Donna Hanover

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Donna Hanover, c. 2005 publicity photo.

Donna Hanover (born February 13, 1950) is an American journalist, radio and television personality, and actress, who is the morning show co-host for WOR radio in New York City. She was First Lady of New York City as the then-wife of former New York City Mayor and 2008 U.S. presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.

She was born Donna Ann Kofnovec in Oakland, California into a Roman Catholic family. Her parents are Robert G. Kofnovec, who was a United States Navy officer who retired as a Lieutenant Commander, and Gwendolyn Dolores Kofnovec.^[1] She attended Fremont High School in Sunnyvale, California. Kofnovec then attended Stanford University, and graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.^[2] Shen then attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and graduated with a masters degree in journalism.^[2]

She married Stanley Hanover in 1972, and was divorced from him some years later. They had no children.

As Donna Hanover (a name she continued to use after the divorce) she worked as a radio and television journalist in Pennsylvania and Florida; it was when she was working in Miami that she met Giuliani. The couple moved in together in 1982 while Giuliani was still married to his first wife, but they had been separated since 1976. Giuliani had his first marriage annulled in late 1983. They then later moved to Washington, D.C. and then New York, and were married there on April 15, 1984. Hanover was the lead anchor for the 10 p.m. newscast on WPIX Channel 11 television in New York during the 1980s, leaving that role during Giuliani's unsuccessful 1989 bid for mayor. Hanover had two children with Giuliani, Andrew (born 1986) and Caroline (born 1989). She began to use Donna Hanover Giuliani as her name.

In 1993 she actively campaigned for her husband during his successful campaign for Mayor, appearing in his television ads as a devoted wife and mother. In 1994, Hanover Giuliani became First Lady of New York City. In this role, she promoted various health and educational causes around the city and was active in the city's civic life. In addition to her duties as First Lady, she was a features reporter for local station WNYW (Channel 5) and an anchor on the Food Network. She had a prominent acting role as real-life presidential sister Ruth Carter Stapleton in the 1993 film The People vs. Larry Flynt; noted critic Frank Rich called her performance brilliant.^[2] She also appeared in the feature film Ransom as a WNYW reporter. Hanover has appeared in episodes of the television series Law & Order (in a recurring role as a judge), Family Law and The Practice. In April 2000, Hanover scandalized some in the nation by accepting the lead role in Eve Ensler's controversial play The Vagina Monologues.^[3]

By 1996, she had reverted back to only using Donna Hanover as her name and her public appearances with Rudy Giuliani became few.^[4] By 1997 there were published reports of his having an affair with mayoral aide Cristyne Lategano,^[5] and by 2000 with Judith Nathan. Giuliani and Hanover separated in May 2000 and filed for divorce in October 2000.^[6] After ugly public battles between representatives of the two,^[7] the divorce was finalized in July 2002 after he left office as Mayor; Hanover was awarded $6.8 million and custody of their two children.^[8]

In 2003, Hanover married Edwin Oster, an attorney practicing in Newport Beach, California. The two had dated in high school and in college, but had not spoken with each other for more than 20 years, until after Hanover's divorce from Giuliani.^[1] In 2005, Hanover published the book My Boyfriend's Back: 50 True Stories of Reconnecting with a Long-Lost Love, relating her story as well as those of others who had rejoined with lost loves.^[9]