Who Is Mercedes Guilfoyle: The Mother Of Ex-Attorney, Kimberly Guilfoyle

Mercedes Guilfoyle is the late mother of a former prosecuting attorney and American television news personality in San Francisco, Kimberly Guilfoyle. In addition to her host career, Kimberly has also worked as an advisor for the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump.

But the article down below will rather focus on the woman (Mercedes) who gave birth to such an A-list political figure. The write-up will also explore Mercedes’ marriage to her late husband, Anthony Guilfoyle; the two were together since the late 1960s.

Furthermore, in this article, let’s explore more about Kimberly’s mother including her age, death, career, and many more!

Details On Mercedes Guilfoyle’s Early Life

She was born Mercedes Marie Guilfoyle on 22 Jan 1942 in Aguadilla, Aguadilla Municipality, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Her parents were Ramon Gerena (father) and Juanita Gerena (mother).

According to newspapers.com, Mercedes has five siblings, Augustine Gerina, Juanita Simmons, Elena Acevedo, Ana Weathers, and Mary Ortiz. Moving on to her nationality, Mercedes held American-Puerto Rican citizenship.

Who Was Mercedes Guilfoyle’s Husband?

Guilfoyle was married to her late spouse Anthony Christopher Guilfoyle. The late couple first came across in the year 1968 and dated for some time before they walked down the aisle in a very private ceremony with a limited number of guests.

While most of their marriage details never came to the media, Mercedes’ then-hubby Anthony was an ex-member of the U.S army force.

The Couple Welcomed Their Daughter A Year After Their Marriage

On March 9, 1969, Mercedes Guilfoyle and her partner Anthony became parents for the first time to their daughter Kimberly Ann Guilfoyle.

Besides, they also shared a second child, a son, Anthony John Guilfoyle. Unlike their daughter, Anthony seems to be a very private person. But, thankfully after scrolling down Kimberly’s Facebook page, we found out that their son has a healthy lifestyle.

Happy birthday to my amazing brother Anthony so blessed to have you in my life…mom and dad would be very proud!

wrote Kimberly as she wished her brother his birthday on 15 August 2017.

Mercedes Guilfoyle’s Late Husband Was A Member Of The US Army Force

Mercedes Guilfoyle’s then-spouse Anthony Christopher Guilfoyle was born on December 23, 1935, in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland. When Anthony was 21 years old, he moved to San Francisco, a city he used to call “God’s half-acre.”

In 1957, Mercedes’ late husband began his professional life by working in the construction trade for his uncle Michael Lynch. Later, Guilfoyle served in the U.S Army. Afterward, he rose to the rank of surgent.

In an interview with The Chronicle, the former army whilst talking about his military career, said,

“It was a gift to come to the United States. Joining the Army was one small way I could give something back to this country”

Guilfoyle’s Spouse Anthony Was Famous As ‘The Godfather’ In Political Inner Circles

As mentioned earlier, Guilfoyle’s spouse, Anthony was a marine force member. Later, he was successful to gain a wide range of friends in the political world.

Anthony even became one of the members of Gavin Newsom’s inner circle. During Newsom’s campaigns, he was also able to grab a seat on the Board of Supervisors, and in the 2003 campaign, he worked as a mayor.

Furthermore, Mercedes’ late partner Anthony used to take care of the campaign workers by keeping them fed as they even worked in the wee hours. The former sergeant was later named “The Godfather,” in political inner circles by the San Francisco Magazine.

Mercedes Died When Her Daughter Kimberly Guilfoyle Was Just 11 Years Old

Mercedes lost her life to Leukemia in 1980. Her death came as quite a shock to the family. Furthermore, Guilfoyle’s daughter was 11 years old at the time and shared a great bond with her late mother. Kimberly would later write a book titled, Making the Case: How to Be Your Own Best Advocate, where she talks about her relationship with her mother, Mercedes.

In the book, Mercedes’ daughter writes,

My mother was just everything to me, I loved her so much, and I always wanted to be around her. I loved how I saw people react to her. She was a warm woman who worked in education with people with emotional challenges.

