J. D. Vance

Who Is JD Vance?

James David Vance is an American politician, author, and venture capitalist. He currently serves as the 50th Vice President of the United States.

His mother struggled for years with drug and alcohol use disorders. Vance was raised mostly by his maternal grandparents, James and Bonnie Vance, whom he called “Papaw” and “Mamaw.” They had relocated to Middletown from the Appalachian region of eastern Kentucky.

From those humble, turbulent beginnings, he rose to become a Marine, a Yale-educated lawyer, a bestselling author, a venture capitalist, a United States Senator — and finally, the Vice President of the United States.

On January 20, 2025, Vance was sworn in as U.S. Vice President. At the time, he was 40 years old, making him the third-youngest vice president in U.S. history, next to John C. Breckinridge and Richard Nixon.

Early Life: Middletown, Ohio, and the Appalachian Dream

Birth and Name

James David Vance was born August 2, 1984. He was born James Donald Bowman. He later adopted the surname of his maternal grandparents — Vance — the family who truly raised him.

A Childhood Shaped by Hardship

His family was one of numerous families in Middletown with Appalachian roots. The city of Middletown, Ohio, was a Rust Belt town. It was a place where factories once roared — and then fell silent.

His mother struggled for years with drug and alcohol use disorders. Therefore, stability at home was not guaranteed. It was instead found in the home of his grandparents.

Mamaw: The Woman Who Changed Everything

Vance was raised mostly by his maternal grandparents, James and Bonnie Vance, whom he called “Papaw” and “Mamaw.”

Mamaw was not gentle. However, she was fierce in her love. “We didn’t have nice clothes, but Mamaw made sure that I had one of those graphing calculators,” Vance wrote, noting that because of her influence, he began to see his way out of a life of despair.

Vance has said she was the greatest influence on his life. She passed away in 2005. But her impact continues to define everything JD Vance stands for today.

His Mother’s Road to Recovery

Vance’s mom, Beverly Aikins, was raised in Middletown, where her Kentucky-born parents settled in Ohio. She has one brother and one sister, and had two children — Vance and his sister, Lindsay.

During his speech at the Republican National Convention, Vance said his mom has been sober for 10 years. He said simply: “I love you, mom.” The audience responded with chants of “JD’s mom!” — a moment that moved the entire convention hall.

Education: From Ohio State to Yale Law School

Middletown High School and the Marine Corps

After graduating from Middletown High School in 2003, Vance enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.

He served as a military journalist from 2003 to 2007 and was deployed to Iraq for six months in 2005. Furthermore, he is the first Marine Corps veteran to serve as Vice President, becoming the highest-ranking Iraq War veteran in the U.S. government.

Ohio State University (2009)

After his military service, Vance pursued higher education with fierce determination. He attended Ohio State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy in 2009.

Yale Law School (2013)

He then studied at Yale Law School, earning a law degree in 2013.

It was at Yale that two pivotal moments occurred. First, he met his future wife. Second, he encountered the man who would shape his business career — Peter Thiel.

The two first met in 2011 when JD Vance attended a talk by Peter Thiel while he was in law school at Yale. Vance wrote in 2020: “Peter’s talk remains the most significant moment of my time at Yale Law School.”

Hillbilly Elegy: The Book That Made a Nation Listen

Writing the Memoir (2016)

Yale law professor Amy Chua convinced Vance to write his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.

In 2016, Vance published Hillbilly Elegy. In the book, Vance paints a bleak picture of life in those communities, describing an environment in which poverty was “a family tradition” for many people. He relates that substance use problems and domestic violence were commonplace and that hopes for a better economic future were in short supply.

The book was a sensation. It arrived at exactly the right moment in American political history. Moreover, it introduced the nation to the forgotten communities of the Rust Belt through one man’s deeply personal lens.

The Netflix Adaptation (2020)

Hillbilly Elegy was adapted into a Netflix film in 2020. Gabriel Basso starred as Vance, and his Mamaw was played by Glenn Close, who earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

After former President Donald Trump selected JD Vance as his 2024 vice-presidential running mate, the memoir soared to No. 1 and No. 2 on Amazon’s best-selling books chart. The paperback version took the top spot, with the hardcover right below it.

Venture Capital Career: Silicon Valley to Cincinnati

Mithril Capital (2016–2017)

After Yale, Vance briefly practiced corporate law. He then pivoted to the world of venture capital. He started as a junior investor with the Peter Thiel-backed Mithril Capital in 2016, right after his memoir was released. In 2017, he joined Revolution, a VC firm co-founded by former AOL CEO Steve Case.

Narya Capital (2019)

In 2019, Vance co-founded a firm called Narya Capital, based in Cincinnati.

