Who Is Dan Coats' Wife? New Details On Marsha Coats

Though there are many components to the Trump administration, not every member has been catapulted into the spotlight. But the president likes to surround himself with people who support him and his ideals, and such is the case for the Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats.

Before taking this position, Coats was a Senator from Indiana from 1989 to 1999, and again from 2011 to 2017. Before that, he was a member of the House of Representatives from 1981 to 1989.

With his new position in the White House, it makes us wonder about his family life and if they really support him aligning with the president. Who is Dan Coats’ wife and does she align with his beliefs? Here are 8 things to know about Marsha Coats.

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1. They’ve been married since 1965.

Photo: AP

The couple met while attending Wheaton College in Illinois, a conservative Christian school. At the time, it was the only school in the state with a university level program for women. The school’s motto is “for Christ and his Kingdom” but the school is “non-denominational.” After they married, her husband was drafted to the Army where he served for two years.

2. They have three children.

All of their children are adults now, and the couple also has 10 grandchildren! They had two daughters, Laura and Lisa, and a son, Andrew.

3. She was a teacher.

In the late 1960s, Coats began teaching in Indianapolis but in 1972, she began teaching sixth, seventh and eighth grade at a public school in Fort Wayne, IN. The family then moved to Virginia, where she taught middle school math for a private school. Because her mom and grandma were both teachers, she says it wasn’t a hard decision.

4. She received an additional degree when her kids left home.

Photo: Tony V. Martin, The Times

In the 1990s when she still lived in Virginia, Coats attended Johns Hopkins to get her Master’s degree in clinical community counseling. She eventually set up her own practice, while her husband served in the Senate. She also helped the U.S. Senate Chaplin and served on the board of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services of Northern Virginia.

“I saw from Dan’s work that the breakdown of the American family was creating problems with youth and families that stemmed from the lack of a stable home environment. In counseling and using family systems theory, you look at the problem and the interaction and the effect on the whole family. It is not just an isolated individual and that’s what interested me,” she said.

“Our grandparents have a huge impact on who we are and we will do the same for our children and our grandchildren. I wasn’t always successful but if I was able to work with a husband and wife that were just furious with each other and bring them together six months later, I really felt fulfilled in my counseling work.”

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5. She and her family lived in Germany.

When her husband was made U.S. Ambassador to Germany, the family was sent overseas and remained there until 2005. Of her travels to Germany, she said it was “the experience of a lifetime...to be the wife of an ambassador you learn so much history and living in another country is a wonderful thing. Germans value the trades highly. If you don’t go to college, that’s fine. If you are an electrician or a carpenter, you can be proud of that; they are paid well and they’re happy. Every student shouldn’t have to go to college. Education ought to be diverse.”

6. She’s received much recognition for her work in the public sector.

Coats received the U.S. Army Commander’s Award for Public Service for her work with soldiers and their families while stationed in Germany. She also received the U.S. State Department Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Public Diplomacy for her work establishing the Mission Germany’s Public Diplomacy Program and the American Embassy’s Eastern Outreach Program; she received the Maggie Sloan Crawford Award in 2007 by Olivet Nazarene University.

7. She was Indiana’s female representative to the Republican National Committee.

Coats was nominated for the position in 2013 by Mike Pence, who was the governor at the time. She resigned in 2017 due to her husband’s job in the White House. In her resignation letter, she wrote, “Now that circumstances have taken Dan and me back to Washington, I respectfully submit my resignation. I tried to represent the views of most Hoosier conservatives, and it made me happy and proud to do so.”

8. She’s a Trump supporter.

Photo: AP

She eventually endorsed Trump for the good of the Party (not country, of course), and said that being president would change Trump and cause him to turn to god for guidance (cue eyeroll):

“As a conservative, pro-life, evangelical, female Republican, I understand the conflict many in our party feel about supporting Donald Trump. Trump was not my first or even my second choice. He is not a humble man, but he is the choice of Republican voters all over the country, and many Democrats too. The people have not only spoken, they have roared! We are a democracy still.

“God can use imperfect people. Indeed, that is all He has to work with. I truly believe the office will change Donald Trump. I believe it will humble him. And, I think even Donald will be impelled to turn to God for guidance.”

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