Judith Exner was an American woman, who became known for her relationship with the United States former President John F. Kennedy and American Mafia leader Sam Giancana.
Background
Ethnicity:
Judith's father was of German descent and her mother was of Irish ancestry.
Judith Exner was born on January 11, 1934, in New York City, New York, United States to a well-off family of Frederick W. Immoor, an architect and real estate investor, and Katherine (Shea) Immoor. Her grandfather was a real estate entrepreneur. Judith's siblings included Susan Morrow (born Jacqueline Ann Teresa Bernadette Immoor), an actress, Frederick Kenneth Immoor and Allen Gene Immoor.
Education
Judith was raised in the wealthy neighborhoods of the Pacific Palisades, California, where the comedian Bob Hope was a neighbour and friend of her family. After her mother nearly died in an auto accident, Judith withdrew from school at the age of 14 and was tutored at home.
Career
On February 7, 1960, Judith was introduced by Frank Sinatra to John F. Kennedy, then a senator from Massachusetts and a presidential candidate. Later, Sinatra was instrumental in introducing Exner to "Sam Flood", who was actually Sam Giancana, the major figure in the Chicago Mafia. Kennedy needed help to win the West Virginia primary, and he felt, that Sam Giancana, known also as Chicago’s Godfather, could assist. During the 1960 United States presidential election, Judith served as a courier between Kennedy and Sam Giancana and ferried secret envelopes between the two men. In all, Exner claimed she arranged 10 meetings between Giancana and Kennedy to help him get elected. She once said, that the mob boss once bragged to her, that Kennedy wouldn’t have been elected if not for his connections in Cook County, Illinois.
After Kennedy was elected President of the United States, Judith continued serving as the President's personal liaison between him and Giancana. Exner also said, that while Kennedy was in the White House, she shuttled messages on topics, including a plan to kill President Fidel Castro of Cuba, between him and Giancana.
It's worth noting, that in 1977, Judith published an autobiography "My Story", in which she claimed, that her relationship with Kennedy was personal and that she was never an intermediary between him and the Mafia. During her lifetime, she gave varying accounts of her supposed relationship with Kennedy. Her story was denied energetically over the years by many of President Kennedy's intimates, including his personal secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, and his court jester, Dave Powers, who said the only Campbell he knew was chunky vegetable soup. Because of her often-changing stories, many people did not believe anything she stated, and most consider her stories after 1977 as extremely improbable.
Judith Exner became notoriously known in the middle of 1970's, when she claimed, that she had had an affair with President John F. Kennedy from 1960 until 1962. She was also known for her brief relationship with Sam Giancana, the capo of the Chicago Mafia.
Exner did not reveal her relationship with President Kennedy until it was revealed during the 1975 Church Committee investigation into Mafia ties to the White House. Although the committee did not name her in their reports, her name was leaked to the press, and the resulting publicity earned her the hatred from the many Kennedy supporters.
Quotations:
"I don't think I should have to die with the secret of what I did for Jack Kennedy, or what he did with the power of his Presidency. I feel that I am finally free of the past."
"I feel my life has been so invaded, that I would have to tell something so personal. The worst thing I did was fall in love with a married man."
"When your heart speaks, take good notes."
Personality
Physical Characteristics:
Judith suffered from terminal breast cancer, which caused her death.
Interests
cats, painting
Connections
In 1952, Judith married actor William Campbell, whom she met while partying with Robert Wagner at the age of 16. Campbell had played in some Westerns in the 1950's before making a name for himself as a guest star on several television shows, including "Perry Mason" and "Star Trek". Judith's first marriage put her in contact with Hollywood elites of all kinds, but most notably Frank Sinatra. In 1958, William and Judith divorced.
In 1959, Judith was picked up by Frank Sinatra at Puccini's restaurant in Los Angeles and began a brief interlude with the singer. Then, she was taken to Palm Springs, the luxurious desert resort, by another show business lover.
On February 7, 1960, Sinatra introduced Judith to the brothers Edward and John Fitzgerald Kennedy, who were out in California, campaigning for John's presidential nomination. On March 7, 1960, the night before the New Hampshire primary, Kennedy and Exner were close for the first time in New York City, according to her account. Judith claimed, that the only gifts she accepted from President Kennedy were a ruby and diamond brooch from Tiffany's and the money to buy a fur coat.
The relationship between Kennedy and Exner petered out amidst the investigations into their relationship with the mobster Sam Giancana. Then, Judith briefly fell in a romantic relationship with Giancana, but when he proposed, she put an end to it.
After Kennedy was assassinated, Exner fell into a profound depression. She even attempted suicide. Eventually, she fell in love again, this time with Dan Exner, a professional golfer. They married in 1975, but separated in 1988.
Judith gave birth to one child - David Bohrer. However, she also claimed, that she had an abortion after becoming pregnant with Kennedy's baby, almost a year before Kennedy was assassinated.
