A Woman to Know: Letitia Baldrige
Manners make the world work. — Letitia Baldridge
(image via Library of Congress)
As Jackie Kennedy's White House social secretary, Letitia knew her stuff. After serving three years in the Kennedy administration (returning for a few months to help Jackie after the JFK assassination), she toured the country sharing her "Camelot" philosophy on etiquette, entertaining and American manners. Some of her famous sayings:
- "Politeness requires seven or eight minutes."
- "You don't want to work so hard you can't enjoy your guests."
- "Jeans should never be worn to someone's home if you are having dinner there."
- "If you are someone's guest on a corporate jet, never show up on time: be early."
- "Tea time is a chance to slow down, pull back and appreciate our surroundings."
- "If you really screw up, send roses."
- "I'm a businesswoman, and Ms. is an appropriate form of address."
Add to your library list:
A Lady, First: My Life in the Kennedy White House (Letitia Baldrige)
In the Kennedy Style (Letitia Baldrige)
New Manners for New Times (Letitia Baldrige)
Read more:
Letitia Baldrige, the first famous social secretary, was a "godmother" to White House successors (The Washington Post)
Letitia Baldrige, Etiquette Maven, Dies at 65 (The New York Times)
As America's first lady of etiquette, Letitia Baldrige stands on ceremony (The New York Daily News)
Hear more:
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