], However, Oppenheimer said, Billings was viewed by many I interviewed for my biography of RFK Jr. as his gay Svengali who guided and literally tried to control every aspect of Bobby Jr.s life from the time he was in his mid-teens., A source had told Oppenheimer, Young Bobby replaced Jack in Lems heart of hearts.. Lem Billings - Later Years Jack and Lem on Apple Books Bobby finally earned his high school diploma in June 1972 at the experimental and alternative Palfrey Street School, in the Boston suburb of Watertown, where he arrived 'wearing dirty, faded jeans, smelling like patchouli oil,' recalled classmate John Cuetera, who became a psychologist. by the end of his own lifetime he would have been described as gay. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Ethel's alcoholic, philandering brother, George Skakel Jr., actually booted Billings in the a** at the church, knocking him into the aisle. Her moods could swing drastically. By Adam Salandra. RELATED VIDEO: Carly Simon Opens Up on Unlikely Friendship with Jackie Kennedy and Jackie's Thoughts on JFK, Aristotle Onassis & More, By now, of course, I'm extricating myself from the front of the car and inserting myself with no great grace into the back, and the operation is so consuming that, for a second or two, I lose all consciousness of her, and then I hear her sayin that voice, like a ghost whispering through the pipes"You must be Lem.". I have no evidence one way or another, but I would discount [any sexual activity.]". with remote attendance, or to view the service at alater time, all you need to do is click on the service, scroll down to the bottom of the obituary, and click on the links provided. On school breaks, Jack often brought Billings home with him, sparking Joe Kennedy to complain to his wife, Rose, "Do we have to have that q***r around all summer?". Billings was a prep school roommate of Kennedy, an usher at his wedding and a campaigner for his successful 1960 presidential bid. Quirk immediately pegged Billings as gay, noting his 'high, screechy laugh,' and 'high nasal whine of a voice.' John F. Kennedy, whose 100th birthday is being celebrated this year with a Kennedy Centennial postage stamp, TV memorials, a slew of books, and much media coverage, was revered as the 35th president of the United States. It's the weekend before St. Patrick's Day, 1952, and there's still a late-winter nip in the Virginia air, but Jack always keeps the top down because, by age thirty-four, he knows how dashing his hair looks in high wind. A funny photo of Senator John McCain catching himself after he nearly left the stage in the wrong direction after shaking hands with Senator Barack Obama. He escorted Mrs. Stephen Smith, sister of the late President, to . 'It was disgusting and it wasn't my idea of having a good, healthy time with my hawks, so I let him do his falconry in the dead cow pit, and I went and chased rabbits in the woods,' said Bierregaard, still revolted years later by the memory. "People think I'm a joke," he once acknowledged. October 14, 2015. When JFK was assassinated, he turned his attention to his nephew Bobby Kennedy Jr. Kirk LeMoyne "Lem" Billings (April 15, 1916 - May 28, 1981) was a close and long-time friend of President John F. Kennedy and the Kennedy family. Lem "You learn a lot about how he met Jackie, about how intrigued he was by her, how intrigued he was by them," says Bayard of listening to Billing's testimony stored in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Years later, when Bobby was an undergraduate at Harvard, it would be Billings the boy's Svengali-like surrogate father who took control of his life after RFK's assassination who would convince Bobby that one day he could become the next Kennedy president of the United States. After Kennedy was elected president, Billings was a constant presence at the White House, and advisers were concerned about possible political repercussions. I'm not that kind of boy.". education of free black Americans after the Confederate States of America was Luling TX Obituaries | O'Bannon Funeral Home Her general lilt, as best I can tell, is interrogative, but why should that be a surprise? A new book is claiming that John F. Kennedy had more than just a platonic friendship with his life-long gay best friend, Kirk LeMoyne "Lem" Billings. The Cold War was still raging, and there was fear Russian agents might use the friendship against Kennedy. By Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! Clarendon? Lem Billings and John F. Kennedy met as