Maud M. E. Shaw

Maud Mercy Ellen Shaw was born in Southampton, England, on September 2, 1903.¹ She built an impressive career as a nanny, working in the United Kingdom, Iran, Egypt, and America. After moving back to the United Kingdom to care for her sick brother, a friend from America wrote to her about a job opportunity working for Senator John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy. Shaw met with Mrs. Kennedy over tea, and after an hour of speaking with each other, Mrs. Kennedy confirmed they were a good fit.² The Kennedys hired Shaw days before Caroline Kennedy’s birth. 

When John F. Kennedy became president, Shaw remained the family’s nanny and moved with them to the White House, where she had private quarters on the Second Floor of the Residence to be available at all times.³ In 1962, the Manchester Evening News reported that Shaw was “extremely happy in her job and wouldn’t change it for anything.”⁴ In her memoir about her time with the Kennedys, Shaw fondly recalled the moment “little Caroline was the first person to confirm to Senator Kennedy that he was, in fact, President Kennedy.” While serving Caroline breakfast, Shaw noticed a Secret Service agent on the lawn and thought, if it’s certain enough for the White House, it’s certain enough for me. She told Caroline to wake him up and “give him a nice surprise.” Caroline ran to his bed, hugged and kissed him, and said, “Good morning, Mr. President.” Kennedy calmly replied, “Well now, is that right?”⁵ 

She was there for the children through both joyful and difficult times. Following President Kennedy’s assassination, it was Shaw—at Jacqueline Kennedy’s request—who broke the news to Caroline and John Jr.⁶ After the Kennedy children left the White House, Shaw no longer served as their nanny, but they stayed in touch.⁷ In 1966, Shaw published her memoir titled White House Nannie: My Years with Caroline and John Kennedy, Jr.⁸ She returned to the United Kingdom and passed away in Portsmouth, England, on December 12, 1988.⁹