JD Vance

JD Vance, born James Donald Bowman on August 2, 1984, in Middletown, Ohio, is an author and current Vice President of the United States of America. He rose to fame in 2016 when releasing his memoir Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis and was sworn in as Vice President on January 20, 2025.

JD Vance early life & childhood

JD Vance was born on August 2, 1984, in Middletown, Ohio, to parents Beverly Aikins and Donald Bowman. His childhood was tumultuous, with her mother having drug problems. When he was still a toddler, his parents divorced and at the age of six, Vance's mother once threatened to crash their car to kill both her son and daughter, which ended in a lawsuit against her. His grandparents adopted him, and he grew up alongside his halfsister Lindsay.

School & military career

Vance graduated from Middletown High School in 2003, after which he signed up for the military. He enlisted and spent four years in the Marine Corps, serving as a combat correspondent in Iraq in 2005. His job was to write articles and take photos for the public affairs office. When he returned from Iraq, Vance returned to the Marine Corps Airfield in Cherry Point, North Carolina. He became a media relations officer, which helped him gain a lot of experience dealing with the press.

What education does JD Vance have?

Vance used the GI Bill to attend Ohio State University, where he graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy. He was a talented, hard-working student, which ultimately led him to Yale Law School, where he graduated with a law degree in 2013.

Did JD Vance change his name?

Yes, JD Vance has had many names throughout his life. He went by James Donald Bowman James Hamel, but changed his last name after his stepfather, Robert Hamel, adopted him, naming him James David Hamel. As he grew up, JD felt he "shared a name with no one I really cared about," thus changing his last name to Vance. It was the surname of his grandmother, who raised him.

Has JD Vance written a book?

Yes, in 2016, JD Vance released his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. It tells his story about his childhood and the abuse, poverty, and alcoholism that always was around him.

Vance wanted to tell his story and did so through the 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. The book became a huge success before being adapted into a Netflix movie in 2020. It’s safe to say Vance made quite a bit of money through books, and he would earn even more after becoming Donald Trump’s pick for vice president pick. According to the New York Times. Vance’s memoir sold over 750,000 copies in all formats in the weeks after Trump revealed his pick for VP.

Is the JD Vance couch passage real?

No, it is not. Last summer, a user posted a picture of what looked like a passage in JD Vance’s memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, where the author supposedly described how he had sex on a couch ” "inside-out latex glove shoved between two couch cushions." The fake picture had even a page number on it, which fooled many into believing it was actually real. The post went viral but was soon debunked as a false rumor. There is no such story in JD Vance’s memoir.

Who is JD Vance’s wife?

JD Vance i married to Usha Vance. They met when they were both students at Yale Law School as they had joined a discussion group on "social decline in white America.”

Usha Vance was born in San Diego to working-class parents. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and was a Gates Scholar at Cambridge University, where she earned a Master of Philosophy in early modern history. She has worked as a trial lawyer and a clerk in the US Supreme Court and the US Court of Appeals. Moreover, she is a trustee of the Washington National Opera.

How many children does JD Vance have?

JD Vance and his wife Usha have three children. Their firstborn child, Ewan, was born in June 2017, their second son, Vivek, in 2020, and their youngest, daughter Mirabel, in 2021.

What is JD Vance's net worth?

According to Yahoo Finance, JD Vance's estimated net worth is $10 million. He makes $235,000 per year as a Vice President.