Doria Palmieri was an American clinical psychologist best known as the wife of Ron Reagan, the youngest son of President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan. Her connection to one of America’s most recognizable political families brought her occasional media attention, but Palmieri largely maintained a private professional and personal life. Before becoming a psychologist, she was described in contemporary reporting as a literary researcher and later worked at Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. Her marriage to Ron Reagan began with an informal Manhattan ceremony in 1980 and lasted for more than 33 years, until her death in March 2014.
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Doria Palmieri Reagan |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Clinical psychologist; earlier worked as a literary researcher |
| Husband | Ron Reagan |
| Marriage date | November 24, 1980 |
| Marriage location | Manhattan, New York |
| Years married | More than 33 years |
| Later residence | Seattle, Washington |
| Date of death | March 24, 2014 |
| Age at death | 62 |
| Cause of death | Complications from a progressive neuromuscular disease |
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library records Ron Reagan’s marriage to Doria Palmieri as lasting from 1980 until her death in 2014. The Los Angeles Times later identified her as a clinical psychologist and confirmed both her death date and the nature of her illness.
Who Was Doria Palmieri?
Palmieri came from Los Angeles and was several years older than Ron Reagan. In July 1980, months before the couple married, The Washington Post identified the then-28-year-old Palmieri as Reagan’s former dance-school classmate and reported that the two were living together. Contemporary coverage surrounding their wedding placed her age at 29.
Unlike Ron, whose father was running for president and whose career as a ballet dancer attracted national attention, Palmieri did not pursue celebrity. Her professional identity developed independently from the Reagan family’s political activities.
TIME described Palmieri as a literary researcher in January 1981. Another glimpse of her early career emerged years later in Vanity Fair, where writer Bob Colacello recalled that Palmieri had worked as his assistant at Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine in the early 1980s.
Later, Palmieri became a clinical psychologist. The Los Angeles Times explicitly identified her profession when Ron Reagan discussed her death in 2014. Reliable mainstream accounts do not provide enough detail to establish the institution where she completed her psychology training, her clinical specialty, or where she practiced, so those details should not be treated as established biographical facts.
How Doria Palmieri Met Ron Reagan
Palmieri and Ron Reagan met through dance. A 2011 Washington Post profile of Reagan reported that they met at a Los Angeles dance studio. Ron had pursued ballet after attending Yale University and eventually became a member of Joffrey II, the second company associated with the Joffrey Ballet.
By July 1980, they were living together, and The Washington Post described Palmieri as a former dance-school classmate. When they married later that year, another report said the couple had known each other for four years and had lived together for more than a year.
Their relationship unfolded just as Ronald Reagan’s successful 1980 presidential campaign was transforming the younger Reagan’s family into America’s incoming First Family.
Doria Palmieri and Ron Reagan’s Unusual 1980 Wedding
Palmieri married Ronald Prescott Reagan on November 24, 1980, only weeks after Ronald Reagan won the presidential election.
The ceremony was strikingly informal. UPI reported that the couple married in the chambers of New York State Supreme Court Justice Lester Evans in Manhattan. A Secret Service agent assigned to Reagan and a friend served as witnesses. Neither Ronald nor Nancy Reagan attended.
Their clothing also stood in sharp contrast to the formality associated with a presidential family. Contemporary reporting described Palmieri wearing red cowboy boots, a black sweater and black slacks, while Reagan wore a sweatshirt, jeans and tennis shoes.
The wedding had not been extensively planned. Palmieri told The Washington Post that the decision to marry had been made roughly a week to a week and a half earlier.
Decades later, Ron Reagan explained that the couple had initially gone to obtain a marriage license. The judge suggested marrying them immediately, partly to avoid the attention likely to follow once journalists learned of their plans. Reagan also acknowledged that his parents had not initially been enthusiastic about the relationship, although relations improved later.
Married Life Away From the White House
Despite becoming the daughter-in-law of a president, Palmieri did not build a public role around the Reagan administration.
