J.D. Vance biography, wife, age, height, family, children 2025

Biography of J.D. Vance

J.D. Vance is an American political figure and the fiftieth Vice President of the United States. He rose to this position from the ground up. Vance's biography is a ready-made plot for a Hollywood movie.

J.D. Vance close-up against the backdrop of the US flag — J.D. Vance

Childhood and Youth

James Donald Bowman was born on August 2, 1984, in industrial Middletown, Ohio, to a white working-class family.

Later, when his mother Beverly Carol married for the third time, she gave her son a middle name after her new husband, David Hamel. In this way, she tried to sever the child's connection with his biological father. James Donald became James David, and he got the nickname JD.

He grew up in a troubled family. His maternal grandparents were from Kentucky but moved to Ohio in their youth due to his grandmother's early pregnancy and a lack of jobs in their hometown. In Middletown, Vance's grandfather found work in the steel industry.

Their daughter, Beverly Carol, the future mother of a U.S. Prime Minister, was a promising student in school. However, as a teenager, she became pregnant, decided to keep the baby (the politician's older sister, Lindsay), and became a single mom. She later dated many men and gave birth to a son from one of them, Donald Ray Bowman.

The "starting conditions" Vance received at birth did not promise success. At that time, the place where he was born had become a depressed area. In the seventies, it was a developed industrial zone, but after the U.S. established ties with China and the Cold War ended, local businesses declined.

The industrial zone, including Ohio, turned into the Rust Belt. Cities fell into decay, people lost jobs and access to education. Many lived on welfare. Drinking and crime became common in these areas.

Young JD Vance and his grandmother, both smiling — JD Vance with his grandmother

The future politician's father drank heavily, leading Vance's mother to break up with him. She, a nurse by profession, became addicted to pills and later heroin.

In his memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," JD Vance recalled that life with his mother was chaotic. He never had a clear father figure in his life. His mother often brought men into the house, but it always ended in arguments, mostly initiated by her.

His mother's temper was indeed difficult. In his autobiography, the politician recalled an incident when he was 11. He was in the car with his mother when she suddenly exploded, threatening to crash the car and kill him if he didn't get out immediately. When he did, she chased him.

The police eventually detained the woman, and Vance struck a deal with her: he wouldn't tell the judge what happened, and she would let him choose where to live. Afterward, he moved in with his biological father but stayed there only briefly before moving in with his older sister and finally with his maternal grandmother Bonnie Blanton Vance, whom he affectionately called Mamaw. According to the politician, this saved his life:

Those three years with Mamaw – uninterrupted and alone – saved me. I didn't notice the causality of change, how living with her altered my life. I didn't notice that my grades started improving right after I moved in.

JD Vance

As an adult, he adopted his grandmother's surname, which significantly impacted his chance to escape the difficult environment in which he grew up. To stay afloat, he worked as a loader and a store clerk while in school.

First Steps to Success

The only way for a young man to escape poverty was by joining the army. After finishing school, he joined the Marine Corps and became a military correspondent. In 2005, he served in Iraq for six months.

During his service, he advanced to the rank of corporal, and in 2007, using educational benefits for veterans, he enrolled at Ohio University, studying philosophy and political science. Two years later, he graduated with honors with a bachelor's degree.

Vance continued his education at the prestigious Yale Law School. During his studies, he joined the editorial team of a student publication. At the same time, he began working on the previously mentioned book "Hillbilly Elegy," essentially a memoir about the lives of people from the Rust Belt and his own family's fate. It later played a significant role in the political career development of the future vice president, as did the film adaptation released in 2020.

Young J.D. Vance in a parade military uniform and white cap — J.D. Vance in the Army

After graduating from university, Vance worked for a time as an aide to Republican Senator John Cornyn. He then became a court clerk and later worked as a corporate lawyer.

Subsequently, Vance turned his attention to the rapidly growing IT sector. This led him to the firm of American entrepreneur Peter Thiel, who later became one of Donald Trump's campaign sponsors. At Thiel's firm, Mithril Capital, Vance rose to the position of director. In 2016, "Hillbilly Elegy" was published and became a bestseller. Thanks to its success, the author began writing for the prestigious publication The New York Times and appeared on television. He earned a decent income from investments and also established a non-profit organization focused on addressing social issues, including combating drug addiction and other problems faced by Ohio residents.

America's Forgotten Working Class | J.D. Vance | TED

Politics

Conservative J.D. Vance participated in the Senate race from Ohio and took a seat in the U.S. Congress at the beginning of 2023.

As a senator, he opposed raising the U.S. national debt limit and proposed criminalizing gender-affirming care for teenagers at the federal level, suggesting twelve-year prison sentences for helpers.

Vance also opposed the country's promoted principle of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which included gender diversity.

Meanwhile, the presidential race in the U.S. began. In the summer of 2024, Donald Trump, as one of the candidates for the U.S. presidency, named J.D. Vance as a future vice president.

As a participant in the election race, Vance found himself in the spotlight due to his statements on socially significant issues. For example, he was reminded of an interview he gave back in 2021. At that time, Vance stated that "childless and therefore unhappy people" were running the country through the Democrats and were trying to make everyone around them unhappy. The politician's words provoked a strong reaction from society.

Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in blue jackets with red ties — Donald Trump and J.D. Vance

Another scandal arose from Vance's remarks about Haitian immigrants in Ohio, whom he believed overburdened social services and created chaos with their presence. Furthermore, Vance accused Haitian "guests" of allegedly stealing cats and dogs to eat them. Local authorities later refuted the politician's claims. Nevertheless, Vance did not deny that he was willing to tell untruths to draw media attention to the suffering of Americans.

Personal Life of J.D. Vance

J.D. Vance is married to Usha Chilukuri, whom he met while studying at Yale Law School. She is a year and a half younger and comes from a family of professors and Indian immigrants.

Both J.D. and Usha were involved in organizing a discussion group on the decline of "white America," which brought them closer together. J.D. soon fell in love with her.

J.D. Vance and Usha Chilukuri in their youth — J.D. Vance and Usha Chilukuri

In 2014, a year after they met, the couple got married. Since Usha practiced Hinduism, the ceremony included a Hindu pandit who blessed the couple. Interestingly, Vance was originally a Protestant but converted to Catholicism in 2019.

J.D. and Usha have three children. Their son Evan was born in 2017, their second son Vivek in 2020, and a year later, their daughter Mirabel.

J.D. Vance, Usha Chilukuri, and their three children — J.D. Vance with wife and children

J.D. Vance Now

At the end of January 2025, Vance officially became the 50th Vice President of the United States of America.

Vice President JD Vance's first interview | Face the Nation

In February, he participated in the Munich Security Conference. During the event, the politician criticized European leaders, stating that the main threat to European countries lies within themselves. Vance attributed this to a lack of freedom of speech and uncontrolled migration.

J.D. Vance in a white chair on stage — J.D. Vance in 2025

On February 28, Vance attended a meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House concerning the war in Ukraine and a planned mineral sale deal. The meeting ended in a verbal altercation, which the Vice President provoked by telling Zelenskyy it was inappropriate to "air grievances" in front of the press in the Oval Office. He also asked the Ukrainian President to remember to be grateful to Trump for efforts to quell the conflict with Russia.