By: Evan Bian

Former President Donald Trump selected Ohio Senator James David Vance as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election. Trump announced the decision on the first day of the Republican National Convention, which ran from July 15 to July 18 in Milwaukee, Minnesota. If elected, Vance will be the youngest vice president, at the age of 39, since Richard Nixon in 1952.
Now, let’s talk about Vance’s life. The youngest of two children, J.D. Vance was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio. His parents, Beverly Vance and Donald Bowman, divorced when he was just a toddler. His grandmother, Bonnie Vance, mostly raised him.

When Vance completed high school at Middletown High School, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He served as a military journalist from 2003 to 2007. In 2005, he was deployed in Iraq, where the US was fighting the Al-Qaeda. After his military service, Vance earned a dual degree in political science and philosophy from Ohio State University. Later, he earned a law degree from Yale University. He worked at a law firm in Texas before moving to California. In California, Vance created a company that helped fund technology startups. In 2021, Vance ran for Ohio senator, which Republican Rob Portman previously occupied. Despite being new to the political business, he was elected as a senator of Ohio in 2022.

His accomplishments include a best-selling book called “Hillbilly Elegy,” which was later adapted into a movie in 2020. Vance is married to Usha Chilukuri Vance, who also has a degree in law from Yale. They have three children, Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel, at the ages of 6, 4, and 2, respectively.