| James Dougherty | |
| Birth Date: | 12 April 1921 |
| Birth Place: | Torrance, California, U.S. |
| Death Place: | San Rafael, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Officer in the Los Angeles Police Department |
| Years Active: | 1949–1974 |
| Notable Works: |
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| Children: | 3 |
James Edward Dougherty (April 12, 1921 – August 15, 2005) was an American police officer, the first trainer of Special Weapons and Tactics. He is best known as the first husband of actress Marilyn Monroe.
James Edward Dougherty was born on April 12, 1921, in Torrance, California. He was the fifth and final child of Edward and Ethel Dougherty (née Beatty), natives of Pueblo, Colorado.[1] After moving to Globe, Arizona, the family suffered from the Great Depression, living in a tent.[2] Dougherty graduated from the Van Nuys High School in 1938, in the same class as actress Jane Russell.
Following his graduation, Dougherty turned down an athletic scholarship from the University of California at Santa Barbara.[3] Instead, he worked the night shift at Lockheed Aircraft, where he met 15-year-old Norma Jean Baker (later known as Marilyn Monroe). Despite Baker's young age, they began dating around 1941.[4] Following the move of her foster-parents, Baker's return to an orphanage was prevented when Dougherty married her on June 19, 1942, just after her 16th birthday. She dropped out of high school and became a housewife.[5] They moved to Santa Catalina Island, where Dougherty joined the Merchant Navy and taught sea safety.[6] Despite the circumstances under which they married, Dougherty said "[We] loved each other madly. I felt like the luckiest guy in the world."[7]
In April 1944, Dougherty was posted to the South Pacific.[8] Baker moved back to Van Nuys, where she was noticed by the photographer David Conover. She later signed a contract with the Blue Book Model agency and 20th Century Fox, who stipulated that she must be unmarried, as they did not want her to become pregnant.[9] Therefore, Baker divorced Dougherty in 1946. He received the divorce papers while on the Yangtze and was heartbroken. "It was like getting kicked by a mule," Dougherty said. "You don't know whether to throw up, jump over the side, commit suicide or what to do."[10] Though Baker offered to continue the relationship as an unmarried couple, Dougherty was not open to this.[11] Baker later admitted, "My marriage [to Dougherty] didn't make me sad, but it didn't make me happy either. My husband and I hardly spoke to each other. This wasn't because we were angry. We had nothing to say. I was dying of boredom."[12]
He followed her career as the actress Marilyn Monroe, and after her death he appeared on the CBS show To Tell The Truth and gave numerous interviews. He commented in 2002:
In 1947, Dougherty married Patricia Scoman, and they had three daughters. In 1949, he joined the Los Angeles Police Department and eventually became a detective. He played a part in the creation of the Special Weapons and Tactics group, becoming the first officer to train it. He also broke a plot to kidnap James Garner.[13] [14] In 1972, he and Scoman divorced, Scoman's jealousy of Monroe fueling the divorce.
Dougherty married his final wife, Rita Lambert, in 1974.[15] Together, they moved to her hometown in Sabattus, Maine, where he taught at the Criminal Justice Academy and worked as an Androscoggin County commissioner.[16] He also worked for the Maine Boxing Commission and appeared in the documentary The Discovery Of Marilyn Monroe, along with actor Robert Mitchum and high school friend Jane Russell.[17]
Dougherty and Russell also appeared on Sally in 1992, accompanied by Susan Strasberg. He wrote and released two memoirs, The Secret Happiness of Marilyn Monroe and To Norma Jeane With Love, Jimmie.
In 2003, Lambert died. Marilyn's Man, a documentary about Dougherty, was filmed in 2004.[18] At the age of 84, he died on August 15, 2005, due to leukemia complications. His death made a standalone obituary in several outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and The New York Times.[19] [20]