Richard Carleton Meeker, whose full name was Richard Carleton Meeker Sr., was an American sales professional and U.S. Navy veteran. He is primarily known for his marriage to actress Mary Tyler Moore and for being the father of her only child, Richard Carleton Meeker Jr., also known as Richie Meeker.
Born on March 7, 1927, in Los Angeles, California, Richard Carleton Meeker lived through major social and cultural changes in the United States. His life included military service, a career in sales and television advertising, marriage to a famous actress, and raising a family.
Although his former wife became a household name through her successful television career, Meeker maintained a comparatively private life. As a result, detailed information about his childhood, career history, and personal experiences is limited. His biography is primarily documented through his family connections and the basic records associated with his life.
Richard Carleton Meeker Biography at a Glance
Richard Carleton Meeker Sr. was born on March 7, 1927, in Los Angeles, California. He was an American citizen and reportedly served as a veteran of the United States Navy. His professional background has been associated with sales management and television advertising.
He married Mary Tyler Moore in 1955, and the couple later divorced in 1962. They had one son, Richard Carleton Meeker Jr., who was born on July 3, 1956, and died on October 14, 1980, at the age of 24.
Richard Carleton Meeker died on July 8, 2013, in Sacramento, California, at the age of 86. His parents were identified as Carleton Ludlow Meeker and Lillian Ross.
| Attribute | Details |
| Full name | Richard Carleton Meeker Sr. |
| Date of birth | March 7, 1927 |
| Place of birth | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Date of death | July 8, 2013 |
| Place of death | Sacramento, California, USA |
| Age at death | 86 years |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | First husband of Mary Tyler Moore and father of her only child |
| Military service | U.S. Navy veteran |
| Career | Sales manager and television advertising professional, as reported |
| Spouse | Mary Tyler Moore, married in 1955 and divorced in 1962 |
| Child | Richard Carleton Meeker Jr. (Richie) |
| Father | Carleton Ludlow Meeker |
| Mother | Lillian Ross |
| Reported height | Approximately 5 feet 8 inches |
| Reported build | Regular |
Early Life of Richard Carleton Meeker
Richard Carleton Meeker was born in Los Angeles, California, on March 7, 1927. His early years took place during a period when the United States was experiencing economic difficulties and social changes. However, publicly available information about his childhood and education remains limited.
His father was Carleton Ludlow Meeker, and his mother was Lillian Ross. These names are associated with his family background, although details about their occupations, household circumstances, and upbringing have not been widely documented.
Meeker belonged to a generation that grew up during the Great Depression and reached adulthood around the time of the Second World War. While this historical context provides background to his life, there is insufficient information to describe how specific events affected him personally.
Unlike his former wife, who later became a prominent figure in American television, Meeker did not have a widely documented public career. Most information about his life comes from biographical references concerning his marriage and family.
Military Service in the United States Navy
Richard Carleton Meeker is reported to have been a United States Navy veteran. His military background is one of the details frequently included in accounts of his life.
However, specific information about his service, such as his enlistment date, rank, assignments, and discharge date, is not extensively available. Without supporting military records, it would be inappropriate to provide precise details about his responsibilities or experiences during service.
Meeker was born in 1927 and belonged to a generation that came of age during the Second World War era. His reported Navy service places him within the broader history of Americans who served during that period, although the exact timing of his service requires additional documentation.
Military service is an important part of the biographical information associated with him, but it should not be expanded into unsupported claims about his wartime experiences.
Richard Carleton Meeker’s Professional Career
Richard Carleton Meeker’s professional life has been linked to sales management and television advertising. Some biographical descriptions identify him as a sales manager, while other accounts associate him with sales work before and during his marriage to Mary Tyler Moore.
He was reportedly working as a cranberry juice salesman when he married Moore in 1955. This detail appears in accounts of Moore’s early personal life and provides some context about Meeker’s occupation during that period.
Sales work involved communication with customers, business relationships, and commercial responsibilities. However, there is limited publicly documented information about the companies he worked for, the length of his career, or his specific professional achievements.
Some records also associate him with management, sales, and advertising. These descriptions suggest a career connected to commercial business, but a complete employment history has not been established through widely available sources.
Meeker’s professional identity remained separate from Mary Tyler Moore’s entertainment career. While she later became a major television star, he was primarily known in public biographies through his family connection to her.
Marriage to Mary Tyler Moore
Richard Carleton Meeker married actress Mary Tyler Moore in 1955. Their marriage began before Moore achieved widespread recognition through her major television roles.
At the time, Moore was a young actress working toward a career in entertainment. Her marriage to Meeker occurred during the early stage of her professional life, before her success in productions such as The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
The relationship is a central part of Meeker’s public biography because of Moore’s later prominence in American television history.
The couple had one child, Richard Carleton Meeker Jr., who was born in 1956. Their marriage lasted approximately seven years before ending in divorce in 1962.
The Early Years of Their Relationship
Accounts of Mary Tyler Moore’s life describe Richard Meeker as her first husband. Some biographical descriptions refer to him as a salesman, including a cranberry juice salesman, during the early period of their relationship.
The available information provides a broad understanding of their marriage but does not document every aspect of their relationship. Details about their courtship, daily life, and private experiences are limited.
It is important to distinguish between established information about their marriage and assumptions about their personal relationship. Public attention focused primarily on Moore’s later career, meaning many details about Meeker’s own life remained outside the public record.
Divorce in 1962
Richard Carleton Meeker and Mary Tyler Moore divorced in 1962. Their separation took place during a period when Moore’s acting career was developing.
Moore subsequently became associated with some of the most influential television productions of the twentieth century. Her professional success contributed to lasting public interest in her early life and previous marriage.
