James Dougherty (born April 21, 1921 in Los Angeles, USA – August 15, 2005 in San Rafael, California) was an American police officer of the Los Angeles Police Department and the first husband of actress Marilyn Monroe.
Biography
James "Jim" Edward Dougherty was born on April 21, 1921 in Texas, U.S. He was the fifth and final child of Edward and Ethel Dougherty. After moving to Globe, Arizona, he graduated from the Van Nuys High School in 1938.
Following the divorce of his first wife, Norma Jean Baker, Dougherty married Patricia Scoman in 1947. They had three daughters and divorced in 1972. In 1974, Dougherty married his third and final wife, Rita Lambert. Together, they moved to her hometown in Maine, where Dougherty worked on the Maine Boxing Commission and gave criminal science courses.[1] Following his wife's death in 2003, Dougherty died on August 15, 2005, due to leukemia. He was survived by his children, Cheryl Ann Dougherty (b. 1947), Vivian Kathleen Dougherty (b. 1950) and Maria Irene Dougherty (b. 1952).[2][3]
Marriage With Marilyn Monroe
In 1942, Dougherty met his neighbour, Norma Jean Baker. Following the move of her foster-parents, Baker's return to an orphanage was prevented, when Dougherty married her on June 19, 1942. Baker, sixteen years old, dropped out of high school and became a housewife.
In 1943, Dougherty joined the Merchant navy and moved to Santa Catalina Island with Baker, who started working in a radioplane factory. There, she was noticed by photographer David Conover, who gave her several modelling jobs, before she signed a contract with the Blue Book Model agency, aiming to become a star. Dougherty dismissed her ambitions, leading to Baker's divorce from him in 1946. She adopted the stage name "Marilyn Monroe" shortly thereafter and became an actress, singer and icon of pop culture in the following decade. Dougherty followed Monroe's career and gave numerous interviews on his ex-wife, years after her death in 1962.[4]
"Fame was injurious to her. She was too gentle to be an actress. She wasn't tough enough for Hollywood. And once someone starts getting into pills -- uppers and downers, the way she was -- people can go downhill. They can't sleep, so they take more and more pills."[5]
— Dougherty, interview with Associated Press in 2002
Dougherty released two memoirs The Secret Happiness of Marilyn Monroe (1976) and To Norma Jeane With Love, Jimmie (1997) about his ex-wife.[1] Marilyn's Man, a documentary with Dougherty was filmed in 2004.[6]
References
- ^ a b Facebook; Twitter; options, Show more sharing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Email; URLCopied!, Copy Link; Print (2005-08-18). "James Dougherty, 84; Was Married to Marilyn Monroe Before She Became a Star". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Who was James Dougherty? Everything You Need to Know". www.thefamouspeople.com. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
- ^ "James Edward Dougherty (1921-2005) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
- ^ Lamoureux, Aimee (2018-05-04). "Before Marilyn Monroe And Joe DiMaggio, There Was Norma Jeane And James Dougherty". All That's Interesting. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
- ^ Template:Https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-aug-18-me-dougherty18-story.html
- ^ "Marilyn's Man - Trailer - Showtimes - Cast - Movies - New York Times". web.archive.org. 2007-10-18. Retrieved 2020-10-18.