Politics makes familiar bedfellows in Washington

WASHINGTON – At the age of 51, John J. O’Connor 3d found himself looking for a job. His wife, Sandra Day O’Connor, had been appointed to the Supreme Court, a lifetime job, and unless he planned to spend the rest of his days commuting back to Phoenix where he was a partner in a prestigious corporate law firm, it meant relocating.

Eight years ago John W. Schroeder, a Denver lawyer, faced a similar decision. But his wife did not have lifetime tenure. Patricia Schroeder had been elected to the House of Representatives and their future beyond the two-year term was a question mark.

Mr. O’Connor and Mr. Schroeder are two members of a growing Washington breed: political husbands. As a result of their wives’ election or appointment to office, they face the same problems that political wives have endured for years. Beyond the obvious disruptions of moving a household, finding new schools for the children and confronting career changes, there is the subtle and sensitive problem of suddenly taking second place behind a woman who has instant name recognition and upon whom attention is lavished. It helps to have a strong ego.

Making the Move

”There was really no alternative but to move to Washington,” Mr. Schroeder recalled. ”Our son, Scott, was 6, and our little girl was still in diapers, so it just wasn’t possible to think about trying to live in both cities.”
He turned his caseload over to his Denver partners, flew east on a weekend to buy a Washington home, and after his wife got