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

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

Drumthwacket Drumthwacket ( ) is the official residence of the governor of the U.S. state of New Jersey at 354 Stockton Street in Princeton, New Jersey, near the state capital of Trenton. The mansion was built in 1835 and expanded in 1893 and 1900. It was s ...

, 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 U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. She served as first lady during the administration of her then-husband, New Jersey Governor

Jim McGreevey James Edward McGreevey (born August 6, 1957) is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 52nd governor of New Jersey from 2002 until his resignation in 2004 amidst a sex scandal. McGreevey served in the New Jersey Genera ...

. 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

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

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

when she was still young and settled in the heavily Portuguese

Ironbound The Ironbound is a neighborhood in the city of Newark in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a large working-class multi-ethnic community, covering about . Historically, the area was called "Dutch Neck," "Down Neck," or simp ...

section of Newark. Maria worked in a gift shop, and Ricardo worked for the railroad. 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 A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

while in college. Matos was enrolled in college until 1991. As of 2004, she had not received a degree.

Personal life

Matos met Jim McGreevey in 1996 when he was mayor of

Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Woodbridge Township is a township in northern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is a regional hub of transportation and commerce for central New Jersey and a major bedroom suburb of New York City, within the New ...

. Matos began dating McGreevey the following year, shortly after he lost his first bid for governor to

Christine Todd Whitman Christine Temple Whitman (; 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 under President George W. Bush ...

. McGreevey had separated from his first wife, Kari Schutz, in 1995 and was divorced in 1997. Matos married McGreevey in 2000, and McGreevey was elected governor of New Jersey in 2001. Together, Matos and McGreevey have a daughter, Jacqueline, who was born in 2001. McGreevey was accompanied by Matos at a nationally televised August 2004 press conference 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. McGreevey left office in November 2004. Matos and McGreevey began living apart that same month. The couple legally separated on January 12, 2007, and McGreevey filed for divorce in July 2007. The Matos-McGreevey divorce and custody battle gained much media attention in

. Both parents sought full custody of their daughter, and Matos sought alimony. The divorce was finalized on August 8, 2008, and Matos received joint custody and child support. 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. Her book, ''Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage'', was published on May 1, 2007. That day, Matos broke her silence and spoke on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...

''. 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'"? On May 2, 2007, Matos appeared on ABC's

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

with

Diane Sawyer Lila Diane Sawyer (; born December 22, 1945) is an American television broadcast journalist known for anchoring major programs on two networks including ''ABC World News Tonight'', ''Good Morning America'', ''20/20 (U.S. TV series), 20/20'', and ...

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.

Matos married Paul Zuccarino in 2018.

Career

Matos is a former first lady of New Jersey. Matos has also served as executive director of the Columbus Hospital Foundation in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

Other endeavors

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 Portugal Day, officially Portugal, Camões, and Portuguese Communities Day (), is the national day of Portugal celebrated annually on 10 June. It is one of the public holidays in Portugal and celebrated by Portuguese people throughout the world ...

parade in Newark. Matos's book, ''Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage'', was published on May 1, 2007.

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