Evelyn Lincoln
Encyclopedia
Evelyn Maurine Norton Lincoln (June 25, 1909 – May 11, 1995) was the personal secretary
to John F. Kennedy
from his election to the United States Senate
in 1953 until his 1963 assassination
in Dallas. Mrs. Lincoln, who was in the motorcade
when Kennedy was assassinated, made it a point to visit Kennedy's grave
at Arlington National Cemetery
every year afterward on the anniversary of his death.
. Her father was John N. Norton
, a member of the United States House of Representatives
. Evelyn married Harold W. Lincoln in 1930, and moved to Chevy Chase, Maryland
.
In 1968 she wrote a book, Kennedy and Johnson in which she wrote that President Kennedy had told her that Lyndon B. Johnson
would be replaced as Vice President of the United States
. Lincoln wrote of that November 19, 1963 conversation, just before the assassination of President Kennedy
,
According to the National Archives
, Lincoln gave away or sold many of Kennedy's documents and artifacts that she had been entrusted to collect after Kennedy's assassination. In 2005, a legal settlement was reached that enabled the National Archives, the Kennedy Library
, and Caroline Kennedy
to recover thousands of pages of documents and other items that had been improperly sold or given away by Lincoln.
Lincoln died at Georgetown University
Hospital in 1995, after complications that followed surgery for cancer
. Her ashes were placed in a niche in a sepulcher at Arlington National Cemetery.
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
to John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
from his election to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 1953 until his 1963 assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
in Dallas. Mrs. Lincoln, who was in the motorcade
Motorcade
A motorcade is a procession of vehicles. The term motorcade was coined by Lyle Abbot , and is formed after cavalcade on the false notion that "-cade" was a suffix meaning "procession"...
when Kennedy was assassinated, made it a point to visit Kennedy's grave
John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame
The John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame is a presidential memorial at the gravesite of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, in Arlington National Cemetery. The permanent site replaced a temporary grave and eternal flame used during President Kennedy's funeral on November 25, 1963. The site was designed by...
at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
every year afterward on the anniversary of his death.
Personal
She was born Evelyn Maurine Norton on a farm in Polk County, NebraskaPolk County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 5,639 people, 2,259 households, and 1,570 families residing in the county. The population density was 5/km² . There were 2,717 housing units at an average density of 2/km²...
. Her father was John N. Norton
John N. Norton
John Nathaniel Norton was a Nebraska Democratic politician.Born on a farm near Stromsburg, Nebraska on May 12, 1878, he attended Bryant Normal University in Stromsburg. He graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1901 and University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1903. He served as clerk and...
, a member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. Evelyn married Harold W. Lincoln in 1930, and moved to Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
.
In 1968 she wrote a book, Kennedy and Johnson in which she wrote that President Kennedy had told her that Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
would be replaced as Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
. Lincoln wrote of that November 19, 1963 conversation, just before the assassination of President Kennedy
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
,
According to the National Archives
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
, Lincoln gave away or sold many of Kennedy's documents and artifacts that she had been entrusted to collect after Kennedy's assassination. In 2005, a legal settlement was reached that enabled the National Archives, the Kennedy Library
John F. Kennedy Library
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and museum of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. It is located on Columbia Point in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, USA, next to the Boston campus of the University of...
, and Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy is an American author and attorney. She is a member of the influential Kennedy family and the only surviving child of U.S. President John F...
to recover thousands of pages of documents and other items that had been improperly sold or given away by Lincoln.
Lincoln died at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
Hospital in 1995, after complications that followed surgery for cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. Her ashes were placed in a niche in a sepulcher at Arlington National Cemetery.
Books
Mrs. Lincoln was the author of two books:- My 12 Years With John F. Kennedy
- Kennedy and Johnson, 1968
Sources
- Robert Dallek, Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President, p. 142 (2003)(Oxford University Press)
- James M. Roth, Reclaiming Pieces of Camelot: How NARA and the JFK Library Recovered Missing Kennedy Documents and Artifacts, Prologue Magazine, Summer 2006, Vol. 38, No. 2.