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Dina Matos

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Dina Matos
First Lady of New Jersey
In role
January 15, 2002 – November 15, 2004
Preceded byDiane DiFrancesco
Succeeded byMary Jo Codey
Personal details
Born (1966-11-05) November 5, 1966 (age 58)
Cantanhede, Portugal
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 2000; div. 2008)​

Paul Zuccarino
​
(m. 2018)​
Children1
EducationRutgers University, Newark

Dina Matos (born November 5, 1966[1]) is a former First Lady of New Jersey. She served as first lady during the administration of her then-husband, New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey. McGreevey was elected governor of New Jersey in 2001. At an August 2004 press conference, McGreevey--with Matos at his side--stated that he was gay, that he had engaged in an affair with a man, and that he was resigning from office. Matos and McGreevey began living apart in November 2004, the same month McGreevey left office. A divorce was granted on August 8, 2008. Matos published a book entitled Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage in 2007.

Early life and education

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Matos is the daughter of Maria and Ricardo Matos. They moved to the United States from Portugal when she was still young and settled in the heavily Portuguese Ironbound section of Newark. Maria worked in a gift shop, and Ricardo worked for the railroad.[2]

After graduating from East Side High School, Matos enrolled at the Newark campus of Rutgers University in 1984. She majored in political science and also worked as a secretary while in college. Matos was enrolled in college until 1991. As of 2004, she had not received a degree.[2]

Personal life

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Matos met Jim McGreevey in 1996 when he was mayor of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. Matos began dating McGreevey the following year, shortly after he lost his first bid for governor to Christine Todd Whitman.[2] McGreevey had separated from his first wife, Kari Schutz, in 1995 and was divorced in 1997.[2] Matos married McGreevey in 2000,[3] and McGreevey was elected governor of New Jersey in 2001.[4] Together, Matos and McGreevey have a daughter, Jacqueline, who was born in 2001.[5]

McGreevey was accompanied by Matos[6] at a nationally televised August 2004 press conference[7] in which he identified himself as a gay man, stated that he had engaged in an affair with another man, and announced that he would resign from office.[8] McGreevey left office in November 2004.[9] Matos and McGreevey began living apart that same month. The couple legally separated on January 12, 2007,[6] and McGreevey filed for divorce in July 2007.[10] The Matos-McGreevey divorce and custody battle gained much media attention in New Jersey. Both parents sought full custody of their daughter, and Matos sought alimony.[11] The divorce was finalized on August 8, 2008,[12] and Matos received joint custody and child support.[13]

Matos announced in January 2007 that she was writing a book to end media speculation on her life. In the book, Matos wrote that she would never have married McGreevey or had a child with him if she had known he was gay.[14] Her book, Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage, was published on May 1, 2007.[15] That day, Matos broke her silence and spoke on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[16][17] In that interview, recalling the day when McGreevey announced his alleged affair at a press conference, Matos said: "'I smiled because I didn’t want to break down'" and added that McGreevey had told her that she had to "'be Jackie Kennedy'". Matos said, "'I'm thinking, Jackie Kennedy? Her husband was murdered. You cheated on me and I have to be Jackie Kennedy'"?[18]

On May 2, 2007, Matos appeared on ABC's Good Morning America with Diane 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.[19]

Matos married Paul Zuccarino in 2018.[20]

Career

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Matos is a former first lady of New Jersey.[21] Matos has also served as executive director of the Columbus Hospital Foundation in Newark, New Jersey.[22]

Other endeavors

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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.[2]

Matos's book, Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage, was published on May 1, 2007.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Capuzzo, Jill P. "The Tangled Journey Of a Governor's Wife", The New York Times, November 7, 2004. Accessed December 30, 2007. "The McGreeveys will be moving out of Drumthwacket, 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."
  2. ^ a b c d e O'Donnell, Michelle; Collins, Glenn (2004-08-14). "THE GOVERNOR RESIGNS: THE WIVES; With Discretion, Two Women Stand By the Governor in His Time of Tribulation". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  3. ^ "McGreevey's wife says she was 'full partner'". NBC News. May 29, 2008.
  4. ^ Halbfinger, David (November 7, 2001). "THE 2001 ELECTIONS: GOVERNOR; Democrat Vows to Alter Way 'Business Is Done in Trenton'". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Fastenberg, Dan (July–August 2007). "An American First". college.columbia.edu.
  6. ^ a b "Gay ex-N.J. governor seeks divorce". NBC News. February 2, 2007.
  7. ^ Kocieniewski, David (November 15, 2004). "McGreevey's Legacy Is Far Different From What He Promised". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  8. ^ "New Jersey governor quits, comes out as gay". www.cnn.com. August 13, 2004.
  9. ^ Nieto-Munoz, Sophie (November 9, 2023). "Ex-Gov. Jim McGreevey seeks second chance, this time as mayor of Jersey City". newjerseymonitor.com.
  10. ^ Craven, Laura (February 3, 2007). "McGreeveys at odds over divorce filing". NJ.com.
  11. ^ "McGreevey wants custody and support from Matos". ABC News.
  12. ^ Batson, Annette (August 8, 2008). "McGreevey Divorce Settled". Montclair Local.
  13. ^ "Judge in N.J. grants McGreevey divorce, orders ex-governor to pay child support but no alimony". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. 2008-08-08. Archived from the original on 2008-05-24. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  14. ^ MacIntosh, Jeanne (2008-03-17). "I Was McG and Wife's Three-way Sex Stud: Ex-driver". New York Post. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  15. ^ a b "Ex-N.J. governor's wife talks to Oprah". NBC News. May 1, 2007.
  16. ^ "Jim McGreevey's Ex-Wife Ignores Signs of Deception". Oprah.com. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  17. ^ "Transcript of Dina Matos McGreevey interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show". Oprah.com.
  18. ^ Heher, Ashley (May 1, 2007). "James E. McGreevey's wife tells Oprah she didn't know the former New Jersey governor was gay, on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show'". Times Herald-Record.
  19. ^ "Matos says through it all McGreevey had everything choreographed for his own benefit". ABC News. 2007-05-02.
  20. ^ "OurVoices with Kristin Kalbli: S2 Ep1: An Interview with Dina Matos, Former First Lady of the State of New Jersey: Straight Spouse in the Public Eye". ssnvoices.libsyn.com.
  21. ^ "McGreevey's Wife: 'He Was a Great Actor'". ABC News. May 1, 2007.
  22. ^ "N.J. governor's wife is going her own way". NBC News. October 20, 2004.
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Preceded by First Lady of New Jersey
January 2002 – November 2004 		Succeeded by
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