Maggie Cogan

Maggie Cogan
Born1943 (age 80–81)
New York City, New York
Known forFirst female horse-and-carriage driver in Central Park
subject of Jupiter's Wife

Maggie Cogan is a resident of New York City who was the first female coachman in Central Park,[1] working for the Plaza Hotel. She appeared in a 1967 Universal newsreel with her horse and carriage, and in 1968, also appeared on the syndicated version of the quiz show What's My Line?, with contestants attempting to guess her occupation.[1]

After leaving her career briefly in the 1960s, she resumed it in 1970, befriending Lisa Ryan, the daughter of actor Robert Ryan, who had also become a carriage driver.[2] By this point, she had had 2 unsuccessful marriages and given birth to two sons, both of whom she gave up when her life began to unravel. In 1977, while living with Ryan, Cogan began to show signs of mental illness and she was eventually committed to a mental hospital by her parents.[2]

Eventually, she became homeless when she left her career for good. Director Michel Negroponte discovered her living in Central Park and made the documentary film Jupiter's Wife about her.

  1. ^ a b Chris Hicks (April 16, 1996). "Jupiter's Wife". Deseret News. Salt Lake City.
  2. ^ a b Edward Guthmann (November 11, 1995). "'Jupiter's Wife' a Reality Check for Film Maker". New York Times.