Saddle River has fewer than 3,500 residents, no downtown to speak of and not a single train station. Yet over the past half century it has quietly collected one of the most surprising guest lists in New Jersey: a former president, the “Queen of Suspense,” a commissioner of the NHL, NBA stars and some of the biggest names in hip-hop.
Two-acre lots, long driveways and thick trees make it easy to disappear, and Manhattan can be less than an hour away when traffic cooperates.
This is a look back at some of the well-known people who have called Saddle River home. Many have since moved on. Out of respect for the borough’s residents, we don’t list addresses or current homes. These are stories to enjoy, rather than a tour of private property.
The president next door: Richard and Pat Nixon
The most famous name on the list is Saddle River’s most unlikely one. After leaving the White House in 1974, Richard Nixon spent several years at his home in San Clemente, California. In 1980 he and Pat moved to New York City. A short time later they headed across the Hudson to Saddle River.
The Nixons bought a 15-room contemporary house in 1981. It had been built a decade earlier for a local businessman, and its designer was Eleanore Pettersen, herself a Saddle River figure. Pettersen had trained under Frank Lloyd Wright, became one of the first women licensed as an architect in New Jersey in 1950, and ran her practice in Saddle River for half a century.
The borough was where Nixon worked on his post-presidential comeback. In the 1980s he wrote books on foreign policy, including Real Peace (1983) and No More Vietnams (1985), and became a sought-after adviser on world affairs. The Miller Center at the University of Virginia notes that he spent much of his time there with family.
In 1991, the Nixons sold the house and moved to a smaller home in nearby Park Ridge, where they spent their final years. Pat died in 1993, and Richard in 1994.
One piece of the Nixon years stayed in town. The small guardhouse the Secret Service used at the driveway was donated to the Saddle River Museum on East Allendale Road. Roadside America lists it on the museum grounds with a plaque; check with the borough before planning a museum visit.
Writers and broadcasters
Mary Higgins Clark
Few writers have sold suspense like Mary Higgins Clark. Born in New York City in 1927, she was raising five children after her husband’s early death while building her writing career. Her first bestseller, Where Are the Children?, came out in 1975 and started a career of more than 50 books. Fans called her the “Queen of Suspense.”
Saddle River was one of her homes in New Jersey. Like many of her readers, she knew the comfortable suburbs well, and her plots often turned them into places where something has gone very wrong. She died in 2020 at 92.
Charles Osgood
The longtime host of CBS News Sunday Morning was known for his bow ties and his rhyming radio commentaries. The Associated Press’s obituary identified his home as Saddle River, though some reports named neighboring Upper Saddle River. Osgood died in 2024 at 91.
The sports crowd
For athletes who play in the New York area, Saddle River checks every box: room, privacy and an easy drive to the arenas and stadiums of North Jersey.
Jason Kidd is the best-documented example. During his years with the New Jersey Nets, whom he led to back-to-back NBA Finals in the early 2000s, he lived in Saddle River. New Jersey Monthly wrote about his home in 2007. Kidd later coached the Nets and went on to coach the Dallas Mavericks.
He wasn’t the only Net. Vince Carter, whose dunks filled the Meadowlands arena in the mid-2000s, is also listed among Saddle River’s residents, along with former Knicks guard and Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson.
Other names connected with the borough include:
- Gary Bettman, the longtime commissioner of the NHL;
- Jim Burt, the nose tackle on the New York Giants’ 1986 Super Bowl team;
- Tim Cahill, the Australian soccer star who played for the New York Red Bulls.
Music, film and TV
Hip-hop’s suburban address
In the 2000s, Saddle River became home to several hip-hop stars. The best-known example was Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, who owned a roughly 35,000-square-foot estate on nearly four acres. After years on the market, it sold in 2011.
His brother, Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons of Run-DMC, starred with his family in the reality show Run’s House and is also listed as a Saddle River resident. Other music names linked to Saddle River include Wyclef Jean of the Fugees, Mary J. Blige, Ja Rule and Nick Cannon.
Stage and screen
- Rosie O’Donnell bought a Saddle River estate in 2013. After several years on the market, it sold, and the buyer’s plans called for replacing the mansion with new homes, including affordable units, under a housing settlement.
- Ben Vereen, the Tony Award-winning star of Pippin, has also been listed as a resident.
- So have actors Danny Aiello (Do the Right Thing), Vincent Curatola, who played Johnny Sack on The Sopranos, and comedian Andrew Dice Clay.
Why they come
It’s easy to see the appeal.
Privacy is built into much of the zoning. Two-acre minimum lots in the borough’s main residential district put houses far apart and well back from the road. There’s no busy downtown to be spotted in, and no train platform to wait on.
New York is close, but not too close. Midtown is reachable in under an hour on a good day, and the Meadowlands arenas and stadiums are closer still. For athletes, entertainers and executives, that balance is hard to beat.
Neighbors mind their own business. In a town where the person next door might be a Hall of Famer or a former president, most residents learn not to stare.
That’s worth remembering if you visit. Saddle River’s famous homes are private property, and many of the people in this story have long since moved on. For a public history stop, check with the borough about the Saddle River Museum on East Allendale Road and Nixon’s old guardhouse.
Frequently asked questions
Did Richard Nixon live in Saddle River, NJ? Yes. Richard and Pat Nixon bought a house in Saddle River in 1981 and lived there until 1991, when they moved to nearby Park Ridge.
What famous people have lived in Saddle River? They include Richard and Pat Nixon, author Mary Higgins Clark, NBA star Jason Kidd, music executive Russell Simmons and TV personality Rosie O’Donnell. Many others, from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to Wyclef Jean, have also been listed as residents.
Can you see Nixon’s Saddle River house? The former property is private and isn’t a visitor attraction. The Secret Service guardhouse from the Nixon years was donated to the Saddle River Museum; check with the borough about visiting the museum grounds.
Why do celebrities live in Saddle River? Large wooded lots and a quiet, residential town offer privacy. Manhattan can be less than an hour away, depending on the route and traffic.
More Bergen history: Read Before Hollywood, There Was Fort Lee.
Sources
- Borough of Saddle River: town history
- Miller Center, University of Virginia: Nixon after the presidency
- Virginia Tech: Eleanore Pettersen and the Nixon house
- Roadside America: Nixon guardhouse reports and museum location
- WSUS: Nixon’s move from Saddle River to Park Ridge
- New Jersey Hall of Fame: Mary Higgins Clark
- Associated Press via PBS: Charles Osgood obituary
- New Jersey Monthly, 2007: Jason Kidd and Russell Simmons
- The Boombox, 2011: Russell Simmons mansion sale
- Houston Chronicle, 2005: Run’s House
- Architectural Digest: Nick Cannon’s homes
- Jersey Digs, 2021: Rosie O’Donnell’s sale and redevelopment proposal
- Christie’s announcement via Patch, 2019: Tim Cahill home sale
- Saddle River notable residents: reference index and original reporting links