teenagers at their Connecticut prep school and remained lifelong friends. Lem married Rolla Jean Auer on September 17, 1950. Bobby Kennedy Jr. read the eulogy. Jerry Oppenheimer is a New York Times bestselling author who has written two books about the Kennedys. Of course, that gave most ofus the thought - does this guy have a job other than caring for Bobby? Terrien had been RFK's roommate at Harvard and later at the University of Virginia Law School, and he was particularly upset about what he saw clearly as Billings's growing infatuation with young Bobby. Lem P Speer <p>Lem P. Speer, 93, died peacefully in his home on November 20, 2021. their summer trip through Europe prior to World War II. of adding a fruit flavor to disguise the sodium citrate taste. And it was pretty common, of course in those days and that culture, for men not to be that way.". The mother of the house, Joanne 'Joey' Brode became a virtual surrogate mother to Bobby who notes years later, 'Ethel didn't even call Bobby on his birthday. Billings had once told Bobby that when he died he wanted the pall-bearers to be members of Bobby's circle of young friends, whom he knew well and with whom he had done drugs. the bond between Billings and Kennedy became so strong that Billings stayed back This is one of the questions Louis Bayard raises in his upcoming novel Jackie & Me, which will be published by Algonquin Books in June 2022. In Victorian In her memoir, Times To Remember, published eleven years after Jack's assassination in Dallas in 1963, she wrote that Billings had "remained Jack's lifelong close friend, confidant, sharer in old memories and new experiences", He has really been part of "our family" since that first time he showed up at our house as one of "Jack's surprises. Brode had liberal views, didn't mind that Bobby smoked pot with Lem Billings in Bobby's room. While JFK is legendarily known as a master womanizer who frequently cheated on his first lady, his curious three-decades long intimate friendship with Billings suggests more than a simple bromance. She contacted the headmaster on several occasions to ask about the boy's well- being. Anyone can read what you share. Her knees are drawn protectively to her chest, and there's something quite exposed about her. The enthusiastic pre-adolescent regaled Billings - a New York advertising executive, one of John F. Kennedy's closest confidantes and a closeted homosexual - with stories about his pet collection. One of the most credible accounts of the Kennedy-Billings relationship was told by David Pitts, who I interviewed extensively for my book, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And The Dark Side Of The Dream, because the strapping, bespectacled Billings, with a high-pitched, effeminate voice, would later become the fawning surrogate father - and fellow drug user - of JFK's nephew, Bobby Kennedy Jr., with whom Billings also had intense romantic feelings. According to The Telegraph, Cecil Beaton claimed that Kennedy was unimpressed by the palace furnishings and by the Queen's dress and hairstyle. Gore Vidal claimed that Jackie described the queen as pretty heavy going.. He has really been part of "our family" since that first time he showed up at our house as one of "Jack's surprises". We learn more curious facts when we read that Lem Billings became a 'surrogate father' to Bobby Kennedy, Jr., after the alleged death of RFK. While the 35th president has been legendarily known as a womanizer who frequently cheated on his wife, Oppenheimer alleges that JFK's three-decades-long relationship with his former prep school. Kirk LeMoyne Billings was Jack's very best friend from their time at Choate prep school in 1933 to that fateful day in Dallas 1963. Their lifelong relationship caused some of the presidents advisers to fear Russian agents may use the information as blackmail. But was reportedly upset that her husband spent so much time with him, and that he often stayed overnight at the White House. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. She told him, 'I don't really care if you have a girl sleep here, but I want it to be the same person all the time because I want my kids to grow to understating that love is good with one person.'. , Did President Kennedy meet the Queen of England? Later Years. The biographer Sally Bedell Smith, referred to Billings in one of her books as 'probably the saddest of the Kennedy widows.'. I'd known him then for a few months and knew he'd do anything. Lem Billings - Wikipedia through his life. Well, where? 