Sam Donaldson - Personal Life

Personal Life

In April 1983, Donaldson and Jan Smith were married in Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia. They have no children together but Donaldson has four children from previous marriages: Samuel Donaldson III, Jennifer, Thomas and Robert Donaldson.

In 1995, Donaldson had a melanoma removed from a lymph node. Since then, he and his wife have both been active supporters of cancer research.

Donaldson operates a family cattle ranch in Lincoln County, New Mexico. On July 5, 2004, three members of the ranch foreman's family were found murdered. Cody Posey, a 14-year-old and sole remaining survivor of the family, was arrested and charged with the murders and subsequently convicted and sentenced to juvenile detention until age 21. On October 8, 2010, Cody Posey was released.

Donaldson appears in the 2008 political documentary about Lee Atwater, entitled Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story. In the film, he says, "An operative never comes and says, ‘here is a story I’d like you to run for me, but just in private conversation, did you know this about so and so, we’re still checking it mind you, but, but it’s probably going to turn out to be true.’ Well, you don’t want to be beaten by your competition and wait until they announce it. They put it on the conveyor belt and you just run it out.”

Donaldson is a member of the board of directors of both the Library of American Broadcasting and the American Academy of Achievement boards; president of the advisory board of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; and chairman emeritus of the advisory board of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.