Ohio Senator JD Vance, who has been selected as former President Donald Trump’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election, is a Yale-educated lawyer married to Usha Chilukuri Vance, a fellow Yale Law School graduate.
On July 15 at the Republican National Convention, Trump announced Vance as his vice presidential pick. Once a vocal critic of Trump, Vance is currently serving as Ohio’s junior U.S. senator.
The 39-year-old politician first gained recognition with his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which was adapted into a 2020 Netflix film. The movie highlighted his relationship with Usha, portrayed by actress Freida Pinto.
Usha and JD Vance tied the knot in 2014 and are parents to three children. Here’s what we know about the JD Vance wife of Trump’s vice presidential candidate.
According to The New York Times, Usha Vance, 38, was born to Indian immigrant parents and grew up in a suburb of San Diego, California.
Meeting in Law School
Usha and JD Vance met while studying at Yale Law School. In a 2017 interview with NBC News, Usha shared that they took all their classes together. “We were friends, and I liked that he was very diligent,” she said, noting how J.D. would always show up on time for their study sessions.
J.D. fondly described Usha as protective and confident. He recalled, “The thing that I remember most about Usha is just how completely forward and comfortable with herself she was.”
Their Wedding
The couple married in 2014 in Kentucky, where their guests were seated on wooden benches arranged in the grass. They also held a traditional Hindu ceremony, as reported by The New York Times.
Family Life
J.D. and Usha have three young children: sons Ewan and Vivek, and a daughter named Mirabel. During their 2017 interview with NBC News, the couple was expecting their first child. Usha described J.D. as “gentle” and “kind,” emphasizing his caring nature, especially toward their pets.
Usha’s Legal Career
Usha earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale University before pursuing a master’s at Cambridge University and returning to Yale for law school. She worked as an associate attorney at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP for nearly six years.
Following JD Vance’s announcement as the vice presidential pick, Usha resigned from her position. The firm expressed its appreciation for her work in a statement: “Usha has informed us she has decided to leave the firm. Usha has been an excellent lawyer and colleague, and we thank her for her years of work and wish her the best in her future career.”
Her professional background includes clerking for Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court and for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he served as an appeals court judge in Washington, D.C.
