David William Desmond is not well known despite his ties to the Trump family and his achievements in academia and literature. His story began in New Jersey where he was born on February 4, 1934. He married Maryanne Trump Barry in 1959 and they remained together until 1980. His former wife later became a prominent federal judge after President Bill Clinton appointed her in 1999.
Desmond built an impressive career in psychology and research. He got his behavioral sciences degree from the University of Chicago and earned his doctoral degree in psychology from Fordham University. His academic work expanded through a fellowship in stroke and dementia at the Neurological Institute of New York. The Stroke and Aging Research Project became his most important contribution as its principal investigator. This project grew into the largest prospective study that examined cognitive function in hospitalized stroke patients during that era. Desmond passed away on January 17, 2006, at age 71. This piece reveals the story of a man who created his own legacy in science and literature, even though he was connected to one of America’s most famous families.
A Quiet Figure in a Famous Family
The vast Trump family tree includes Maryanne Trump Barry’s first husband, who has largely stayed unknown to the public eye. David William Desmond managed to keep his distance from his famous in-laws’ public persona throughout his life.
His relationship to Maryanne Trump Barry and Donald Trump
David William Desmond became part of one of America’s most prominent families when he married Maryanne Trump Barry in 1960. Their marriage lasted two decades until their divorce in 1980. The couple had one son, who they named David William Desmond.
Maryanne was the eldest child of real estate developer Fred Trump and his wife Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, nine years older than her brother Donald. The marriage made Desmond the brother-in-law to Donald Trump, who would later become the 45th and 47th President of the United States.
The Trump siblings typically kept close family bonds, yet Desmond’s connection with the broader Trump family seemed more distant, especially after his divorce from Maryanne. He lived on the edges of the increasingly prominent Trump family but never fully blended into their business or public efforts.
Why David William Desmond stayed out of the spotlight
Desmond chose to foster a private life, which stood in sharp contrast to the Trump family’s love of public attention. His former wife’s career as a federal judge, appointed by both Republican and Democratic presidents, didn’t change his path.
His limited public appearances reveal his strong preference for privacy. When his mother passed away in November 2023, he spoke briefly to the press only to ask that the service remain private. “The service will be private, and we prefer to avoid any press coverage,” he stated.
His former wife Maryanne Trump Barry made headlines with frank comments about her brother Donald. She called him “cruel” and said “he has no principles” in secretly recorded conversations. Yet Desmond never shared any public political views.
His steadfast dedication to privacy becomes even more remarkable given his former mother-in-law’s complex relationship with the media. Yes, it is striking how Desmond stayed completely away from politics, unlike his former wife’s public service and her brother’s highly visible political career.
Marriage, Family, and Personal Life
David William Desmond started a new chapter in his personal life after his divorce from Maryanne Trump Barry in 1980, which led him to his second marriage.
Engagement and wedding to Lisa Renee Aitken
Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Aitken of Naples, Florida announced their daughter Lisa Renee Aitken’s engagement to David William Desmond in The New York Times on May 31, 1992. Desmond was a 12-year old clinical psychologist at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center’s Neurological Institute. His bride-to-be had graduated from Southern Methodist University and worked as an executive assistant to Wasserstein Perella & Company’s president while pursuing her MBA at New York University.
The couple quickly moved forward with their plans. They exchanged vows at St. Thomas Church in New York City on July 18, 1992. Reverend Gary P. Fertig officiated the Episcopal ceremony. Lisa’s father, who had retired as a senior executive from Exxon, was mentioned in the wedding announcement published the next day.
Their son Robert and family life
The Desmonds welcomed their only child, Robert, in the mid-1990s. A family portrait taken at Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida in 1997 shows the three of them together. This rare snapshot gives us a glimpse of their life as a typical family, despite their connections to one of America’s most prominent families.
Desmond managed to keep his family life private. All the same, his family stayed connected to Palm Beach’s high society, where they would later make one of their permanent homes.
Life between Florida and Paris
Desmond’s career shift from psychology to writing brought a more cosmopolitan lifestyle. He split his time between two continents. We lived mostly in Palm Beach, Florida, but spent several months each year in Paris, France. These two locations became the setting for his first novel “The Misadventures of Oliver Booth: Life in the Lap of Luxury”.
His international lifestyle aligned with both his priorities and literary inspiration as he moved from academia to become a published author and satirist later in life.