In the publication, Kimberly also talks about how, after the death of her mother, she had to go through a lot in order to heal herself and how it affected her whole family. Mercedes’ daughter said she decided to write a book in the hope of making it easier for someone dealing with rough transitions and thereby making her parents proud.

Her Husband Died At The Age Of 72

Mercedes’ partner Anthony Christopher Guilfoyle, the indelible fixture on San Francisco’s political scene died of cancer, in 2008, at San Francisco’s California Pacific Medical Center. He was also the most important member of Gavin Newsom’s political campaigns.

Additionally, he is survived by his beloved kids, Kimberly Anthony, grandson Ronan Anthony, and his five other younger siblings Vera, Nuala, Theresa, James, and Frank.

Mercedes Guilfoyle’s Daughter Kimberly’s Career As An Prosecutor

Kimberly Guilfoyle first worked as a prosecutor in San Francisco in the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, she lost her job in 1996 when Terence Hallinan became the district attorney and fired 14 of the city’s prosecutors.

But, she didn’t lose her interest in politics and started working as a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles. Later, in 2000, Guilfoyle was offered to work as an assistant in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

Kimberly grabbed international attention while working with James Hammer in the 2002 case, People v. Noel and Knoller. The case was a second-degree murder trial involving a dog mauling.

Kimberly’s Media and Politics Career

Mercedes’ daughter, Kimberly left the work in San Francisco District Attorney’s Office in 2004. After which, she relocated to NY and landed a job as a host in the program Both Sides on Court TV. After two years in Feb 2006, she became the host of the weekend shows The Lineup. 

Similarly, in 2011, she stumbled upon the opportunity by the Fox News channel to work as a co-host on the talk show The Five. During her time at Fox, Kimberly appeared on several talk shows like Outnumbered, The O’Reilly Factor, Hannity, On the Record, Fox and Friends, and many others.

Guilfoyle’s Daughter Left The Fox News Suddenly

While she was still working for the News channel, Kimberly Guilfoyle was given a long-term contract to sign on it, in mid-2017. But, in 2018, the host unexpectedly left the Fox News channel. Later, she even started working for a pro-Donald Trump super PAC.

Meanwhile, as per HuffPost’s report, Guilfoyle’s departure from Fox had something to do with the network’s year-long investigation of sexual harassment allegations against her. The network officials had demanded Mercedes’ daughter resign by the end of July or be fired.

Furthermore, The New Yorker reported that the host was forced to resign rather than leave by choice. Later, Fox News agreed to have a peace settlement without being involved in a legal controversy with the person who had accused Guilfoyle of sexual harassment.

Till now, the terms aren’t disclosed. But, The New Yorker revealed that the final decision for the settlement was at least $4 million. The allegation was Guilfoyle used to show herself naked, displayed images of the genitalia of men with whom she had a physical relationship, and required her to sleep over at Kimberly’s apartment.

Kimberly Guilfoyle Is Also A Writer

Mercedes’ only daughter Kimberly has also published her semi-autobiographical advice book. It was titled Making the Case: How to Be Your Own Best Advocate. The book has the story of her struggle and the experience she had while growing up, being a prosecutor, and inspiring people to advocate for themselves.

Mercedes Couldn’t See Her Grandchild: Her Daughter Has Been Into Several Relationship

Talking about Mercedes’ daughter Kimberly Guilfoyle’s relationship, she first walked down the aisle with the politician Gavin Newsom, in 2001. But, five years later, on February 28, 2006, the happily married couple decided to part ways.

A few months later, on May 27, 2006, the TV host got married to the furniture heir Eric Villency, in Barbados. This time, Kimberly gave birth to their son, Ronan Anthony Villency (born on October 4, 2006). Sadly, Mercedes wasn’t there to see her first grandson.

Besides, Mercedes’ daughter’s second marital relationship couldn’t last long, and the pair divorced in 2009. Apart from this, Kimberly started dating Donald Trump Jr, the eldest son of Donald Trump, in 2018. Kimberly and her fiancee Donald Trump Jr. got engaged on December 31, 2020.