Maureen Kennedy Salaman (April 4, 1936 – August 17, 2006) was an American author, proponent of

alternative medicine Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices are ...

, and candidate of the

American Independent Party The American Independent Party (AIP) is an American political party that was established in 1967. The American Independent Party is best known for its nomination of Democratic then-former Governor George Wallace of Alabama, who carried five s ...

for

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

in the 1984 election.

Biography

Salaman was born in 1936 in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

. Her father, Ted Kennedy, served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

and was killed in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when Maureen was a child. The family then relocated to

San Mateo County, California San Mateo County ( ), officially the County of San Mateo, is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 764,442. Redwood City, California, Redwood City is th ...

. Salaman claimed to be a nutritionist with a Master of Science degree from Donsbach University, an unaccredited entity, and was prominently involved in

. She was elected president of the

National Health Federation The National Health Federation (NHF) is a lobbying group which promotes natural medicine. The NHF is based in California and describes its mission as protecting individuals' rights to use dietary supplements and alternative therapies without gove ...

, an alternative medicine lobbying group, in 1982. She held that position, with two interruptions, until her death. Critics noted that she had been "very active in promoting questionable cancer remedies". Psychiatrist

Stephen Barrett Stephen Joel Barrett (; born 1933) is an American retired psychiatrist, author, and consumer advocate best known for his work combatting health fraud and promoting evidence-based medicine. He founded Quackwatch, a network of websites that cri ...

Quackwatch Quackwatch is a United States-based website focused on promoting consumer protection and providing information about health related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct. It primarily targets alternative medicine, questionable health cl ...

wrote that her books "contain hundreds of unsubstantiated suggestions for using foods, dietary supplements, and herbs for a wide range of diseases and conditions." Salaman was nominated on the

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

American Independent Party's ticket in 1984 along with

Bob Richards Robert Eugene Richards (February 20, 1926 – February 26, 2023) was an American athlete, minister, and politician. He made three U.S. Olympic Teams in two events: the 1948, 1952, and 1956 Summer Olympics as a pole vaulter and as a decathlete ...

, a former Olympic pole vaulter. They received 66,324 votes (0.07%).

Personal life

Salaman married Gerard Morton in 1957, and that marriage produced two children,

Sean Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Hiberno-English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name '' Yohanan'' (), Seán ( anglicized as '' Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; a ...

and Colleen. The couple divorced, and after several years she married Frank Salaman. In 1976, Frank Salaman was charged with conspiracy to smuggle

laetrile Amygdalin (from Ancient Greek: ' 'almond') is a naturally occurring chemical compound found in many plants, most notably in the seeds (kernels, pips or stones) of apricots, bitter almonds, apples, peaches, cherries and plums, and in the roots ...

into the United States. He was found guilty by a jury in 1977, fined $10,000, and placed on probation for three years. Maureen Salaman was an outspoken advocate of laetrile usage as a cancer preventive and treatment. In 1999, she married a third time, to Ross Burdette Gordon. Salaman died at her home in

Atherton, California Atherton ( ) is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 6,823 as of July 2023 estimates. The town's zoning regulations permit only one single-family home per acre in new subdivisions, though smal ...

in 2006 from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

Selected publications

*''Nutrition: The Cancer Answer'' (1984) *''The Diet Bible: The Bible for Dieters'' (1994) *''Nutrition: The Cancer Answer II'' (1995) *''How to Renew You: The Complete Primer on Age Reversal'' (2003)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salaman, Maureen Kennedy 1936 births 2006 deaths Alternative cancer treatment advocates Alternative medicine activists 1984 United States vice-presidential candidates Politicians from Glendale, California People from Atherton, California Pseudoscientific diet advocates 20th-century American women writers Populist Party (United States, 1984) politicians Christian fundamentalists Female candidates for Vice President of the United States Women in California politics Activists from California 21st-century American women Writers from Glendale, California