A January 1981 Washington Post profile presented the newlyweds living in a two-room fourth-floor walk-up in New York’s Greenwich Village while Ron worked as a professional dancer. The picture was much closer to that of a young working couple than members of a presidential household.
Palmieri’s life remained comparatively low-profile even as her husband moved from ballet into television, journalism, radio and political commentary. By 1991, Ron Reagan was still describing himself publicly as happily married to Palmieri.
The couple later lived in Seattle. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library confirms that their marriage continued uninterrupted until Palmieri’s death in 2014.
Doria Palmieri’s Place in the Reagan Family
Palmieri entered the Reagan family at an unusual moment. Her father-in-law had been elected president only 20 days before her wedding, meaning her marriage immediately became part of national news coverage.
There was some early tension. Ron Reagan later said his parents had initially been suspicious of Palmieri’s motives. The relationship softened with time, however, and the marriage itself proved remarkably durable, spanning Ronald Reagan’s entire presidency, his post-White House years and Ron Reagan’s transition into broadcasting and commentary.
That longevity is particularly relevant because Palmieri is sometimes incorrectly described online as Ron Reagan’s “ex-wife.” They did not divorce. They remained married until she died.
Doria Palmieri’s Illness and Death
Doria Palmieri Reagan died on March 24, 2014, at age 62.
Ron Reagan told the Los Angeles Times that his wife had developed a progressive neuromuscular disease approximately seven and a half years earlier and died from complications of the condition. The specific diagnosis was not identified in the newspaper’s account.
At the time of her death, they had been married for 33 years. Reagan described the loss as a personal tragedy when speaking with the newspaper roughly two months later.
Vanity Fair also reported Palmieri’s age as 62 and described her death as resulting from complications of a progressive neuromuscular disease.
Doria Palmieri Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1970s | Palmieri and Ron Reagan meet through a Los Angeles dance studio. |
| 1980 | The couple are living together before Ronald Reagan wins the presidency. |
| November 24, 1980 | Palmieri and Reagan marry in a civil ceremony in Manhattan. |
| 1981 | TIME identifies Palmieri as a literary researcher. |
| Early 1980s | Palmieri works at Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. |
| Later career | Palmieri works as a clinical psychologist. |
| March 24, 2014 | Palmieri dies at age 62 after living with a progressive neuromuscular disease. |
Frequently Asked Questions About Doria Palmieri
Who was Doria Palmieri?
Doria Palmieri was an American clinical psychologist and the longtime wife of Ron Reagan, son of President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan. Earlier in her career, she was described as a literary researcher and worked at Interview magazine.
What did Doria Palmieri do for a living?
Palmieri worked as a clinical psychologist later in her career. Earlier reporting identified her as a literary researcher, and Vanity Fair connected her to Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine in the early 1980s.
When did Doria Palmieri marry Ron Reagan?
Doria Palmieri and Ron Reagan married on November 24, 1980, in Manhattan. Their informal civil ceremony took place in the chambers of New York State Supreme Court Justice Lester Evans.
Was Doria Palmieri divorced from Ron Reagan?
No. Doria Palmieri and Ron Reagan remained married from 1980 until her death in 2014. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library lists the marriage as ending with her death rather than divorce.
How did Doria Palmieri die?
Palmieri died from complications associated with a progressive neuromuscular disease. Ron Reagan said she had developed the condition about seven and a half years before her death. A more specific diagnosis was not publicly identified in the Los Angeles Times account.
How old was Doria Palmieri when she died?
Doria Palmieri was 62 when she died on March 24, 2014.
Conclusion
Doria Palmieri spent more than three decades connected to one of America’s most famous political families without turning that connection into a public career. She moved from literary and magazine work into clinical psychology while sharing a 33-year marriage with Ron Reagan. Contemporary accounts preserve memorable details of their unconventional 1980 wedding, but Palmieri’s broader life was defined less by presidential celebrity than by her own work and a long marriage that continued until her death in 2014.
