- Dina Matos McGreevey
Dina Matos McGreevey, born on
November 5 ,1966 inCantanhede ,Portugal , is the former First Lady ofNew Jersey . She served as first lady during the administration of her husband, former Gov.James McGreevey . In advance of an expected lawsuit, Gov. McGreevey, with Matos at his side, revealed at an August 2004 press conference that he had had anadulterous homosexual relationship and was resigning from office. Matos and McGreeveyseparated in October 2004.Biography
Matos is the daughter of Maria and Ricardo. The Matos moved to the United States from
Portugal when she was still young and settled in the heavily PortugueseIronbound section of Newark. Maria worked in a gift shop and Ricardo worked for the railroad.cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E5D8153FF937A2575BC0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|title=THE GOVERNOR RESIGNS: THE WIVES; With Discretion, Two Women Stand By the Governor in His Time of Tribulation|date=2004-08-14|accessdate=2008-03-10|author=O'Donnell, Michelle|coauthors=Collins, Glenn|work=The New York Times ]After graduating from East Side High School, she enrolled at the Newark campus of Rutgers University in 1984. She majored in political science, but also worked as a
secretary while in college. Although she was enrolled until 1991, she nevergraduated .Dina is a former manager of Public and Professional Relations at Saint James Hospital, and Executive Director of the Columbus Hospital Foundation in
Newark, New Jersey .Personal
Matos met
James E. McGreevey in 1996, while he wasmayor ofWoodbridge Township, New Jersey , and they began dating the following year, shortly after he lost his first bid for governor toChristie Whitman . McGreevey had separated from his first wife, Kari Schutz, in 1995 and was divorced in 1997.They married October 7, 2000. Together they have a daughter, Jacqueline Matos McGreevey, born prematurely on December 7, 2001 after Matos had been hospitalized for six weeks.
In October 2004, Dina Matos McGreevey purchased a three-bedroom, red brick ranch home in
Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey Capuzzo, Jill P. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DE7DB143CF934A35752C1A9629C8B63 "The Tangled Journey Of a Governor's Wife"] , "The New York Times ",November 7 ,2004 . AccessedDecember 30 ,2007 . "The McGreeveys will be moving out ofDrumthwacket , the governor's Greek Revival mansion in Princeton, and go their separate ways -- she to a red-brick ranch she bought for an undisclosed price in Springfield, Union County."]Divorce trial
Matos and McGreevey are currently in the midst of a divorce and custody battle that has gained much media attention in
New Jersey because McGreevey wants full custody with support from Matos [http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2948803 McGreevey wants custody and support from Matos.] Jim and Dina Matos McGreevey'sdivorce trial in the Union County Courthouse inElizabeth , started onMay 6 , 2008, to end their 3 1/2-year separation. Jim asked the court for equal custody of their 6-year-old daughter,alimony andchild support . Matos McGreevey demanded $600,000 compensation. McGreevey, 50, now lives with a male partner and is studying to be anEpiscopal priest. Stephen Haller, his lawyer will present witness Teddy Pedersen, 29: "Plaintiff will testify at trial that he needed to have a disrobed male present in the room with them in order for him to become physically aroused; This tends to prove that plaintiff was at least bisexual, a fact which should have been obvious to defendant prior to the marriage." Matos McGreevey's lawyer John Post, would block Pedersen's testimony. [ [http://www.wwsb.com/Global/story.asp?S=8275862 wwsb.com, Gay ex-N.J. governor's divorce trial promises sordid details] ] [ [http://www.gmanews.tv/story/93470/Gay-ex-NJ-govs-divorce-trial-promises-sordid-details www.gmanews.tv, Gay ex-NJ gov's divorce trial promises sordid details] ]In March 2008, media reports alleged that Matos would often engage in group sex with her husband and his aide Teddy Pedersen. [http://www.nypost.com/seven/03172008/news/regionalnews/i_was_mcg_and_wifes_three_way_sex_stud___102326.htm I Had Threesomes With Jim Mcgreevey, Wife: Driver - New York Post ] ] Pedersen claims in a sworn deposition that the three engaged in what they referred to as "Friday Night Specials" after dining at a local T.G.I Friday's. The deposition details that the Former Governor's participation was to only watch Dina Matos McGreevey engage in sexual relations with Pedersen, which she has denied. Pedersen also states in his testimony that he had no knowledge that the former Governor was homosexual at the time of the trysts.
Career
Matos speaks fluent Portuguese and has worked to obtain
green cards and naturalization for Portuguese immigrants. In June 2004, she was grand marshal of the Portugal Day parade in Newark.Matos announced in January 2007 that she was writing a book, "Silent Partner", to end media speculation on her life. In the book, Matos wrote that she would never have married McGreevey if she had known he was gay, nor would she have "allowed a gay man to father my child," referring to their six-year-old daughter. [cite news|url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/03172008/news/regionalnews/i_was_mcg_and_wifes_three_way_sex_stud___102326.htm|title=I Was McG and Wife's Three-way Sex Stud: Ex-driver|date=2008-03-17|accessdate=2008-03-17|last=MacIntosh |first=Jeanne |work=
The New York Post ] On May 1, 2007, the day of the book's release, Matos broke her silence and spoke onThe Oprah Winfrey Show promoting her book [http://www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200705/20070501/slide_20070501_284_101.jhtml Matos OnOprah ] [http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200609/20060919/slide_20060919_284_113.jhtml McGreevey onOprah ] . On May 2, 2007, she appeared on ABC'sGood Morning America withDiane Sawyer and stated::"I thought I had it all, I thought it was the American dream, and it turned out to be a nightmare. ... You know he had the entire day [that he resigned] scripted. His entire life had been choreographed, and even as his world was falling apart, he was still trying to script everything and making sure that day went as he wanted it" [cite news |url=http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3120819&page=1 |work=ABC News |title=Matos says through it all McGreevey had everything choreographed for his own benefit |date=2007-05-02 ] .Gayle King interviewed Matos in the June 2007 edition ofO, The Oprah Magazine . [http://www2.oprah.com/spiritself/omag/ss_omag_200706_mcgreevey.jhtml June 2007 O Magazine interview]References
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