William Edward Richmond Was Once Isabel Sanford's Husband

Isabel Sanford's husband, William Edward Richmond, was the only man she married, and together they welcomed three children. She separated from him the same year he died and never remarried.

The late Isabel Sanford's husband was William Edward Richmond. Although they married long ago, she never remarried until her death. In "Ebony" magazine's September 1980 issue, she recalled memories from the time she was married to Richmond.

She remembered the 1950s in New York fondly. "The Jeffersons" star gave insight into how their children were disciplined. Richmond's wife, who called him "Sonny," said her husband used to tell their children to wait until she got home when he wanted to discipline them.

She described herself as the "ogre" of the family, and when she returned home, the poor children would "shiver and shake" while Richmond filled his wife in on what they did wrong. The actress would hilariously ask him why he didn't take charge as the children's father, and he'd confess not wanting to hit them.

Although they seemed to get along fine, the house painter's wife confessed that their marriage wasn't good. Richmond and Sanford couldn't see "eye to eye" on many things, and she eventually felt it was best if she raised their children on her own.

The pair separated, and the actress relocated to California with her children. With only $700 in retirement money, she and her three young children, Pamela, Wahli, and Sanford, traveled to south California on a Continental Trailways bus in 1960.

Sadly, a month after her relocation, she received the heartbreaking news that Richmond had passed away after being involved in a fight. Sanford seemed weary of relationships and when she died, she hadn't remarried.

Isabel Sanford on Arguments with William Edward Richmond & Her Outlook on Relationships

During her "Ebony" interview, Richmond's wife laughed as she admitted to being similar to her "The Jeffersons" character, Louise Jefferson. Like her character, when she was with her husband, she was the boss in their relationship, adding:

"I mean, what I said would go!"

She noted how Richmond might've thought he won arguments, but she always came out as the winner, just like Louise. Years later, Sanford opened up about her dating life. Speaking to "Jet" magazine in October 1979, the star confessed to avoiding Hollywood's lifestyle of having a "live-in lover."

She felt these romantic relationships were emotionally and financially costly if they didn't pan out. That year, Richmond's wife still didn't have a special man in her life because she hadn't had the type of chemistry that led her to want to get involved with someone, stating:

"I think people get involved in a relationship for the sake of being involved."

Sanford believed that if a woman lived with a man, she deserved to receive payment for giving him the "good years of her life." If the roles were reversed, she felt a financially stable woman should give the man something to start a new life for himself.

However, she didn't feel it should be a weekly alimony payment because she believed the man would use the money on other women. Richmond's wife hoped she could protect herself if she got into such a situation.

In July 2004, the Emmy Award-winning actress died at age 86. Brad Lemack, her longtime manager and publicist, said Sanford's health declined after she got preventive surgery on a carotid artery ten months before. "The Jeffersons" star is survived by her three children, seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.