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Saying his wife won't be the traditional candidate's wife, Herman Cain threw his cap into the political ring. Here is information on how Herman and Gloria met, along with more about their marriage, the four charges of sexual harassment, and an allegation of a consensual affair.
Allison Samuels: "Several people who know the Cain family say Gloria and Herman have even lived in separate residences over the years. 'They stayed together for good face. They’re old school where you stay just because. Herman likes to give the appearance of living this holier-than-thou life. But it’s anything but,' says someone close to the family."
Source: Allison Samuels. "Herman Cain's Marriage Shaken by Infidelity Charges." TheDailyBeast.com. 12/2/2011.
Born:
Herman Cain: December 13, 1945 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Gloria Etchison: Atlanta, Georgia.
How Herman and Gloria Met:
Herman and Gloria met during their college years.
Herman: "One day when there were no customers in the store and I went outside, Ruth was walking up the street ... I thought: This woman is gorgeous! ... Ruth introduced us ... It was almost a year before we went out on our first date ... I do remember the date. It was magic from that moment on ..."
Source: Herman Cain. This Is Herman Cain! My Journey to the White House. 2011. pgs. 38-39.
Herman: "One month after she graduated from college, I swept her off her feet — we knew each other — and we got married a month later."
Source: Alex Pappas. "Herman Cain: My wife will not be traditional 'campaign wife.'" DailyCaller.com. 5/19/2011.
Wedding Date:
Gloria and Herman were married on June 23, 1968. Wedding Photo per Time.com
Children:
Herman and Gloria have two children and several grandchildren.
- Melanie Cain: Born abt. 1971.
- Vincent Cain: Born abt. 1977.
Herman: "Two was actually the right number of children for us. When two people get married, two equations of happiness are added together. If they match perfectly, which is very rare, you get a marriage bonus, as in 'two plus two equals five.'"
Source: Herman Cain. CEO of Self: You're in Charge! 2001. pg. 100.
Occupations:
Gloria: Teacher, librarian.
Herman: Fox News contributor, pizza chain CEO, author, columnist, talk radio show host, political activist, professional speaker, philanthropist, turnaround expert.
Elspeth Reeve: "Literally singing his way out of the presidential campaign when the press asked him about allegations he sexually harassed women."12/03/2011: Saying he was "at peace" with his wife, Herman Cain announced he was suspending his presidential campaign. His wife Gloria was with him during the announcement.
Source: Elspeth Reeve. "The GOP Primary: Where Are They Now?" theAtlanticWire.com. 2/15/2013.
Herman: "I have made many mistakes in life -- everybody has. I made mistakes professionally, personally, as a candidate, in terms of how I run my campaign. And I take responsibility or the mistakes that I have made," he said. "But because of these false and unproved accusations, it has … had a tremendous painful price on my family."
Source: Michael O'Brien. "Cain suspends campaign." MSNBC.com. 12/03/2011.
11/28/2011: In an interview on CNN, Herman Cain denied allegations that he had a 13-year affair with Ginger White from Atlanta, Georgia. Cain mentioned that he feared the latest accusations would hurt his wife.
11/13/2011: With Herman by her side, in an interview with Greta Van Susteren, Gloria Cain said "I'm thinking he would have to have a split personality to do the things that were said."
11/08/2011: Two bits of news regarding the Cains: a fourth woman announced that she was harassed by Herman Cain and he told Jimmy Kimmel that his wife Gloria was a Democrat.
11/03/2011: A news report by Steve Holland of Reuters confirms that one of the three unidentified women who made accusations of sexual harassment against Herman Cain in the 1990s "wants to make a written statement."
5/21/2011: Herman Cain announced his candidacy for President of the U.S.
Residence:
Gloria and Herman reside in Atlanta, Georgia.
Quotes About the Marriage of Gloria and Herman Cain:
Herman: “I think that focusing so much on someone’s personal, sexual, or marital affairs is a distraction,” he says. “It’s a matter of degree; if it’s above a certain point, yes. If you have someone who has lived a polygamous life, that would raise questions about their character and ability to obey the law. But the fact that somebody had been divorced and remarried—so what? Infidelity? If people want to put that into their evaluation, they have the right to do so. But the first thing I want to assess is your ability to lead and solve problems.”
