Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson will forever be remembered for advocating for conservative Christian ideals in the Republican Party. Thanks to Robertson, the Christian Broadcasting Network was created. And he even sought the GOP presidential nomination in 1988. Robertson died at 93 years old well after his late wife, Dede Robertson. So, who was Pat Robertson’s wife, and how many kids did they have?
Who was Pat Robertson’s wife, Dede Robertson?
Pat Robertson was certainly supported by his wife, Adelia Elmer Robertson, better known as Dede Robertson, throughout his life.
Dede and Pat met at Yale University in 1952. She was born on Dec. 3, 1927, in Columbus, Ohio, and went on to achieve a degree in social administration from Ohio State University and a master’s degree in nursing from Yale. Just 18 months after meeting Pat, they were married by Justice of the Peace in 1954.
When Dede and Pat first moved to Brooklyn, it wasn’t a great situation — and Dede considered heading back to Ohio. They moved into a commune after Pat explained to Dede that God told him to become a minister and sell his personal items, and Pat later purchased the TV station in Virginia that would become the Christian Broadcasting Network. Dede became a born-again Christian after Pat.
While Dede stood by Pat, including in his presidential run, she had plenty of accolades of her own. She became the principal U.S. delegate to the Inter-American Commission of Women in 1982, which served to recognize women’s rights in Latin America. She was also a founding board member of the Christian Broadcasting Network starting in 1960 and published two books, My God Will Supply and The New You.
Dede died at 94 years old in April 2022. “Dede Robertson was a woman of great faith, a champion of the Gospel, and a remarkable servant of Christ who has left an indelible print on all that she set her hand to during her extraordinary life,” Pat stated when she died, according to People.
Pat did not remarry after Dede’s death.
How many kids did Pat Robertson have?
Pat Robertson and his wife, Dede Robertson, had four children, 14 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.
When Pat and Dede married in 1954, Dede was pregnant with their first child — Tim Robertson — and it caused controversy. Dede reportedly gave birth to Tim just 10 weeks after her wedding day. While Pat claimed he and Dede had their wedding in March 1954, the Washington Post claimed they actually had their wedding in August 1954, making Tim born out of wedlock.
”I frankly am astounded that the Washington Post would do what they did on such information and scandalize somebody,” Pat said at the time, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Tim, who then ran the religious broadcasting network founded by Pat, commented on the controversy. ”I’ve had nothing but love from my parents, nothing but love from my mother and father. I was raised in a loving and caring home. I never felt deprived in any way.”
Tim also gave a clue that he and his siblings remained close to Pat and Dede. “I think the thing that’s been wonderful for all of us children to see was the extraordinary growth in my parents,” he wrote, according to People. “As they got older, it seems like they were getting closer together.”
As for the other three kids, Elizabeth Faith Robertson was born in 1956, Gordon Perry Robertson was born in 1958, and Ann Willis Robertson was born in 1963. Gordon Perry Robertson became the President of the Christian Broadcasting Network and President of Operation Blessing International. Not much information has been reported about Elizabeth or Ann.
This story was first reported by The New York Times
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