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Who is Gretchen Whitmer's husband? How she found love in Marc Mallory's arms after divorce with Gary Shrewsbury

As the explosive news of Whitmer's kidnapping plot shook the nation, here's a glimpse of Whitmer's personal life and her relationship history

Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer almost became a target of a shocking kidnapping plot to overthrow her. On October 8, 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation thwarted the militia group's domestic terrorism plot including thirteen people, federal and state officials announced. 

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that six people were charged federally with conspiracy to kidnap and seven other people associated with the group Wolverine Watchmen — Paul Bellar, 21, Shawn Fix, 38, Eric Molitor, 36, Michael Null, 38, William Null, 38, Pete Musico, 42, and Joseph Morrison, 42 — were charged by the state. "The individuals in (state) custody are suspected to have attempted to identify the home addresses of law enforcement officers in order to target them, made threats of violence intended to instigate a civil war, and engaged in planning and training for an operation to attack the capitol building of Michigan and to kidnap government officials, including the governor of Michigan," Nessel said at a press conference.

The surveillance was carried out at Whitmer and her husband's vacation home in Michigan. As the explosive news shook the nation, here's a glimpse of Whitmer's personal life and her relationship history. 

Who is Gretchen Whitmer?

Born in 1971, Whitmer is the eldest of three children raised by attorney parents Richard Whitmer and Sharon H "Sherry" Reisig in Grand Rapids and East Lansing. When she was barely 10, her parents divorced and she moved with her mother to Grand Rapids. Whitmer graduated from Forest Hills Central High School, earned a BA degree in communications from Michigan State University in 1993 and a Juris Doctor from Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University in 1998. Clinching her first job at 14, she worked at Burlingame Lumber, the Royal Fork Buffet and Target in her initial years.

In March 2006, Whitmer replaced Virg Bernero and won a special election to the Michigan State Senate. In 2011, she was unanimously chosen by her Democratic colleagues, making her the first woman in state history to lead a party caucus in the Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, she served for 14 years — six in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 and eight in the Michigan Senate from 2006 to 2015.

Fighting for things that matter

Back in 2013, Whitmer opened up about sexual assault and her floor speech during a debate on abortion gained national attention. Her official bio describes her as a "mom, former legislator, prosecutor, and Governor, she fights for the things that matter to people and put them first." Due to term limits, she could not recontest in 2014 and was forced to step down in 2015. She then defeated Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette to become the governor in the 2018 gubernatorial election.

Recently, the Michigan governor was lambasted after she tightened coronavirus restrictions in April. Her restriction orders were met by an eight-hour protest organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition and co-hosted by the Michigan Freedom Fund. The strict mitigation measures were overturned by a judge on October 2, 2020 even as the mother of the first child to die of coronavirus in Michigan expressed support for Whitmer saying, "I want to say thank you to the governor for making people go home."

A look at her love life

Whitmer first exchanged vows with her first husband, Gary Shrewsbury. However, the marriage didn't stand the test of time and the pair decided to go their separate ways. While the reason for the divorce is not known, the couple has two daughters, Sherry and Sydney Shrewsbury. As per reports, the pair stated personal reasons during the trial and the custody of their children was passed to Whitmer.

In 2000, Whitmer gave birth to her first daughter during her first year in the Michigan House of Representatives. As per The Detroit News, she wasn’t given space to pump breast milk at the Capitol when she returned to work. She then pumped her daughter in her office. Talking about her kids in a WLNS report, she said, “We’ve got a great situation,” adding, “My ex-husband is one of my best friends. We live close to one another and we’re all in.”

Soon after, Whitmer found love in the arms of dentist, Marc P Mallory. The pair got hitched in 2011 and live in East Lansing, about six miles from the Michigan Capitol. The couple have five children, along with three sons — Alex, Mason and Winston — from Mallory's first marriage.

Whitner often shares photos of the family on her social media page. "We made an addition to our family - meet the First Pup, Kevin!" she tweeted back in August 2019 and in December 2019, she wrote, "Merry Christmas from our family to yours!"

As per his official bio, Mallory was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in zoology from Michigan State University and his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Michigan’s Dental School. He opened his own dental practice in downtown Lansing in 1990.

Recently, he came under fire for joking "if being married to Whitner would help move him up in the queue" to get their boat moved into the water before Memorial Day weekend. Whitner later clarified, “My husband made a failed attempt at humor last week when checking in with a small business that helps with our boat and dock up north,” and added, “he thought it might get a laugh. It didn’t.”