The exact private circumstances surrounding the divorce are not sufficiently documented in the information available for this biography. Therefore, specific claims about the reasons for their separation should not be presented as established facts.
Richard Carleton Meeker Jr. and His Family
Richard Carleton Meeker and Mary Tyler Moore had one son, Richard Carleton Meeker Jr., who was commonly known as Richie. He was born on July 3, 1956.
Richie was Mary Tyler Moore’s only child. His birth became an important part of the family history associated with both of his parents.
The birth of their son took place during the early years of Moore’s acting career. At that point, she had not yet reached the height of her television fame.
Richard Carleton Meeker Jr.’s life and death are frequently mentioned in biographical accounts of Mary Tyler Moore. His family connection to the actress also makes him a significant part of information about Richard Carleton Meeker Sr.
The Death of Richie Meeker
Richard Carleton Meeker Jr. died on October 14, 1980, at the age of 24. Reports about his death describe an accidental gunshot incident.
His death was a major tragedy in Mary Tyler Moore’s personal life. Accounts of Moore’s biography have discussed the impact of losing her only child, although the private experiences of individual family members should not be assumed beyond what reliable sources document.
The death of Richie Meeker remains one of the most significant events associated with the Meeker family. It is relevant to understanding the family history, but sensitive details should be presented respectfully and without unnecessary speculation.
Connection to Mary Tyler Moore’s Television Career
Richard Carleton Meeker’s public recognition is closely connected to Mary Tyler Moore’s career. Their marriage began before she became famous for her television roles.
Moore later gained widespread recognition as Laura Petrie in The Dick Van Dyke Show. She subsequently starred as Mary Richards in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a production that became an important part of American television history.
Meeker’s life was different from that of his former wife. He worked in sales and advertising, while Moore developed a career in acting and became an internationally recognised television personality.
The timing of their marriage is relevant because it places Meeker within the early personal history of Moore’s life, before she became widely known for her professional achievements.
Some accounts describe Meeker as supporting Moore during the early stages of her acting career. One reported detail concerns his assistance with transportation to auditions. However, individual anecdotes should be treated as reported accounts rather than a complete description of their marriage.
Where Did Richard Carleton Meeker Live?
Richard Carleton Meeker was born in Los Angeles, California, and later died in Sacramento, California. These locations are associated with the beginning and end of his life.
Some reports also connect the Meeker family with Fresno, California, during the late 1960s. Accounts of his son mention a period when Richie attended public schools in Fresno.
These details provide limited information about the places associated with the family. They do not establish a complete residential history or confirm how long Meeker lived in each location.
Information about his later years, household arrangements, and personal activities is not extensively documented in publicly available biographical material.
Richard Carleton Meeker’s Physical Appearance
Some third-party biography sources report that Richard Carleton Meeker was approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall and had a regular build.
These physical details are not supported by extensive publicly documented records, so they should be treated as reported information rather than precise verified measurements.
His appearance is not a major focus of the historical information available about him. Most biographical references concentrate on his marriage, family, military background, and professional work.
Date and Place of Death
Richard Carleton Meeker died on July 8, 2013, in Sacramento, California. He was reported to be 86 years old at the time of his death.
His birth in Los Angeles and death in Sacramento connect different stages of his life to California. However, the available biographical information does not provide a detailed account of his final years.
Details concerning his health, daily life, and personal circumstances before his death are limited. Such information should not be invented or inferred without credible documentation.
His death marked the end of a life associated with military service, professional work, marriage, and fatherhood. His name continues to appear in biographies of Mary Tyler Moore because of their marriage and their shared family history.
Why Is Richard Carleton Meeker Known?
Richard Carleton Meeker is primarily known for three aspects of his life: his marriage to Mary Tyler Moore, his role as the father of her only child, and his reported career and military background.
He was not a television actor like his former wife, and there is limited evidence that he sought the same level of public recognition. His public identity developed largely through his connection to Moore and their son.
His biography demonstrates how individuals can become part of public historical records through family relationships, even when their own professional and personal lives remain relatively private.
The information available about Meeker provides a foundation for understanding his background, but it does not offer a complete account of every stage of his life.
Conclusion
Richard Carleton Meeker was an American sales professional and U.S. Navy veteran whose public biography is closely connected to actress Mary Tyler Moore. Born in Los Angeles in 1927, he later married Moore in 1955, and the couple had one son, Richard Carleton Meeker Jr.
His professional background has been associated with sales management and television advertising. However, extensive information about his career, military service, and private experiences is not widely available.
Meeker’s family history includes both his marriage to a well-known television actress and the tragic death of his son, Richie, in 1980. He died in Sacramento, California, in 2013 at the age of 86.
The available details offer a basic account of Richard Carleton Meeker’s life while highlighting the need to distinguish documented facts from information that remains limited or unverified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Richard Carleton Meeker?
Richard Carleton Meeker Sr. was an American sales professional and reported U.S. Navy veteran. He was the first husband of actress Mary Tyler Moore and the father of her only child, Richard Carleton Meeker Jr.
When was Richard Carleton Meeker born?
Richard Carleton Meeker was born on March 7, 1927, in Los Angeles, California, United States.
Who was Richard Carleton Meeker married to?
He was married to actress Mary Tyler Moore. The couple married in 1955 and divorced in 1962.
Did Richard Carleton Meeker have children?
Yes. He had one son, Richard Carleton Meeker Jr., also known as Richie Meeker. His son was born on July 3, 1956.
When did Richard Carleton Meeker die?
Richard Carleton Meeker died on July 8, 2013, in Sacramento, California, at the reported age of 86.
