John Warner and Elizabeth Taylor marriage: Star's 'electricity' skyrocketed senator's political career
Former Virginia Senator John W Warner died at the age of 94, his longtime chief of staff revealed on Wednesday, May 26. The former Navy secretary was once married to Elizabeth Taylor, and the pair's unique relationship dominated the headlines from 1976 to 1982.
It's worth noting that the Virginia Republican was the sixth of the Hollywood beauty's seven husbands, the New York Post reported.
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First public appearance
Warner and Elizabeth Taylor made their debut as a couple at the Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, on Founders’ Day on November 11, 1976, according to Lisa Well Rogers' blog Lisa's History Room. Warner gave a speech and then introduced Taylor to the cadets, who tossed their hats up in the air in excitement. Warner had been testing the political waters in Virginia as he was eyeing a possible US Senate run in 1978. One can argue that Taylor's star power boosted his potential candidacy and effectively raised his political profile.
"I feel just like Ben Franklin," Warner often said during the campaign trail. "He was born in Boston. Moved to Philadelphia. Met a lady on the street. They got engaged. And then he discovered electricity. Ladies and gentleman," the future Senator would conclude, before gesturing toward wife Elizabeth Taylor, “allow me to share some electricity with you.”
It's fair to say that Warner had swept Taylor off her feet right from the get-go, ever since she first met him as a blind date to a British Embassy ball in honor of Queen Elizabeth II of England on July 8, 1976. At the time, she was entangled in a second rough divorce from Richard Burton. On the other hand, Warner had divorced Catherine Mellon, the daughter of billionaire Paul Mellon, in such an amicable way that she lived next door to his 2,600-acre farm outside Middleburg, Virginia, so they could both tend to their three biological children.
Warner was arguably one of the country's most eligible bachelors at the time. Rogers described him as a "playboy" who "unabashedly selected dates and debutantes out of the Social Register and Washington, DC, Green Book, copies of which he kept on his desk at all times." Warner had dated some of the most desirable women of his time, including TV host Barbara Walters. Nonetheless, Walters was no match for the larger-than-life celebrity of "La Liz".
Tying the knot
After a rough separation, Taylor was ready to leave Hollywood behind in order to marry "this country gentleman farmer/lawyer, and become the Lady of the Manor," Rogers wrote. Warner's farm at Middleburg was reportedly about an hour away from Washington. By then, Elizabeth Taylor had made over 50 films, had four children, and married six times (twice to Burton).
The couple tied the knot on December 4, 1976 — five months after their first date. Elizabeth Taylor and John Warner took the holy vows on top of a hill on his farm in a private Episcopalian ceremony surrounded by their loved ones.
“I’m so happy to just be John’s wife," Taylor said as she relaxed into her new role. "I finally feel that I have a home. My search for roots is finally over.” Warner endearingly called Liz his “Little Heifer” and “Pooters.”
While Taylor helped Warner's electoral campaign, she soon got bored with life in Washington DC. It was reported that her alcoholism and dependency on drugs spiraled out of control due to the boredom. The pair eventually divorced in 1982.