JD VANCE
James David Vance is an American politician, author, and attorney serving since 2025 as the 50th vice president of the United States under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate from 2023 to 2025.
JD Vance
50th Vice President of the United States
Middletown, OH
Beverly 'Bev' Vance (Mother)
Bonnie 'Mamaw' Vance (Grandmother)
BACKGROUND
High school yearbook photo
JD Vance was born “James Donald Bowman” to Donald Ray Bowman and Beverly Vance on August 4th, 1984. Donald Bowman separated from Vance’s mother when Vance was ~1 year old. After years as a single mother, Bev married Bob Hamel, a local from Middletown, Ohio. Hamel adopted JD around age six (1990), changing his name to James David Hamel.
“Of all the things I hated about my childhood,” Vance writes in Hillbilly Elegy, “nothing compared to the revolving door of father figures.” Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed non est odio. Nulla iaculis varius ligula, pulvinar venenatis libero elementum nec. In lacinia, enim pellentesque laoreet pulvinar, dolor lorem dictum justo, in ullamcorper est nibh accumsan est. In urna urna, tristique nec semper quis, sollicitudin ut tellus. Phasellus commodo orci quis orci finibus vulputate. Maecenas hendrerit maximus fringilla.
There is a cultural movement in the white working class to blame problems on society or the government, and that movement gains traction when people see others living off the dole while they’re busting their asses for little reward.
The most important lesson of my life is not that society failed to provide me with opportunities. My elementary and middle schools were entirely adequate, staffed with teachers who did everything they could to reach me. Our high school ranked near the bottom of Ohio’s schools, but that had little to do with the staff and much to do with the students. I had Pell Grants and government-subsidized low-interest student loans that made college affordable, and need-based scholarships for law school. I never went hungry, thanks at least in part to the old-age benefits that Mamaw generously shared with me. These programs were far from perfect, but to the degree that I nearly succumbed to my worst decisions (and I came quite close), the fault lies almost entirely with factors outside the government’s control.
Vance's mother at the RNC
In interviews post-book (e.g., with The American Conservative in 2016), Vance doubles down on this critique, saying, “There is a lack of agency here — a feeling that you have little control over your life and a willingness to blame everyone but yourself.”
- 2009 | Ohio State University | BA Political Science & Philosophy
- 2013 | Yale Law School | Juris Doctor
CAREER
Vance met Peter Thiel while attending Yale Law School. Following his graduation, Vance’s first professional role was at a biotech firm. According to the firm’s CEO, Vance was hired as a favor to Thiel, indicating that his entry into the tech industry was facilitated by Thiel’s influence rather than Vance’s own qualifications or experience.