Southampton Hospital Donates Jackie Bouvier Birth Records to Kennedy Library

Before she was Jackie Kennedy, and way before she was Jackie Onassis, she was Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, born in Southampton, New York.

Southampton Hospital recently unearthed her 1929 birth records and on Thursday the hospital’s vice president of community and government relations, Robert Ross, went to Boston to donate the documents to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Ross presented the records to  Tom Putnam, the presidential library’s director.

“Southampton Hospital is extremely pleased to transfer this piece of American history to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum where visitors to the 35th President’s Library will be able to view the documents,” says Robert Chaloner, the hospital president and CEO.

The records were donated with the permission of Caroline Kennedy, the only living child of the latte first lady and President John F. Kennedy. According to the hospital, Ross came across the birth documents when looking for papers for the hospital’s 100th anniversary exhibition in 2009. The records were in a manila envelope  labeled “Mrs. President Jack Kennedy” in a hospital safe.