Who Is James David Vance?

 

2024-7-22 Who Is James David Vance?

My VIP for this week is James David Vance, otherwise known as JD Vance, the vice-presidential nominee on the Republican 2024 ticket. Vance was born James Donald Bowman on August 2, 1984. After his parents divorced, his mother remarried, and his adoption by his stepfather, his name was changed to James David Hamel. He adopted his maternal grandparents’ name when he married in 2014. J. D. Vance - Wikipedia

Vance and his sister Lindsey were reared by his maternal grandparents, James and Bonnie Vance, whom they called “Mamaw and Papaw,” because their mother was a drug addict and their father was an alcoholic. His maternal and paternal grandparents moved from Kentucky’s Appalachia to Ohio, and Vance was reared in Middletown, Ohio.

After graduating from Middletown High School in 2003, Vance enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq as a combat correspondent for six months. After leaving the military, he attended Ohio State University on the G.I. Bill and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and philosophy in 2009.

Vance worked for a state senator while going to school and attended Yale Law School on a full-ride scholarship. He was an editor of The Yale Law Journal and graduated in 2013 with a Juris Doctor degree.

Vance married in 2014 and has three young children. He received an honorary degree from Centre College in 2017.

Vance is young, only 39 years old, but he has more experience than many older people have. He experienced life with grandparents who sometimes wondered if they would have enough money to pay the heating bill or purchase food. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Iraq. He excelled in college and graduate school. He has been the junior U.S. Senator from Ohio since 2023. He is a politician, lawyer, and author. His training as an attorney and his experience in the military and as a businessman are great attributes to add to the Trump/Vance ticket.