Sold – The End of Camelot

Likely the Only Documents From President John F. Kennedy’s Estate Ever to Come Onto the Market

They are also the sole documents signed by Jacqueline, Robert and Edward Kennedy that we can recall ever seeing

Friday, November 22, 1963 was a day that everyone old enough to remember can tell you exactly what they were doing when they heard the news. John F. Kennedy, the young and popular president, had been shot. Not an hour later came the word that he had died. The nation was in shock. The next day Kennedy’s body lay in state in the White House and the country found itself staring at the television watching the event. That day notables began arriving in Washington from around the country and the world to attend the funeral, among them France’s Charles De Gaulle. By this time the solemn images had made the reality sink in, and people were numb. On Sunday the 24th the President’s body lay in state in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, And while it was there, the alleged lone assassin of the President was murdered on live television before the nation’s eyes within the precincts of the Dallas police station. So now there were two murders, and with the latter went any hope Oswald’s giving his account of what had transpired. By now the numbness had been replaced with astonishment.

The funeral of President Kennedy took place on Monday the 25th, and the country was in deep mourning. As the funeral cortege stopped at the White House, the Naval Academy choir sang “The Navy Hymn” – “Eternal Father, Strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bid’st the mighty Ocean deep its own appointed limits keep; O hear us when we cry to thee, for those in peril on the sea.” Then to the cathedral for the funeral mass, and about 1:30 the funeral procession to Arlington National Cemetery began, led by the Kennedy family all in black and followed by a collection of the world’s greatest leaders. The scene at the cemetery was very emotional and ended with the folded flag that covered the coffin being presented to Mrs. Kennedy, who immediately felt the weight of widowhood and raising two children without their father fall on her shoulders. At nightfall, an eternal light was lit. Thus ended Camelot.

These four days were deeply traumatic for the nation, and etched deeply into the mind a warm image of President Kennedy, an idealized vision of his brief administration, and a horror at his end. The ongoing controversy over who killed him and why (a 2009 CBS poll found that only one in 10 Americans believes that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. By 74 percent to 13 percent, the public thought there was a cover-up) has made getting closure and closing the book on the assassination impossible. So there is an enduring fascination about Kennedy.

Robert Kennedy served as attorney general from January 21, 1961, until his resignation on September 3, 1964. The months after his brother’s death were a desperate grief-striken time for him, and he spent long hours staring out windows or walking in the Virginia woods, Meanwhile, he continued his brother’s policies by supporting civil rights and leading a tough campaign against organized crime. RFK ran for president in 1968, but during that campaign he was himsel assassinated.

Ted was the youngest of the Kennedy brothers and the longest lived. In 1962, he was elected to fill the Senate seat vacated by his brother, and his Senate career spanned more than 30 years, making him the third longest sitting Senator in history. His influence among fellow Democrats and senior position earned him the nickname “Lion of the Senate.”

President Kennedy’s will set up trusts in favor of his wife and children, and it also named as a charity he supported the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation, “which was established in honor of my late beloved brother.” For the benefit of the beneficiaries, who were mainly Mrs. Kennedy and any children they might have, the trustees would invest and manage the assets of the estate, and take such actions as purchase securities and buy and sell real estate. The will further stated, “I hereby nominate, constitute and appoint my wife, JACQUELINE B. KENNEDY, and my brothers, ROBERT F. KENNEDY and EDWARD M. KENNEDY, as Executors of, and Trustees under, this my Last Will and Testament.” Thus, three executors and trustees were Mrs. Kennedy and the President’s two brothers. The will would have been admitted for probate, and the executors and trustees given legal authority to act on the estate’s behalf, in 1964. Based on the terms of the will, the likelihood is that the trusts set up then are still in existence today. Each of the following two documents is a fully executed copy retained by the estate’s accountant for his file, and it is from his family that they have recently been obtained.

The John F. Kennedy Library has no materials relating to the Kennedy estate, nor is it aware of a place where such records can be found. We have searched extensively in records going back decades and cannot find another document from the estate ever having been offered for sale. This is perhaps not surprising, as records of active trusts and estates are seldom available to the general public. Moreover, we do not recall previously having seen any document signed by Jacqueline, Robert and Edward Kennedy.

RFK, Ted, and Jacqueline Set up the Bank Account For the President’s Estate

Any estate with assets must have a bank account. Document Signed by all the estate’s executors and trustees: Jacqueline Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Edward (Ted) Kennedy, in their capacities as executors and executrix of John F. Kennedy’s estate, New York, August 25, 1964, setting up bank accounts for the President’s estate. In it, they establish separate estate and custodian checking accounts with Bankers Trust Company, both “in the name of John F. Kennedy, Deceased.” The estate account would have been used to make disbursements from the estate and receive monies due to the estate; the custodian account would be used to make and manage investments, to increase its assets, etc. The original of this document would have been filed filed with Bankers Trust.