Kennedy became the first lady of the United States when her husband was sworn in as the 35th president on January 20, 1961. At 31, Kennedy was the third youngest woman to serve as first lady, as well as the first Silent Generation first lady. She was the first presidential wife to hire a press secretary, Pamela Turnure, and carefully managed her contact with the media, usually shying away from making public statements, and strictly controlling the extent to which her children were photographed. Kennedy later attracted worldwide positive public attention and gained allies for the White House and international support for the Kennedy administration and its Cold War policies.