john f. kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th president of the united states on january 20, 1961. mrs. kennedy did not want her children to be unprotected around the media at an early age. she stayed with them in middleburg, virginia for a short time because of this. she was the first presidential wife to hire a press secretary. she hired pamela turnure. the media saw mrs. kennedy as the "perfect woman" and she became popular across the world. she also helped get support for the white house and her husband's cold war policies.