By early 2020, the new firm raised $93 million for a fund targeting $125 million from limited partners including Thiel, Marc Andreessen, and Eric Schmidt.

Narya focused on underserved communities across America. It was a deliberate choice. Vance wanted his investments to reflect the same Rust Belt communities he had written about in Hillbilly Elegy.

Political Career: From Ohio Senate to the Vice Presidency

The 2022 Ohio Senate Race

Thiel donated $15 million to Vance’s SuperPAC, Protect Ohio Values — a staggering amount from a single individual for a Senate race.

Vance defeated multiple opponents in the Republican primary and went on to defeat Democratic nominee Tim Ryan in the general election. Upon assuming office at the age of 38, he became the first Millennial Republican senator and the first U.S. senator from Ohio without previous political experience since John Glenn in 1974.

His Senate Record (2023–2025)

In Congress, Vance maintained an active profile. According to data from July 2024, he had spoken 45 times on the Senate floor and sponsored 57 bills. Vance was also a member of three Senate Committees: Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and the Special Committee on Aging.

Trump’s Running Mate (July 2024)

In the Republican primaries for the 2024 presidential election, Vance supported Trump. When it came time for Trump to pick a running mate, Vance’s chances were boosted when both Thiel and Elon Musk lobbied Trump to choose him. On July 15, 2024, the first day of the Republican National Convention, Trump did just that.

He is the first Millennial to be on a presidential ticket of a major party in the United States.

The 2024 Election Victory

On November 5, 2024, Trump and Vance defeated Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election.

Sworn in as Vice President (January 20, 2025)

On January 20, 2025, Vance was sworn in as U.S. Vice President.

He resigned from his Senate post on January 10, 2025, shortly before being sworn in as Vice President.

Vance’s first acts as Vice President included swearing in Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State on January 21. On January 24, he cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.

Key Moments as Vice President

When Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Oval Office in February 2025, in what became a disastrous shouting match between Trump and Zelensky, Vance chastised Zelensky, asking, “Have you said ‘thank you’ once?”

In February 2025, Vance spoke at the Munich Security Conference, where he said his biggest concern in terms of security for Europe was “not Russia, not China” but divisions within European countries themselves. Some called it a declaration of “ideological war” against the United States’ European allies.

In March 2025, Vance and his wife made a controversial, scaled-back visit to a U.S. military base in Greenland amid protests, reiterating the president’s contention that Greenland’s strategic importance could not be ignored.

Personal Life: Usha, Family, and Faith

Meeting Usha at Yale

JD Vance met his wife, Usha, while attending Yale Law School. He met fellow student Usha Chilukuri, a Californian raised by Indian immigrants. The pair connected over a class assignment, with Vance later admitting he “fell hard” for his partner. “In a place that always seemed a little foreign, Usha’s presence made me feel at home,” he wrote in Hillbilly Elegy.

Vance and Chilukuri graduated in 2013 and married the following year.

Usha Vance: Second Lady of the United States

Usha Bala Vance was born January 6, 1986, in San Diego County, California. She was educated at Yale University and Clare College, Cambridge, where she earned an MPhil.

Usha became a trial lawyer in California and D.C. at the law firm Munger, Tolles and Olson — a job she kept until her husband was announced as Trump’s running mate.

Children

Vance and Usha have three children: Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel.

Additionally, Vance and his wife Usha announced the birth of their fourth child, Alec, on July 19, making Vance the first sitting Vice President in over 150 years to welcome a child while in office.

Political Evolution: From Trump Critic to Trump’s VP

Once critical of Donald Trump — whom he called “cultural heroin” in 2016 and likened to Adolf Hitler — Vance has become one of the former president’s biggest supporters.

By the time Vance finally took the plunge into politics in 2021, he had been transformed from one of Trump’s most vitriolic critics into one of his most effective defenders and fundraisers.

He has said he aligns with Trump on several policy issues, such as letting states determine their own abortion rights and favoring tariffs. Vance’s change in allegiance, which culminated with an endorsement of Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, proved greatly beneficial.

Career Timeline

Year	Milestone
1984	Born in Middletown, Ohio
2003	Graduated from Middletown High School; enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps
2005	Deployed to Iraq for six months
2007	Honorably discharged from the Marine Corps
2009	Earned B.A. from Ohio State University
2013	Earned J.D. from Yale Law School
2014	Married Usha Chilukuri
2016	Published Hillbilly Elegy; joined Mithril Capital
2019	Co-founded Narya Capital in Cincinnati
2020	Hillbilly Elegy adapted as Netflix film
2022	Elected U.S. Senator for Ohio
July 2024	Named Donald Trump’s VP running mate
November 2024	Elected 50th Vice President of the United States
January 20, 2025	Sworn in as Vice President
July 2026	Birth of fourth child, Alec