Editing Newt Gingrich (section)

==== Jacqueline May "Jackie" Battley ====
Gingrich has been married three times. In 1962, he wed Jacqueline May "Jackie" Battley (February 21, 1936 – August 7, 2013), his former high school [[geometry]] teacher, when he was 19 years old and she was 26.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Russakoff |first=Dale |title=He Knew What He Wanted; Gingrich Turned Disparate Lessons into a Single-Minded Goal Series: Mr. Speaker: The Rise of Newt Gingrich Series Number: 1/4 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |page=A1 |date=December 18, 1994}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Gingrich May Be Perfect for the Task |newspaper=[[Montgomery Advertiser]] |url=http://www.majorcox.com/columns/gingrich.htm |last=Cox |first=Major W. |date=January 4, 1995|archive-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008062531/http://majorcox.com/columns/gingrich.htm}}</ref> They had two daughters: Kathy, who is president of Gingrich Communications,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/02/fox-less-newt-remains-gainfully-employed |title=Fox-less Newt remains gainfully employed |first=Robert |last=Yoon |date=March 2, 2011 |publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=March 4, 2011 |archive-date=March 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304015448/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/02/fox-less-newt-remains-gainfully-employed/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Jackie Sue, who is an author, conservative columnist and political commentator.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://townhall.com/columnists/jackiegingrichcushman/|title=Jackie Gingrich Cushman - Articles & Political Commentary - Jackie Gingrich Cushman|website=Townhall|access-date=July 15, 2020|archive-date=July 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715224002/https://townhall.com/columnists/jackiegingrichcushman/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/25/style/weddings-jackie-gingrich-j-e-cushman-jr.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 25, 1998 |title=WEDDINGS; Jackie Gingrich, J. E. Cushman Jr. |access-date=July 31, 2019 |archive-date=July 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731222630/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/25/style/weddings-jackie-gingrich-j-e-cushman-jr.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Throughout his congressional campaign in 1974, Gingrich was having an affair with a young volunteer. An aide who worked with Gingrich throughout the 1970s stated that "it was common knowledge that Newt was involved with other women during his marriage to Jackie."<ref name="Vanity Fair"/><ref name=motherjones>{{cite web |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/1984/11/newt-gingrich-shining-knight-post-reagan-right/ |newspaper=Mother Jones |date=November 1, 1984 |title=The Swinging Days of Newt Gingrich |access-date=July 31, 2019 |archive-date=July 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731222630/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/1984/11/newt-gingrich-shining-knight-post-reagan-right/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the spring of 1980, he filed for divorce from Jackie after beginning an affair with Marianne Ginther.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gingrich Admits to Affair During Clinton Impeachment |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2937633 |access-date=October 11, 2018 |archive-date=January 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107182959/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2937633 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Newt Gingrich: The Indispensable Republican |magazine=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] |url=http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a8131/newt-gingrich-0910/ |first=John |last=Richardson |date=August 10, 2010 |access-date=January 3, 2017 |archive-date=January 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104001148/http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a8131/newt-gingrich-0910/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Jackie later said in 1984 that the divorce was a "complete surprise" to her.<ref name="maverick">{{cite news |title=Newt Gingrich, Maverick on the Hill |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/01/03/newt-gingrich-maverick-on-the-hill/46aab64f-7752-493d-b28b-9b675c0775b5/ |first=Lois |last=Romano |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 3, 1985}}</ref>

In September 1980, according to friends who knew them both, Newt visited Jackie in the hospital the day after she had undergone surgery to treat her [[uterine cancer]]; once there, Newt began talking about the terms of their divorce, at which point Jackie threw him out of the room.<ref name=seelye/><ref name="maverick"/> Gingrich disputed that account.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite news|title=On the Stump, Gingrich Puts Focus on Faith|first=Jeff|last=Zeleny|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/us/politics/27newt-gingrich.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=February 26, 2011|access-date=February 11, 2017|archive-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119104922/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/us/politics/27newt-gingrich.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Although Newt's presidential campaign staff continued to insist in 2011 that Jackie had requested the divorce, court documents from [[Carroll County, Georgia]], indicated that she had in fact asked a judge to block the process, stating that although "she has adequate and ample grounds for divorce ... she does not desire one at this time [and] does not admit that this marriage is irretrievably broken."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/26/politics/gingrich-divorce-file|title=Newly recovered court files cast doubt on Gingrich version of first divorce|date=December 25, 2011|first=Alan|last=Duke|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=December 26, 2011|archive-date=December 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111226173304/http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/26/politics/gingrich-divorce-file/|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to L. H. Carter, Gingrich's campaign treasurer, Gingrich said of Jackie: "She's not young enough or pretty enough to be the wife of the President. And besides, she has cancer."<ref name=scheer>{{cite news |title=Gingrich Puts a Price on His Family Values: He sheltered his $4-million book bonanza from his struggling, non-trophy ex-wife |date=December 25, 1994 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-12-25-op-12904-story.html |first=Robert |last=Scheer |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=November 24, 2011 |archive-date=December 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111228001825/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-12-25/opinion/op-12904_1_family-values |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Calmes |first=Jackie |title=Newt's House: Republicans' Wins Put their Attack Tactician in a Position to Lead—Gingrich, Having Led Assault on Capital Ways, Faces Unfamiliar Role: Builder—'This Is a Brand New World |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=November 9, 1994 |author2=Kuntz, Phil |page=A1}}</ref> Newt has denied saying it.<ref name=seelye>{{cite news |author=Seelye, Katharine Q.|date=November 24, 1994 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/24/us/gingrich-s-life-the-complications-and-ideals.html |title=Gingrich's Life: The Complications and Ideals |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804035244/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/24/us/gingrich-s-life-the-complications-and-ideals.html |archive-date=August 4, 2016 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Following the divorce, Jackie had to raise money from friends in her congregation to help her and the children make ends meet; she later filed a petition in court stating that Newt had failed to properly provide for his family.<ref name=motherjones/> Newt submitted a financial statement to the judge, which showed that he had been "providing only $400 a month, plus $40 in allowances for his daughters. He claimed not to be able to afford any more. But in citing his own expenses, he listed $400 just for 'Food / dry cleaning, etc.'—for one person."<ref name=motherjones/> In 1981, a judge ordered him to provide considerably more; in 1993, Jackie stated in court that Newt had failed to obey the 1981 order "from the day it was issued."<ref name=scheer/> Jackie, a [[deacon]] and volunteer in the First Baptist Church of [[Carrollton, Georgia]], died in 2013 in [[Atlanta]] at the age of 77.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/political-insider/2013/aug/07/jackie-gingrich-first-wife-former-us-house-speaker/ |title=Jackie Gingrich, first wife of former U.S. House speaker, dies |date=August 7, 2013 |first=Jim |last=Galloway |newspaper=ajc.com |access-date=February 4, 2016 |archive-date=February 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223092708/http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/political-insider/2013/aug/07/jackie-gingrich-first-wife-former-us-house-speaker/ |url-status=live }}</ref>