Here is more information on how Jeri and Fred met, their wedding, children, and more.
9/05/07: Fred Thompson made his official presidential candidacy announcement on Tonight Show with Jay Leno: "That's one thing I wanted to talk to you about. I'm running for president of the United States."
Source: Carla Marinucci, SFGate.com, "Fred Thompson finally joins the presidential pack", 9/6/07.
Frederick Dalton Thompson: August 19, 1942 in Sheffield, Alabama.
Jeri Kehn: Some reports have her birthdate as in January 1967 and others list September 30, 1966. Jeri was born in Hastings, Nebraska.
They met on July 4, 1996 at a BBQ in Nashville, Tennessee. They became a couple in 1999.
According to USN, "Jeri and Fred met in a Nashville grocery store checkout line on July 4, 1996. Fred, who was in line with a can of beanie weenies, carried her groceries, and she invited him to a party."
Source: Bobbie Kyle, "Ten Things You Didn't Know About Jeri Kehn Thompson," USNews.com, 12/20/2007.
Jeri: "We were serious [that -- 1999] spring, broke up in June, got back together on his birthday in August, and have been together since."
Source: Ian Bishop, NYPost.com, "Babe Wife, 40, Boosts Goper, 64", 6/1/07.
Fred and Jeri were married on June 29, 2002 at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Naperville, Illinois. At their small ceremony Jeri wore a short, white Valentino wedding gown and carried a small bouquet of calla lilies. They had approximately 12 guests.
Fred's brother Ken Thompson served as best man. Rev. Gregory Schneck-Skiba was the officiant at the wedding.
Jeri and Fred honeymooned in France.
Fred has one previous marriages.
- Sara Elizabeth Lindsey: Married September 12, 1959 (when he was 17 and still in high school) in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. They had three children before divorcing in 1985.
Source: Bryon York, "Fred Thompson: Criticism of My Wife Should Be Directed at Me", NationalReview.com, 8/6/07.
Fred has five children and several grandchildren.
- Frederick Dalton (Tony) Thompson Jr: Born April 1960. His mother is Sarah Lindsey Thompson.
- Daniel Thompson: Born April 1965. His mother is Sarah Lindsey Thompson.
- Elizabeth (Betsy) Thompson Panici: Born March 13, 1963. Betsy died at the age of 38 from an accidental prescription drug overdose on January 30, 2002. Her mother is Sarah Lindsey Thompson.
- Hayden Victoria Thompson: Born in October 2003. Her mother is Jeri Kehn Thompson.
- Samuel Thompson: Born in 2007. His mother is Jeri Kehn Thompson.
Fred: Actor, former Senator from Tennessee, lawyer, lobbyist, radio contributor, and author.
Jeri: Former political and media consultant, former Senate aide.
Religion: Fred is a member of the Churches of Christ.
Residences: Nashville, Tennessee and McLean, Virginia.
Fred about Jeri: “She always looks out for my best interests, and when she sees something that she knows I would not approve of, or is not in my best interest, she voices that concern — in other words, just exactly the way I would want her to."
Source: Bryon York, NationalReview.com, "Fred Thompson: Criticism of My Wife Should Be Directed at Me", 8/6/07.
Susan Saulny, journalist: "Now, with the possible candidacy of Fred D. Thompson, the grandfatherly actor and former Republican senator from Tennessee, whose second wife is almost a quarter-century his junior, comes a less palatable inquiry that is spurring debate in Internet chat rooms, on cable television and on talk radio: Is America ready for a president with a trophy wife?"
Source: Susan Saulny, NYTimes.com, "Will Her Face Determine His Fortune?", 8/8/07.
Vicki Keller, Jeri's mother, at their wedding: "I think he will be a calming influence, and she will be good for him."
Source: Alec MacGillis and John Solomon, WashingtonPost.com, "The Rise of Jeri Thompson", 8/5/07.
Victoria Toensing about their marriage: "They've been a team since they got married."
Source: Alec MacGillis and John Solomon, WashingtonPost.com, "The Rise of Jeri Thompson", 8/5/07.
