancee of a Partner in Brokerage Firm". The New York Times. 1966-07-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  19. Heymann, C. David (2009-07-14). Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781416556244.
  20. Smith, Harrison. "Pamela Turnure Timmins, press secretary to Jackie Kennedy, dies at 85". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  21. Seitz, Matt Zoller. "Jackie Movie Review & Film Summary (2016) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  22. Jackie (2016) - IMDb, retrieved 2019-03-26
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