2. "But He says Billings even had his own room in the White House, much to Jackie Kennedys chagrin. This page is created to honor his memory and is dedicated to his family and friends. For Billings, a year older than the future president, it was love at first sight and from the instant they met Billings was sexually attracted to the handsome scion of America's so-called royal family. whom Lem was also close to, died, Lem became exceedingly depressed and that caused List of The Shield characters - Wikipedia But Billings remained closeted publicly for his life. He noted that everywhere Jack went, Billings was sure to follow, like a puppy dog. "It's very clear to me, too, from the research, that she was absolutely besotted with Jack Kennedy," he explains. If you have recently lost a family member or friend, we hope that you will accept our condolences. "I'm sure he's already organizing everything in heaven so it will be completely ready for us - with just the right Early American furniture, the right curtains, the right rugs, the right paintings, and everything ready for a big, big party. guest every weekend of my married life." defeated. According to Quirk, Billings revealed that his friendship with the future president of the United States 'included oral sex, with Jack always on the receiving end. Then she leans toward Jack and, in a whisper stagy enough for me to hear, says, "I like your friend.". Billings was a prep school roommate of Kennedy, an usher at his wedding and a campaigner for his successful 1960 presidential bid. The Camelot that Kennedy Built teddyken95: Lem Billings. Kirk LeMoyne Try our online preplanning tool. Jackie, I imagine, is now asking the name of Bobby's daughter or wondering if Eunice will be there and which one is Pat? He truly loved the Kennedy's and as Jack's best friend. ', Another classmate, Brian Carroll, remembered 'this odd character' Billings, who was always on campus fawning over Bobby: '"Bobby, are you eating? The point is there's no way of knowing what they're saying, and Jack sometimes gets cross if I talk too much with his dates (unless I'm doing something useful like showing them the door). I know he had all that baggage with his father, but being in that pit that was the kind of thing he would do. Lem Billings (left) became a surrogate father to Bobby Kennedy Jr. (right). A planetarium-like darkness, with the two of them swimming like moons. The book is set in 1981, in New York City, where Jackie has settled after becoming the Widow Onassis and joining the working world. Pin on JFK - pinterest.com In Lem, Jack found a confidant and caretaker; Jack was frequently ill while at Choate, but Lem kept his spirits high . The one iconic photo of President John F. Kennedy up close and personal with a woman other than Jackie shows him and his attorney general brother, Robert, coming on to curvaceous Marilyn Monroe at a party, reports Daily Mail. During the night of May 28, 1981almost two decades after JFK's untimely death - 65-year-old Lem Billings died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack. From the book Jackie & Me by Louis Bayard. Although Mr. Billings never served the President in an official capacity, he was a frequent guest at the White House. RFK's assassination had naturally devastated his 40-year-old wife, Ethel, who was pregnant with her eleventh child. Still, the Kennedy clan accepted even welcomed Lem Billings into their exclusive inner-circle, practically adopting him, and he became a part of the family. mutual distaste for their school and its headmaster, Seymour St. John. Did OJ Simpson's Son Jason Kill Nicole Brown & Ron Goldman? Like the rest of the free world, Billings was devastated when President Kennedy was assassinated. Warm up with a cup off our favourite cocoas, Driving From Dubai To Oman: What You Need To Know - Just Go Exploring, The Witcher 3 red mutagen location and how to farm at low level, Farm Heroes Saga: Top 10 Tips & Cheats You Need to Know, 5 Goat Fencing Options And Details To Consider Insteading, All Roblox Adopt Me Pet & Item Trade Values, Malay - Amboseli National Parks - Manyeleti Game Reserve, Scenic Dinner Train Rides By State (2022): A Complete Guide, Tren 8 interpretacja, pct for ostarine only cycle, WotLK Classic Best Professions For Each Class & Specs, Who was in the car when John F Kennedy was shot? Did JFK Have a Secret Gay Relationship? - msn.com In her memoir, published eleven years after the first Kennedy assassination, she wrote that Billings had 'remained Jack's lifelong close friend, confidante, sharer in old memories and new experiences . Jack's best friend was Lem, and he would want to remind everyone of that today. Irked, Joe Kennedy would sneeringly ask his wife, Rose, 'Do we have to have that queer around all summer? Billings would later spend nights in the White House where he had his own room, Schoolboy crush? Pitts said. I mean, she doesn't look like she belongs there any more than I do, and I briefly wonder if she's a housemaid or a nanny, taking her one allotted evening out. Jack's best friend was Lem, and he would want to remind everyone of that today. 