A Career in Psychology and Research
David William Desmond was known for his reserved nature, yet his remarkable career in psychology and research stretched across decades. He built his own legacy in neuropsychology, separate from his family’s connections.
Educational background and degrees
The University of Chicago gave Desmond his first stepping stone, where he earned his degree in behavioral sciences. His academic journey led him to Fordham University, where he completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 1990. He then advanced his expertise through a fellowship in stroke and dementia at the Neurological Institute of New York. Dr. Thomas K. Tatemichi guided his specialized training at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Work at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
Desmond’s career took off when he joined the Neurological Institute at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York as a clinical psychologist. This role placed him at one of the nation’s leading neurological research centers. He dedicated his time to studying how neurological conditions affect cognitive function, a field that drew much attention from the medical community.
Stroke and Aging Research Project
The sort of thing I love about Desmond’s career was his leadership of the Stroke and Aging Research Project. This complete study broke down cognitive function in hospitalized stroke patients. His team aimed to identify risk factors for incident dementia in stroke patients and learn about the progression of cognitive function after stroke. They got into deficits in executive function and evaluated anatomic risk factors for dementia. The research showed how cerebral atrophy and recurrent stroke increased dementia risk.
Published academic contributions
Desmond’s impact on academic literature shows in his many citations on research platforms. His team gave an explanation about the connection between cerebrovascular disease and mental deterioration in elderly patients. Their findings helped establish cerebrovascular disease as the second most common cause of mental deterioration in elderly patients.
From Psychologist to Satirist
David William Desmond made an interesting career switch from studying human behavior as a psychologist to writing satire about it. His deep understanding of Palm Beach society became perfect material for his books.
The Oliver Booth book series
His first step into fiction came with “The Misadventures of Oliver Booth: Life in the Lap of Luxury,” a satirical novel about an arrogant antique shop owner who desperately wants to join Palm Beach’s elite social circles. The story takes a turn when a society doyenne sends him to Paris on a shopping trip that leads to many funny mishaps.
Desmond came back with a sequel “Oliver Booth and the Evil Socialite” five years after his first book. The second book added more colorful characters like “DJ Oligarch,” a rich Russian figure known as “the king of Russian hip hop and the inventor of the bullet proof tuxedo”. Both books showed off Desmond’s quick wit and clever observations about the wealthy elite.
Critical reception and awards
His first book turned out to be a soaring win. He got several honors including:
- Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner for General Fiction/Novel and First Novel
- Third Place Grand Prize in Fiction
- Best Book Award Winner for Best New Fiction
- Finalist for the 2009 Benjamin Franklin Awards in the Humor/Comedy/Satire category
One reviewer said Desmond “wanders through Palm Beach society like a porcupine in a balloon factory”, which shows his sharp social commentary.
Support from Donald Trump
His famous uncle Donald Trump backed his writing career with an Amazon blurb that read: “David Desmond has written a hilarious tale based on his insider’s knowledge of life in Palm Beach and Paris. It should be a big success”. This rare family connection showed the complex relationships within the Trump family circle.
Writing for Palm Beach Daily News
Desmond found another outlet for his humor through a regular column called “The Rich Life” in the Palm Beach Daily News. His 2011 pieces gave readers a peek into his personal life, including his Sunday morning soccer games with local restaurant workers since 2003. He wrote, “I miss those Sunday morning soccer games, but I miss my fellow players even more because it’s all-too-rare that such a disparate group of people would ever find themselves choosing to be together”.
Conclusion
David William Desmond lived a complex life that went beyond simple labels. His marriage connected him to one of America’s most visible families, yet he chose a path of intellectual pursuit over public attention. Few people successfully transform from respected neuropsychologist to acclaimed satirical novelist, but Desmond did just that.
His scientific work through the Stroke and Aging Research Project helped advance our understanding of cognitive function in stroke patients. His later career switch to author let him turn his sharp observations of high society into literature that appealed to both readers and critics.
Desmond managed to keep his independence and privacy despite his Trump family connections. His life between Palm Beach and Paris gave him rich material for his writing and kept him at arm’s length from family drama. His column “The Rich Life” shared his views while protecting his private nature.
David William Desmond’s story shows how fame can overshadow those near its spotlight. While his former wife and brother-in-law made headlines, he built his legacy through meaningful scientific research and pointed social commentary. He showed how someone could keep their dignity and achieve professional success while living on the edge of America’s most famous family. Though Desmond passed away in 2006, his impact on both science and literature stands apart from his famous family ties.