Maureen Dowd is an award-winning columnist and bestselling author who is known for her writings on the op-ed page of the New York Times. The Washington D.C. native has made a name for herself in her two decades plus career with the historic publication as a writer who does not shy away from pointing out the facts while also standing strong on her feminist and liberal views.
While you might be fully abreast of her writings on the print media, get to know her a little bit more personally here, starting off with her bio, family life, and of course her cantankerous relationship with President Donald Trump.
Maureen Dowd Biography
Maureen Brigid Dowd was welcomed into the world as the youngest of five children born to her parents; Margaret and Mike Dowd, on the 14th of January 1952 in Washington, D.C. She attended Immaculata High School where she graduated in 1969 before enrolling at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. to study English. After four years of study, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973 before going on to launch her journalism career.
Dowd’s first job was at the Washington Star. She took the job of editorial assistant in 1974 when she joined them and was able to rise to the position of feature writer, after being a sports columnist and metropolitan reporter, before the newspaper closed in 1981. Dowd’s next stop was at Time, but that job only lasted for two years before she moved to join The New York Times as a metropolitan reporter in 1983 and then a correspondent in the Times Washington bureau in 1986.
By 1995, Maureen Dowd became a columnist on The New York Times op-ed page and has written on a wide range of topics including politics and Hollywood but most significantly, gender-related topics.
Who is Her Husband?
If you have been following the work and views of Maureen Dowd, It may not come as a surprise to find out that the New York Times columnist has never been married. A wide range of opinions on her love life has said that her stern feminist views may have played a significant role in her not being able to settle down, which to some extent, Dowd agrees with as she says that men usually cannot deal with a woman who wields ice picks.
Dowd made that statement in an interview with the New York Magazine when she was talking about her brief relationship in 1998 with Golden Globe Award-winning actor Micheal Douglas. She has also been linked to screenwriter, director, and producer Aaron Sorkin whose works include the television series The West Wing and The Newsroom. Another person she was notably in a relationship with was the journalist and fellow New York Times writer John Tierney.
Regardless of her failure in having a long-lasting relationship with someone that she could have eventually called her husband, Dowd says that she has not totally given up on the idea, however, it must be on her own terms. She revealed that this was one of the things she promised her mother on her deathbed and that she hopes to one day deliver on her word to her or at least try.
Maureen Dowd’s Relationship With Trump
Maureen Dowd has made sure to be a constant critic of the views and actions of United States President Donald Trump. She has for umpteen called out the President on his unnecessary feuding, belligerence, and need to fuel one conspiracy or other, among many of his other actions that are not characteristic to the office he holds.
Dowd has even had to go against her brother Kevin, who is an avid Trump supporter. In her article titled “My Brother, Kevin’s Not Tired of Winning,” which was written on the 23rd of November, 2017, the former editorial assistant for the Washington Star said her sibling has been a source of embarrassment for her as she has had to face questions about his unrelenting support for the man she has gone against repeatedly.
Other Facts About Maureen Dowd
- Sun Sign
Maureen was born on the 14th day of January with her sun sign being Capricorn.
- Parents
Maureen Dowd grew up in a middle-income home. Her father Mike worked as a police inspector in the Washington D.C area while her mother Margaret, who was often called Peggy, was a housewife.
- Ethnicity
Maureen Dowd is of Irish ethnicity but holds American nationality.
- Awards and Achievements
Maureen Dowd has received a number of awards, of which the most significant was a Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for columns on the Monica Lewinsky and President Bill Clinton scandal. Some of her other awards include a Breakthrough Award from Columbia University in 1991, a Matrix Award from New York Women in Communications in 1994, a 1996 Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year award, and The Damon Runyon Award for outstanding contributions to journalism in 2000, among many others.
