Joan Levy and Arlen Specter Marriage Profile

Arlen and Joan Specter's long-term marriage has survived the stress of being in the midst of politics as well as health challenges. Here is information about how Joan and Arlen met, their wedding, and more.

Arlen Specter: February 12, 1930 in Wichita, Kansas.

Joan Lois Levy: Abt. 1934.

Arlen: "I met a beautiful blonde, Joan Lois Levy, at a dance when I was a college sophomore and she was still in high school. Four years later, in 1953, we married, months before I entered Yale Law School."
Arlen Specter, Charles Robbin. Passion for Truth: From Finding JFK's Single Bullet to Questioning Anita Hill to Impeaching Clinton. 2000. pg. 12

Wearing a white suit and a white bow tie, Arlen married Joan on June 14, 1953. Joan wore a long-sleeved lace wedding gown. From their wedding photo, it looks like they had a three-tiered wedding cake.
Arlen and Joan Specter Wedding Photo

Arlen and Joan have two sons and four grandchildren.

• Shanin Specter: Abt. 1957. Attorney. Married to Tracey
• Steve Specter: M.D. with a Ph.D. in nutrition.

Arlen Specter: U.S. Senator since 1981, author, former district attorney.

Joan Levy Specter: Four-term city councilwoman of Philadelphia City Council, gourmet cook, pie company owner, cooking school founder, member of many boards of organizations, newspaper columnist, consumer reporter on radio.

Joan and Arlen have a home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Arlen: "The experience of campaigning was the most fun when family members joined me. My wife, Joan, typically accompanied me on my weekend campaign travels. A beautiful, stately woman of tremendous poise, she is a distringuished personage in her own right ... She dresses as if she just stepped out of Vogue, and the crowds love to see her. When she is around, I have someone to speak with between campaign stops, and she always has constructive comments about my speeches."
Source: Senator Arlen Specter with Frank J. Scaturro. Never Give In: Battling Cancer in the Senate. 2008. pg. 20.

Joan: "I cope with the next illness by blocking. I just decide he will be fine and move on."
Source: Senator Arlen Specter with Frank J. Scaturro. Never Give In: Battling Cancer in the Senate. 2008. pg. 133.

Arlen: "Marrying the right person can be a profound benefit to your health. I might not have made it without Joan vigilantly at my side during all my medical challenges."
Source: Senator Arlen Specter with Frank J. Scaturro. Never Give In: Battling Cancer in the Senate. 2008. pg. 149.

_{Additional Resources:
"Joan specter's Tough Race." NYTimes.com. 10/29/1995.
"Joan Specter Elected to Jefferson Bank Board of Directors" AllBusiness.com. 3/8/1996.
"President Clinton names Joan Specter as a member of the National Council on the Arts." JudicialWatch.org. 2/16/1999.
Brett Lieberman. "DC's funniest -- Arlen specter?" PennLive.com. 10/17/2007.
Murray Friedman. Philadelphia Jewish Life, 1940-2000. 2003.}