Republicans: A Most Important Marriage

The weeks of social speculation came to an end with a tightly written, three-page announcement issued by the Rockefeller brothers’ office in Manhattan. It began: “Mrs. Margaretta Fitler Murphy and Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, both of New York, were married today at noon at the home of the Governor’s brother, Laurance S., at Pocantico Hills, N.Y.”

Margaretta (“Happy”) Murphy, 36, wearing a pale blue dress of silk shantung and carrying a bouquet of spring flowers, and Nelson Rockefeller, 54, were married by the Rev. Marshall L. Smith, a Presbyterian who is pastor of the interdenominational Union Church of Pocantico Hills. Margaretta is also a Presbyterian; Rockefeller is a Baptist. Only a dozen persons, members of both families, were present.

New Beginnings. The official announcement noted that the new Mrs. Rockefeller’s marriage to Dr. James Murphy was “terminated by divorce” last month. She has four children, James, 12, Margaretta, 10, Carol, 7, and Malinda, 3, whose custody is shared jointly by both parents. The announcement also recalled that Rockefeller’s marriage to the former Mary Todhunter Clark was “terminated by divorce” in 1962. They had five children, of whom four are living, all married.

During the weeks since Margaretta’s divorce, Rockefeller, while maintaining strict silence himself, had come to feel that public talk about his marriage plans was getting out of hand. He therefore sought to head it off, rushed through his signing of the 1,287 bills passed by the New York Legislature in its 1963 session, finished 72 hours ahead of schedule, and was married the next day.

But if the social speculation was ended, the political speculation was only beginning. What impact would the marriage have on Rockefeller’s 1964 presidential prospects? Even before the wedding, many politicians were offering their opinions—and the consensus was that the Governor would be hurt.

For the Voters. John Love, Republican Governor of Colorado, commented cautiously: “I do not think such a marriage will add to Mr. Rockefeller’s availability for the presidential nomination.” A top Washington Republican, long favorable to Rocky’s candidacy, said: “It will finish him as far as 1964 is concerned. Remarriage itself wouldn’t be so bad—but my God, she’s got all those children.” Carl Shipley, G.O.P. National Committeeman for the District of Columbia, thought it would be political suicide for Rocky to remarry. “No one is pleased about the impending marriage,” he said. “It’s got everyone shook up.” Mrs. Mary Jackson, Republican National Committeewoman for Rhode Island, a heavily Catholic state, said: “Remarriagewould put him in a very bad position here.” A Midwestern Republican Governor saw a historical parallel of sorts: “Everybody thought there was only one Prince of Wales who would give up a kingdom for the woman he loved. But maybe we’ve got another right here and now.”

But things may not be all that bad. Since one of every four U.S. marriages ends in divorce, voters have understandably taken an increasingly tolerant view of divorce. Adlai Stevenson was divorced, but he twice won the Democratic nomination for President—and there is little evidence that his broken marriage was a decisive factor in his defeat. Jackie Kennedy’s parents were divorced and her mother remarried; her sister and brother-in-law were bothdivorcees when they married, and, in the eyes of the Catholic Church, are in fact not married.

In the past, when asked in the abstract about the possible effect of remarriage on his presidential chances, Rockefeller himself has said: “That is something each voter will have to decide when he enters the polling place.” The crucial tests for Rocky will come in next year’s presidential primaries; success in them should prove to Republican convention delegates that remarriage would not be fatal in November. In the final analysis, the type of campaign he wages and what he says on the paramount issues will probably be more important than his marital status.

As for himself, Rocky seemed unworried about politics. Appearing as happy as his radiant bride, he took off for a honeymoon on his Monte Sacro ranch in Venezuela.