Maria Shriver
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Maria Owings Shriver Schwarzenegger (born November 6, 1955), better known as Maria Shriver, is an American journalist for NBC and the First Lady of California.
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Biography
Maria Shriver was born in Chicago, Illinois.
Raised a Roman Catholic she was the second child and only daughter of the politician Sargent Shriver and his wife Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and a niece of the assassinated American President John F. Kennedy. Shriver received a B.A. degree in American Studies from Georgetown University. She was introduced to her husband Arnold Schwarzenegger by NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw. They married on April 26, 1986, and have four children:
- Katherine Eunice (born December 13, 1989)
- Christina Maria Aurelia (born July 23, 1991)
- Patrick Arnold (born September 18, 1993)
- Christopher Sargent Shriver (born September 27, 1997)
Her children attend school in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles.
Career
She was a TV news reporter for NBC's Dateline NBC from 1989 until 2004. In August of 2003, Shriver took an unpaid leave of absence from NBC News when her husband became a candidate in the 2003 California recall.
Upon her husband's inauguration as the 38th Governor of California, she became the First Lady of California on November 17, 2003. She then returned to reporting, making two more appearances as an anchor for Dateline NBC. Her broadcast journalism career started with KYW-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
On February 3, 2004, Shriver told NBC she wished to be "relieved of [her] duties at NBC News," citing the conflict of interest between her role as a journalist and her status as the First Lady of California and her increasing role as an advocate of her husband's administration. NBC News president Neal Shapiro did not refer to Shriver's decision as a resignation, however, and issued a statement calling Shriver's departure "an extended leave of absence."
Political Spouse
During her husband's tenure as the Governor of California, Mrs. Schwarzenegger has shown discomfort in her role as the Governor's wife. Some speculate that Maria felt that her husband would not attempt to gain the governor's seat in the recall election that drove Gray Davis from office. When Arnold announced his candidacy abruptly on the Jay Leno show, she played the part of the loyal political spouse. Early in his term, Maria visibly supported her husband the Governor publicly and frequently.
As her husband proposed a series of California ballot initiatives in November 2005, she decided to forego any public support of her husband's proposals. The roots of the Kennedy clan and her father Sargent Shriver appeared to hold sway. Her political and personal reservations proved wise, as all of Schwarzenegger's initiatives were rejected by voters.
Within California, Maria Shriver Schwarzenegger has largely disappeared from public view and it is unclear if her public role, as well as Schwarzenegger's agenda, will evolve in the wake of ballot initiatives and the upcoming gubernatorial elections.
Prior to her work at NBC, Shriver had co-anchored the CBS Morning News. She has won Peabody and Emmy awards and is the author of two best-selling books: What's Heaven and Ten Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Went Out Into The Real World.
References
- "Maria Shriver: A Who2 Profile". Retrieved Nov. 8, 2005.