Source: Leslie Bennetts. "Herman Cain Speaks on Sex and Politics." TheDailyBeast.com. 1/13/2012.
Herman: "My wife now knows," he told the newspaper [Union Leader]. "My wife and I have talked about it [Ginger White situation], and I have explained it to her. My wife understands that I'm a soft-hearted, giving person."
Source: "Cain suspends presidential bid." CNN.com. 12/3/2011.
Campaign worker: “She [Gloria Cain] hated doing that interview defending him on Fox but felt pressured to do it by him and the campaign,’’ says a campaign worker. “She doesn’t want to be forced to do that again because she knows he’s had girlfriends for many years. She just looked the other way. But if he won’t get out of the race, she may have to."
Source: Allison Samuels. "Herman Cain's Marriage Shaken by Infidelity Charges." TheDailyBeast.com. 12/2/2011.
Jimmy Kimmel Show: "During the interview, Cain admitted to Kimmel that his wife is a Democrat. Nonetheless, the candidate stated, 'that doesn't mean that that's how she votes all the time. She still says she's a Democrat, and I believe that, but that doesn't mean that she votes Democrat.' Cain told Kimmel that upon seeing the Bialek press conference, his wife said, 'that doesn't even sound like you and I've known you for 45 years.'"
Source: "Herman Cain 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' Appearance." 11/08/2011.
Jill Vejnoska: "But there’s one area where husband and wife don’t always appear to see eye to eye: politics. While her husband votes Republican, Gloria Cain has voted in Democratic primaries and runoffs numerous times since 2000 — including the 2008 presidential primary that Barack Obama won with 66 percent of the vote, according to local voting records."
Source: Jill Vejnoska. "Gloria Cain's quiet presence keenly felt." AJC.com. 11/04/2011.
Martha Zoller: “He is the big, gregarious personality. She is this tranquility of the campaign ... “She is very supportive, but her one reservation was that she did not want to be in the spotlight. She understands that at some time that may come. Until then, he loves her so much that he’s going to protect her. They’re crazy about each other.”
Source: Patricia Murphy. "Gloria Cain Stands By Her Man." TheDailyBeast.com. 11/02/2011.
Herman: “My wife has been an absolute gem. She and I happened to watch the breaking of this story last night together. It disturbed her about the exaggerations and innuendos far beyond what actually occurred, in the article. Now, she has been 200 percent supportive of me today, she has been 200 percent supportive of me for 43 years and so the good news is she happens to be with me on this trip ... We have shared mutual advice and support on key decisions and destination points for more than 43 years now and the love we share is priceless.”
Source: Susan Archer. "Rarely Seen, Gloria Cain to Speak Publicly." ABCNews.go.com. 11/1/2011.
Herman Cain: “Don’t expect the traditional amount of exposure you normally get from a campaign wife. She’s not going to do that ... My wife is one of the most unassuming, not-looking-for-the-limelight-people you’ve ever met. And I’m going to keep it that way. I’m not going to push her out there to try to do things she doesn’t want to do. That’s not her personality.”
Source: Alex Pappas. "Herman Cain: My wife will not be traditional 'campaign wife.'" DailyCaller.com. 5/19/2011.
Herman Cain: "Together, we had achieved a life at fifty-eight years of age consisting of no worries, no drama, and no stress except for the minutia of day-to-day living. To say that we were truly blessed was an understatement. This is what we had worked to attain in all of our thirty-six years of marriage."
Source: Herman Cain. They Think You're Stupid: Why Democrats Lost Your Vote and What Republicans Must Do to Keep It. 2005. pg. 198.
Herman: "If two people are a good match, their love enables them to reach some compromises, which is good and fine so long as the two individuals do not also have to modify their own identities."
Source: Herman Cain. CEO of Self: You're in Charge! 2001. pg. 100.
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