14:55 EDT 13 Oct 2015. at a General Shoe store, Emerson Drug Company VP, and an advertising executive To virtually attend a service live The Kennedys tolerated his homosexuality, which was considered taboo at the time, Lawrence J. Quirk, the author of'The Kennedys in Hollywood' said Billings and JFK's relationship turned sexual at a point. Although there have been several rumors throughout the decades of JFK being romantically involved with Marilyn Monroe, the former president has also faced rumors of a relationship withhis gay best friend Lem Billings. I don't know whether she wrote to Bobby, but she certainly didn't telephone or visit him. Biographer Sally Bedell Smith referred to Billings as probably the saddest of the Kennedy widows., RELATED:Details About Kristen Stewarts Fiance Dylan Meyers & Their Adorably Casual Proposal. All the Kennedys were very much aware of Billings's sexual preference, or suspected it, accepted it, and welcomed him into their exclusive inner circle - practically adopted him - although the patriarch Joe Kennedy found him annoying at times. She might be a cashier at the Montelle Pharmacy or Finland's deputy chief of mission, and you won't know until you've pulled up in front of her apartment building and seen her tottering through the front gate, a blonde in a crew-neck cardigan or a brunette in a bullet bra, and it's always the latter who raises her hand for you to kiss and the former who comes at you straight on like an encyclopedia salesman, and whoever it is remains "Miss" in our conversation until such time as the business is consummated, at which point she devolves into her component parts. quoted from the book: "Jack made a big difference in my life," Their very intimate relationship would last from those school days to Billings even having a room in the Kennedy White House - distressing for the first lady - to the day of Kennedy's assassination. In school JFK and Lem were close. 'I'm sure he's already organizing everything in heaven so it will be completely ready for us with just the right Early American furniture, the right curtains, the right rugs, the right paintings, and everything ready for a big, big party. Jerry Oppenheimer For Dailymail.com Billings, who was a year older than Jack Kennedy, made his desire known while the two were still at Choate in a bizarre love note, penned on a piece of toilet paper that could be disposed of easily to avoid incrimination at a time when homosexuality was illicit. I was told by Billings, "Nothing ever goes directly to Ethel." Billings enthused to RFK and Ethel in his high-pitched voice, which RFK made fun of behind his back. Yesterday was Jack's birthday. Billings Funeral Home, in Elkhart IN, offers personalized and compassionate service for everyone who walks through our doors. But I'm stuck with the Kennedys emotionally, and I will be to the end of my life.". Joseph Kennedy Sr. called him my sec Wright said he never heard from Bobby's mother after the decision was made to boot her son. One of the most credible accounts of the Kennedy-Billings relationship was told by David Pitts, who I interviewed extensively for my book, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.And The Dark Side Of The Dream, because the strapping, bespectacled Billings, with a high-pitched, effeminate voice, would later become the fawning surrogate father and fellow drug user of JFK's nephew, Bobby Kennedy Jr., with whom Billings also had intense romantic feelings. Still, the Kennedy clan accepted - even welcomed - Lem Billings into their exclusive inner-circle, practically adopting him, and he became a part of the family. When the President was assassinated in Dallas, Lem was in Kirk Billings, 65, Dies; Friend of the Kennedys, https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/29/obituaries/kirk-billings-65-dies-friend-of-the-kennedys.html. a year so that he and Kennedy could graduate from Choate together in 1935," Bobby had believed Billings' every word. All I can make out through my encrusted specs are a row of white pilasters and a front portico. Lem had extremely poor eye sight and a high-pitched voice. A group home in Fort Myer, maybe. the two men was friendship. Lem married Rolla Jean Auer on September 17, 1950. 