Photo: Instagram
He's divorced with three kids.
By Amy Lamare — Written on May 14, 2019
Patrick Michael Shanahan has been serving as the acting Secretary of Defense since 2019. He was appointed to the role after the resignation of Retired General James Mattis. Shanahan was the Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2017 to 2019. On May 9th, President Trump announced that he would nominate Shanahan to the role of Secretary of Defense officially. If he's confirmed, he would be the 33rd Secretary of Defense of the United States. The position is the second-highest ranking civilian position at the Pentagon. Prior to serving as the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Shanahan spent 30 years at Boeing in various executive roles including as general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems. His nomination is unusual in that he doesn't have a military background. So we're wondering who he and his family are. Who is Patrick Shanahan's wife?
1. His background
Patrick Michael Shanahan was born June 27, 1962 in Palo Alto, California. He grew up in Seattle, Washington and graduated from Bishop Blanchet High School in 1980. He had two younger brothers, Matthew and Raymond. Sadly, Raymond passed away in 2015 from brain cancer. He got his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington, his MS in mechanical engineering from MIT and his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Shanahan joined Boeing in 1986 and worked in a variety of positions over the next three decades, becoming known as "Mr. Fix It."
2. Who is his wife?
Patrick Shanahan has three kids with his now ex-wife, KImberley Jordinson. Jordinson, who went back to using her maiden name after their divorce, now lives in Sarasota, FL, where she owns an interior design firm and a property management company. The couple went through a bitter divorce. Their legal battle went on for more than six years and centered around their three children and the wealth Patrick had built up over his career. Recently, a domestic violence incident from resurfaced. The police report from August 28, 2010, reports that when the Seattle Police Department police arrived around at the family home around 1:00 am, they found Patrick with a black eye and bloody nose and Kimberley appearing intoxicated, with a bloody forearm and incoherent speech. Officers determined Kimberley to be the primary aggressor and arrested her on charges of "DV assault". Patrick filed for divorce after this incident.
3. His father
Patrick's father Michael Shanahan served in the Army in Vietnam and earned a Bronze Star. After he left the military, he became a police officer for 25 years. He was the Chief of Police for the University of Washington. He retired in 1995. Patrick said that his father taught him the important of public service and also to:“treat people fairly, respect law and order, and the importance of protecting the community.” In 1982, Michael Shanahan opened a food bank in Seattle called Rotary First Harvest which continues to operate to this day. Michael Shanahan had Parkinson's disease for 18 years. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 69.
4. His mother
Patrick Shanahan's mom Jo-Anne David married Michael Shanahan on September 16, 1961 (and apparently conceived Patrick on her honeymoon). He credits his mother with teaching him how to be a parent. When Patrick appeared before the Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill, he said: "My mother has always supported me unconditionally. She taught my brothers and I to support others unconditionally. What I appreciate most about her that I would like to share is: She taught me to truly believe in myself and that I could do anything I set my mind to; She taught my brothers and I that it is not the size of your muscles that matter it is the size of your heart; She taught me to be a better parent, a gift I can never repay. Her words to me for today were … you’ll do fine.”
5. He's in favor of building the wall
During an interview with Fox & Friends, Patrick Shanahan said that there is a crisis at the southern border and he will follow Trump's "direct legal order" to provide security. He said: "We have a crisis at the border, a national emergency declared by the president," he responded. "The commander-in-chief has given me a direct legal order to secure the border. I'm securing the border."
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this article included information about the wrong Kimberley Shanahan, who has no connection to the outgoing Acting Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan. YourTango regrets the error.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. She is deeply devoted to her chocolate Labrador and an avid long distance runner. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.