Nellie Connally
Nellie Connally | |
---|---|
First Lady of Texas | |
In role January 15, 1963 – January 21, 1969 | |
Governor | John Connally |
Preceded by | Jean Daniel |
Succeeded by | Ima Smith |
Personal details | |
Born | Idanell Brill February 24, 1919 Austin, Texas, U.S. |
Died | September 1, 2006 Austin, Texas, U.S. | (aged 87)
Resting place | Texas State Cemetery |
Spouse | |
Children | 4 |
University of Texas | |
Idanell Brill Connally (February 24, 1919 – September 1, 2006) was the
She and her husband were passengers in the
Early life
Connally was born Idanell Brill in
First Lady of Texas
John Connally began his career in politics working for then-Congressman (and future United States President) Lyndon B. Johnson. John Connally was elected Governor of Texas in 1962. He was subsequently re-elected for two additional terms.[3]
During her tenure as First Lady, Connally created the gardens at the Texas Governor's Mansion and also collected the state silver.[4]
Kennedy assassination
On November 22, 1963, Connally and her husband were riding in the
The President and Governor Connally were shot, resulting in fatal wounds to the President and serious ones to the Governor. Nellie Connally got down in the car to take care of her husband, who had slumped after the second shot. "I never looked back again. I was just trying to take care of him," she said.[6] Connally had said the most enduring image she had of the assassination in Dallas was of a mixture of blood and roses. "It's the image of yellow roses and red roses and blood all over the car ... all over us", she said in a 2003 interview with The Associated Press. "I'll never forget it. ... It was so quick and so short, so potent."[3]
In her 2003 book From Love Field—Our Final Hours with John F. Kennedy, Connally shared her personal diary of the event written in the days immediately after the assassination.[3] In her book, she said that she believed that her husband was hit by a bullet that was separate from the two that had hit Kennedy.[7]
Later years
Advocacy and charity work
After serving as Texas's First Lady, Connally worked to raise money for several charities including the Children's Miracle Network Telethon for Hermann Children's Hospital. She served on the
In 1988, Connally was diagnosed with breast cancer.[5] She was treated and went into remission. The following year, Richard Nixon, Donald Trump, and Barbara Walters turned out for a gala to honor her and raise money for diabetes research.[6] In 1998, ten years after her breast cancer diagnosis, Connally celebrated her birthday with fellow breast cancer survivors at a ceremony in the Nellie B. Connally Breast Center at Anderson Hospital in Houston.[4]
Bankruptcy
Private business ventures after 1980 were less successful than John Connally's career as a politician and dealmaking
Personal life
John Connally and Nellie were married at the First United Methodist Church in Austin on December 21, 1940. They had four children: Kathleen, John B. Connally III, Sharon, and Mark Madison. In 1959, Robert Allen Hale was cleared by a coroner's jury in Florida of responsibility related to the April 1959 shooting death of Connally's teenaged daughter (Kathleen Connally Hale). Robert Hale and Kathleen Connally Hale had been married 44 days at the time of her death. The Connallys remained married until John's death from pneumonia in 1993.[2]
Death
On September 1, 2006, Connally died in her sleep at the age of 87. At the time of her death, she was living at Westminster Manor, an assisted living facility in Austin where she had lived for approximately one year.[3] She is buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.[4]
References
- ^ "A.W. Brill Company History". vintagegunleather.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ a b c Thurber, Jon (September 3, 2006). "Nellie Connally, 87; Former First Lady of Texas Was a Passenger in JFK's Limousine". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b c d "Nellie Connally, limo passenger during JFK assassination, dies". lubbockonline.com. September 3, 2006.
- ^ a b c d Kilbey-Smith, Nannette (September 13, 2006). "Nellie Connally Lived Life Of Service, Joy". wilsoncountynews.com.
- ^ a b c Swartz, Mimi (November 2003). "The Witness". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ foxnews.com. Associated Press. September 2, 2006. Archived from the originalon 24 December 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- bbc.co.uk. September 3, 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
Nellie Connally's statement
- ^ Texas Medical Center News. Tmc.edu. Retrieved on 2013-07-15.
External links
- Nellie Connally donates handwritten notes of the Kennedy assassination to the LBJ Library and Museum
- Delta Delta Delta Distinguished Alumnae profile