Personal Life
Vaughn's first marriage to the former Joanne Cordes Smith ended in divorce. Vaughn married Margaret Anne Weld on October 21, 1970. Weld had served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chad and was on Vaughn's personal staff when he was Director of the Peace Corps. Weld, known by her nickname "Leftie," was later on the public affairs staff at Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington.
In 1988 Vaughn made headlines while visiting New York City when Vaughn, then 67, defended himself during an attempted mugging as Vaughn left his hotel in midtown Manhattan after midnight to get a newspaper. Former professional prizefighter Vaughn hit the would-be mugger in the jaw leaving the mugger face down on the sidewalk. "This fellow came up behind me, put his arm around my waist, pinned my right arm to my side, and tried to remove my wallet," says Vaughn. "I hit him in the throat with my elbow. Then I kneed him in the groin and hit him in the jaw about five times. He was jackknifed on his face on the sidewalk as I walked away." "On several occasions I've had to straighten people out," Vaughn added.
In 1992 Vaughn and his wife moved to Tucson. Vaughn, at 87, still keeps in shape by shadow boxing and running in place. "I have an unbelievable left hook," says Vaughn. "Sometimes I shadow box, pretending I'm hitting certain politicians."
Vaughn's son, also named Jack Vaughn, is a record producer who has run his own label, Slimstyle Records, and now heads Comedy Central's record label. In a 2006 story in the Wall Street Journal, Vaughn said that since 2002, Comedy Central Records have gradually increased to about 10 releases a year. "We make money on 80% to 90% of our releases," Vaughn says. Industry insiders call this a good percentage since most new releases in the music industry lose money. The younger Vaughn went to high school in Guatemala while his father was a diplomat working there. "It was a terrific cultural experience, but for a teen-ager with Embassy restrictions, it was boring and dangerous," said the younger Vaughn.
Jack Vaughn died at his home in Tucson on October 29, 2012, following a bout of cancer. He was 92.
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