Marilyn's Lost Loves, pt. 1

James Dougherty

(most info from about.com)

How Jim and Marilyn Met:

Marilyn's foster mom was a good friend of Jim's mother.

Wedding Date and Info:

On June 19, 1942, Marilyn and Jim were married at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Chester Howell in Westwood, California. The short wedding ceremony was officiated by Reverend Benjamin Lingenfelder of the Christian Science Church. Their reception was at Florentine Gardens in Hollywood. Marilyn was 16 years old when they married and James was 21 years old. They did not have a honeymoon.

"To avoid another orphanage stay a family friend orchestrated a marriage proposal when she was sixteen years old."
Source: Official Marilyn Monroe Website

James: "Norma Jeane wore a pure white, long silken dress, with a short veil attached to her thick, curly hair. It was a borrowed dress, but that didn't matter to either of us."
Source: Jim Dougherty. To Norma Jeane with Love, Jimmie. 2001. pg. 31.

Divorce:

James and Marilyn were divorced on September 13, 1946. She took up residency in Nevada on May 14, 1946 so they could be divorced there.

 

Later in life, James said, "I never knew Marilyn Monroe," referencing the fact that she became a superstar after they separated and divorced. To him, she would always be Norma Jeane.

 

Anyone else think she resembles Judy Garland in this picture?