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Exposed: Rudy Giuliani Married His Cousin

January 1, 2008



It may seem like a romantic fairy tale. On the paradise of South Beach, Long Island, a little boy and a little girl build sand castles together during their respective family vacations. They get to know each other. They grow up together. They get married. The little boy becomes 107th Mayor of New York City. A beautiful love story made complicated by one small unfortunate detail... the boy and girl are cousins.

On October 26, 1968, Rudy Giuliani entered in to wedded bliss with the first of what would eventual total three wives. In a large Roman Catholic ceremony in the Bedford Park neighborhood in the borough of the Bronx in New York City , the future Presidential Candidate said "I do" to his sweetheart-since-childhood, Regina Peruggi. At the the time, young Rudy had just graduated from law school. Peruggi was a teacher and drug abuse counselor and... the the daughter of Giuliani's father's cousin. Our possible future-President had just married his own second cousin.

There are many who believe that the Holy union of cousins is relegated only to the deep South. Slanderous terms like "inbred hicks" and the less-offensive "kissin' cousins" bring to mind pictures of cut-off shorts and front porch swings. It's difficult to relate the concept of the cousin couple to the hustle and bustle of New York. But not only is marriage between cousins legal in New York, you can also marry your cousin in California, Florida, Texas and fifteen other U.S. states. Five additional states allow cousin marriages if the couple agrees to not bear children. In Maine, you can marry a cousin if you submit to genetic counseling prior to the marriage. In fact when totaled, more U.S. states allow cousin marriages than prohibit them.

The perception of cousin marriage as taboo seems to have been created by the Catholic Church who point to a particular passage in the Bible. Leviticus 18:6 states that "None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin. I am the Lord." (also translated by the New American Standard Bible as "None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness; I am the Lord." Ironically, the Bible also holds several accounts of God instructing cousins to marry (ex. Issac and Rebekkah (Genesis 24) and the orphaned daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 36)).

The marriage of the Giuliani cousins lasted 14 years. It hit a rough patch In 1975 when the couple agreed to a trial separation. By 1982, it was over. The cousins were granted a civil divorce and the following year the Church issued them an official "annulment" - a decree that the marriage never really happened in the eyes of the Lord. The annulment was issued on the grounds that Giuliani and Peruggi had not obtained a church dispensation for second cousins to marry. Giuliani claimed that he believed that he and his wife were only third cousins.

The immorality of cousin-love in the third degree versus cousin-love in the second degree is a matter of personal judgement. But in the case of Rudy Giuliani, the line of decency is even more blurred. The Amsterdam News (10/28/89), reported that Giuliani's divorce was not yet finalized when he proposed to his next wife, Donna Hanover. So while it might be acceptable to marry your cousin, Giuliani raises a new question, "Is it okay to propose marriage to another woman while still being married to your own cousin?"


In Defense of Marrying Your Own Cousin

Contrary to popular belief, cousin couples have only a slightly higher incidence of birth defects than non-related couples. According to "The Clinical Genetics Handbook" from the March of Dimes, second cousins have little, if any increased chance of having children with birth defects. For more arguments in favor of marrying your own cousin, visit www.cousincouples.com.


More Cousin Trouble For Giuliani

"If he's not marrying them, he's hiring them."

In 1994, Giuliani defended the hiring of relatives to his mayoral administration. A New York Times article from June 8th of that year paraphrased Giuliani as saying he had so many cousins... that it would be unreasonable to expect him to know all of those hired in his administration. There is no indication whether Giuliani would consider it unreasonable to know the the number of cousins in his Presidential administration.


Bonus: The al Qaeda Connection

According to USA Today (04/04/02), "Cousin marriage has been widespread in rural societies, where it serves to keep money and property within families. The practice is still popular in much of the Muslim world, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan."


Presidential Candidate Mr Breakfast will continue to point out the foibles and goofs of all the candidates (regardless of party) until they reveal a position on the importance of breakfast.



Posted on January 1, 2008 1:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)