'He was a man that seemed to obviously be of independent means and have a lot of time on his hands, like a supporting cast kind of person, one those people who traded on the Kennedy name and reputation. After the assassination of RFK in 1968, the flamboyant Billings transferred his obsessive affection for Jack, to handsome teenager Bobby Jr. David Pitts, the author of 'Jack and Lem: The Untold Story of an Extraordinary Friendship,' told me, 'Lem was a gay man and he had a 14-year-old, good-looking kid living in his house with him and there had been rumors because of that. Billings Funeral Home. After Kennedys election Billings would frequently be an overnight guest, which supposedly upset the First Lady, Jackie Kennedy. They adopted a little "Can't beat a good Irish pub" - David Beckham celebrates son's birthday in Dublin, UPDATE: Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murdering wife and son, WATCH: Irish bishop's funeral held in Los Angeles today, Brian Donnelly, Irish American visa hero, has died, Sunak's Northern Ireland deal is a solid one, Irish bishops memorial services underway in LA as murder investigation continues, Ireland named one of the safest places to travel in Europe. Infuriated, his mother demanded: 'Just leave home. She has dabbed herself with Chateau Krigler 12 (I consider telling her it's my mother's favorite), and there is the complicating counter-aroma of Pall Malls, and somewhere at the back, simple bovine perspiration. They continued to Princeton In a 2007 Billings and. Gay History: John F. Kennedy Had A Gay Best Friend Who - Timalderman "Jack and Lem: John F. Kennedy and Lem Billings: The Untold Story of an Extraordinary Friendship" Kennedy knew Billings was in love with him (Billings declared his love and was rejected by Kennedy) and Kennedy liked that, the attention and knowing the power he has over billings also his wife Jackie Kennedy hated Billings and hated that he and . Among the snapshots is one that shows a handsome pre-presidential Kennedy sunning himself, sprawled on a chaise at Patriarch Joe Kennedy's Palm Beach estate. Nothing for it, then, but to watch Miss Bouvier's headunder the weight of her impending introduction to the Kennedy clanloll ever so gradually to the right. Jack for his health reasons and Lem for his eye sight. By clicking on a service below, you can view the obituary and service details, leave a condolence, send flowers, and if requested by the family attend a service live with remote attendance or view the . In 1964, Billings was named to head a ten-person committee to select a memorial to Kennedy to be placed in the Kennedy Center. Among the snapshots is one that shows a handsome pre-presidential Kennedy sunning himself, sprawled on a chaise at Patriarch Joe Kennedy's Palm Beach estate. He was kind of sinister. JFK's oldest and best friend was Kirk LeMoyne Billings, known as "Lem." The two became fast friends in prep school and, after graduation, they traveled to Europe together. As they became close, Billings confided that his relationship with Kennedy was, in fact, sexual, to a point. Even when Bobby was invited to weekend lunches at the Bontecou estate, it was Billings who accompanied him. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Mr. Billings and Mr. Kennedy. White House. Sydney Taylor is a writer who focuses on News and Entertainment topics. The teenagers worked together on their classs yearbook, and Billings became sexually attracted to the handsome young Kennedy. and helped gather delegates at the Democratic convention in Los Angeles when JFK , updated When their brother Bobby married Ethel Skakel in a royal-like wedding in Greenwich, Connecticut, the staunchly conservative republican and seemingly homophobic Skakels let their feelings about Billings' gayness be known. The book "Jack and Lem: John F. Kennedy and Lem Billings: The Untold Story of an Extraordinary Friendship," details the extraordinary relationship between two unlikely friends. Lem Billings '39's Life | Princeton Alumni Weekly Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you. The first time Kirk Lemoyne 'Lem' Billings was introduced to Bobby Kennedy Jr. the two spent several hours alone in the boy's room at fabled Hickory Hill, Robert and Ethel Kennedy's historic, sprawling estate, in bucolic McLean, Virginia. The story about Lem Billings '39 and JFK was very interesting and even moving (cover story, April 12). 