Who Is Ron Wyden's Wife? New Details On Nancy Bass Wyden
She owns a famous bookstore in New York City.
getty Since 1996, Ron Wyden has served as a U.S. Senator from Oregon, previously serving as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996, when he won a seat in the Senate. He holds the seat of his former mentor, Wayne Morse, whom Wyden drove for in the summer of 1968.
As a Democrat, he holds similar views with his colleagues. He’s pro-life and supports legal abortion, supports same-sex marriage and was one of the first Senators to publicly support it in 1995. He also is in favor of affordable health care, voting to increase Medicare and introducing the Healthy Americans Act, which would have helped establish universal health care. In addition, he was one of 11 Senators who signed a letter to James Mattis, the Secretary of Defense, about the “overt politicization of the military” concerning the president’s deployment of almost 6,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.
He’s also a staunch advocate for gun control. He’s voted in favor of increasing background checks, and introduced legislation to “ensure gun dealers were not engaging in illegal sales and bestowing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with clear enforcement mechanisms.”
In March 2018, he said, “Gun violence deserves more than just thoughts and prayers, it demands real action by Congress. This legislation takes a long-overdue critical step in the right direction, holding gun dealers accountable for illegal sales, reducing the number of guns that fall into the wrong hands.”
But what is his personal life like? Does his family agree with his views? We’re actually more curious about his spouse, so just who is Ron Wyden’s wife? Here are 5 important details to know about Nancy Wyden.
1. She’s his second wife.
Ron was previously married to Laurie Oseran, with whom he had two children. The two divorced in 1999 after 20 years of marriage. They had two children, Adam and Lilly, and their son is an owner of a hedge fund.
2. They’ve been married for 13 years.
The couple married in 2005.
3. They have three children.
The Wydens are parents to a set of twins born in 2007, Ava and William, and a daughter born in 2012, Scarlett.
4. Her father was a businessman.
Nancy is the daughter of Fred Bass, a businessman and former co-owner of New York City’s Strand Bookstore. Though he passed away in early 2018, Nancy now owns the store and worked there since she was 16.
The Strand Bookstore is currently pushing against a bid to landmark the site by the city Landmarks Preservation Commission, and even bought the building back in 1996. According to Nancy, the cost of landmarking would push the store too far. “The richest man in America, who’s a direct competitor, has just been handed $3 billion in subsidies. I’m not asking for money or a tax rebate. Just leave me alone,” she told the New York Times.
5. She’s quite wealthy.
A financial disclosure report from 2015 shows the couple earned over $2.5 million, not including Wyden’s Senate salary. And most of her assets are listed as worth more than $8.5 million! But in 2012, her accountant revealed that she had assets worth between $12 million and $56 million from the Strand businesses.
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.