Josephine Saenz

Short Biography

"Josie" was born daughter to Consul General of Panama in the United States José Saenz, a wealthy businessman who lived in Los Angeles, California. She was 15 or 16 when she met John Wayne, an actor in college still named Marion Morrison, while at a beach party in Balboa, California. Their relationship met with considerable resistance from her family because he was not a Catholic but rather a Presbyterian. After courting for seven years, however, Wayne`s financial status improved considerably due to his success at the box office, and he was able to convince her family to allow the marriage. The couple married June 24, 1933, in a garden ceremony at Loretta Young`s home.Their union produced four children: Michael Wayne (film producer, b. November 23, 1934, d. April 2, 2003), Mary Antonia "Toni" Wayne LaCava (b. February 25, 1936, d. December 6, 2000), Patrick Wayne (actor, b. July 15, 1939), and Melinda Wayne Munoz (b. December 3, 1940). After a few years, the marriage was in trouble. Wayne worked long hours at his career, which his wife found hard to accept. He was always surrounded by associates from the film world, which did not please Josephine. The couple also had differences of opinion about how their children should be raised.Consequently, in 1943 they separated and the marriage ended in divorce on Christmas Day, December 25, 1945.Josephine Morrison died in 2003, of cancer.