Joan Braden

Joan Ridley Braden
Died	1999
Education	Hollins University University of California Los Angeles Northwestern University
Spouse	Tom Braden
Children	8

Joan Ridley Braden (d.1999) was an American journalist, writer, public relations executive, State department officer, a campaigner for John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, and personal secretary to Nelson Rockefeller. In 1962 she accompanied First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy on Kennedy's goodwill tour of India and Pakistan. ^{[1] [2]}

Early life and education

Joan Braden was born in Indianapolis and was brought up in Anderson, Indiana and then in Washington, where she graduated from Wilson High School before gaining a place at Hollins University, University of California, Los Angeles, and then graduating from Northwestern University. ^[1]

Career

Hostess Joan Braden and journalist Molly Thayer ride an elephant in India

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Tours Fatehpur Sikri in India (Braden in yellow)

During the Second World War, Braden was one of Pentagon's civilian intelligence officers. ^[1] She was later recruited as personal secretary and economic assistant to Nelson Rockefeller, in New York. ^[1] In 1951 she moved to Washington. ^[1]

She became a campaigner for John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. ^[1]

In 1962 she accompanied First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy on Kennedy's goodwill tour of India and Pakistan. ^[1]

In 1976 Braden was appointed to then newly created role of coordinator of consumer affairs. ^[3]

Personal and family

She married Tom Braden in 1948 and they had eight children. ^[1]

Selected publications

• "An Exclusive Chat with Jackie Kennedy".Saturday Evening Post 235,. 12 May 1962), pp, 85-89.
• Just Enough Rope: An Intimate Memoir. Villard Books. 1989. ISBN   978-0-394-57458-5.

References

1. Barnes, Bart (31 August 1999). "Joan Braden, Confidante of Leaders, Dies". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 February 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
2. Trueheart, Charles (19 July 1989). "Joan Braden, making the most of her memoir". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 February 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
3. Gwertzman, Bernard (1 January 1976). "Joan Braden Gets State Department Post". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 March 2025.

Further reading

• Joan R. Braden and Thomas W. Braden, recorded interview by Dennis J. O’Brien, October 11, 1969, John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program.