Nellie Outlived 'Em All


Nellie Connally rode in the limousine as Lee Harvey Oswald (and others?) shot JFK. Most believe he died on the way to the hospital. Nellie's husband, John, was the Governor of Texas (and a Democrat), and therefore they went along with JFK and Jackie. John received a wound that day from the so-called "magic bullet" that passed through JFK's neck then into John's back only to emerge and lodge into his wrist. The other three occupants all died before Nellie, who also passed away on Friday.

Her husband later changed parties and became a Republican. He made a short-lived run for President before the 1980 election. During the primary campaign he made what I consider to be one of the best quotes ever in American political history. When asked about the recent disaster at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, Connally replied, "More people died at Chappaquiddick than at Three Mile Island."

It's not that I agreed with Connally's politics (I didn't), but it was the outright irreverence of his remark that makes it one of my favorites.