2023 Meadowrockalpacas. His latest book, The Kardashians: An American Drama, will be published in September. It only got worse with the drugs. Jackie Kennedy, who liked Billings for From Algonquin Books. Bobby, who would become one of the nation's leading - and often controversial - environmental activists and lawyers, was a member of the falconry group at Millbrook, but his behavior was considered bizarre. 'We had a couple of calls from Jackie - "How's my nephew doing?" "At one point he was sent by Jack to give Jackie the low-down about what she could expect once they were married. And now that we've crossed into Virginia, the only thing left to figure out is where she might live. Their very intimate relationship would last from those school days to Billings even having a room in the Kennedy White House distressing for the first lady to the day of Kennedy's assassination. Click to browse the Lem Billings Personal Papers KLBPP-001-003-p0015. He'd say, 'When you're shooting speed it's such a good rush. Their foresight led to the development of a funeral home dedicated to providing the best quality service possible to families at their . Billings said. Inside the intimate relationship between JFK and Lem Billings (2023) Billings, LeMoyne | JFK Library Joseph Kennedy Sr. called him "my second son," and he . 'It was kept 'very hush-hush,' recalled the music teacher James Hejduk. The Kennedys were a liberal family and one that tolerated a lot of heterosexual promiscuity as well., In her memoir, Times To Remember, published eleven years after JFKs assassination in Dallas in 1963, matriarch Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy wrote that Billings had remained Jack's lifelong close friend, confidant, sharer in old memories and new experiencesHe has really been part of 'our family' since that first time he showed up at our house as one of 'Jack's surprises., Lem Billings and John F. Kennedy pictured at the Kennedy familys Palm Beach estate. Introduction: My name is Rubie Ullrich, I am a enthusiastic, perfect, tender, vivacious, talented, famous, delightful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you. He passed away peacefully at home February. President Kennedy was the first US president to meet Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace, when the Queen and Prince Philip hosted the president and first lady for dinner in 1961, according to the US Embassy and Consulates in the UK. Lem also worked for JFK in the West Virginia and Wisconsin primaries Jack and Lem explores the enduring friendship between John F. Kennedy and Kirk Lemoyne Billings (aka "Lem"). While the photo of Kennedy cozying up to Monroe is the best known of him with one of his purported lovers, other far less public snapshots show the flip side of Kennedy's intimate relationships. Claudette informed Vic that she was told that Lem's lack of a department funeral and motorcade would prevent news headlines about Lem's "dirty dealings". While the photo of Kennedy cozying up to Monroe is the best known of him with one of his purported lovers, other far less public snapshots show the flip side of Kennedy's intimate relationships. 'But the one thing that struck me even at that tender age was that I felt Lem was just obsessed with Bobby the way he watched over him, the way he was hugely protective of him. "And she knew, at some level, that she was marrying another version of her father. He also is responsible I mutter something on the order of yes, I must be, and she smiles. Bayard's novel takes place primarily in the months leading up to Jack and Jackie's wedding on Sept. 12, 1953. "Yesterday was Jack's birthday. The Funeral Home and/or Cemeterys policy is to NOT reproduce any copyrighted or other proprietary materials without verification from the User that they have the lawful right and/or authority to use. ', Rose Kennedy, however, had a different, more positive view of Billings. I understand he's not worth it.". JFK's Friendship with Lem Billings: His Best Friend Never Got Over Kirk LeMoyne "Lem" The content produced by YourTango is for informational and educational purposes only. David Pitts, the author of Jack and Lem: The Untold Story of an Extraordinary Friendship, told him: Lem was a gay man and he had a 14-year-old, good-looking kid living in his house with him and there had been rumors because of that.