Dina Matos (born November 5, 1966Capuzzo, Jill P

''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', November 7, 2004. Accessed December 30, 2007. "The McGreeveys will be moving out of

Drumthwacket Drumthwacket ( ) is the official residence of the governor of New Jersey. The mansion sits at 354 Stockton Street in Princeton, near the state capital of Trenton. It is one of only four official governor's residences in the country not located ...

, 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.") is a former First Lady of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. She served as first lady during the administration of her husband,

Jim McGreevey James Edward McGreevey (born August 6, 1957) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 52nd governor of New Jersey from 2002 until his resignation in 2004 following the revelation of his extramarital affair w ...

. In advance of an expected lawsuit, Gov. McGreevey, with Matos at his side, revealed at an August 2004 press conference that he had had an affair with a man and was resigning from office. Matos and McGreevey separated in October 2004. A divorce was granted following a trial on August 8, 2008.

Biography

Matos is the daughter of Maria and Ricardo Matos. They moved to the United States from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

when she was still young and settled in the heavily Portuguese Ironbound section of

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

. Maria worked in a gift shop and Ricardo worked for the railroad. 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 A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

while in college. Although she was enrolled until 1991, she never graduated. Matos 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 Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Woodbridge Township is a township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is both a regional hub for Central New Jersey and a major bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York metropolitan area located within the ...

, and they began dating the following year, shortly after he lost his first bid for governor to

Christine Todd Whitman Christine Temple Whitman (née Todd; born September 26, 1946) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001 and as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration o ...

. 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, who was born prematurely in December 2001, after Matos had been hospitalized for six weeks. Dina Matos married Paul Zuccarino in 2018.

Divorce trial

The Matos and McGreevey divorce and custody battle gained much media attention in

because McGreevey wanted full custody. Matos wanted $600,000 plus alimony. She was denied alimony. The trial to end their 3½-year separation started on May 6, 2008. Jim asked the court for equal custody of their 8-year-old daughter. Matos McGreevey demanded $600,000 compensation. McGreevey received joint custody, and pays child support. They will also be using a parenting coordinator.

Career

Matos speaks fluent Portuguese and has worked to obtain

green cards A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...

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. On May 1, 2007, the day of the book's release, Matos broke her silence and spoke on

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

promoting her book. On May 2, 2007, she appeared on ABC's

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...

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 hat he resignedscripted. 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.

Gayle King interviewed Matos in the June 2007 edition of O, The Oprah Magazine.http://www2.oprah.com/spiritself/omag/ss_omag_200706_mcgreevey.jhtml June 2007 O Magazine interview

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matos, Dina Portuguese emigrants to the United States East Side High School (Newark, New Jersey) alumni First Ladies and Gentlemen of New Jersey People from Newark, New Jersey People from Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey People from Woodbridge Township, New Jersey 1966 births Living people Rutgers University alumni People from Cantanhede, Portugal