JD Vance

Marine Corps

After graduating from Middletown High School in 2003, Vance enlisted in the United States Marine Corps 1. He served four years, reaching the rank of corporal and deploying to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he worked in military public affairs 2. His service shaped both his public identity and, later, his distinction as the first Marine to serve as vice president 3.

Education

After leaving the Marines, Vance used the GI Bill to attend Ohio State University, earning a bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy in 2009 4. He then attended Yale Law School, earning his law degree in 2013, where professor Amy Chua mentored him and encouraged him to write about his upbringing 4,5.

Law and the move toward writing

After Yale, Vance clerked for a federal judge and worked at the law firm Sidley Austin, but he did not remain long in traditional legal practice 6. He began drafting the memoir that would change his trajectory.

Hillbilly Elegy

In June 2016, Vance published "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis," which became a number-one bestseller as readers sought to understand the working-class discontent shaping that year's politics 7. The book made him a nationally known commentator and, in 2017, he became a CNN contributor 8. It was later adapted into a 2020 film 7.

Venture capital and Ohio

Also in 2016, Vance entered venture capital, working at Mithril Capital, a firm connected to Peter Thiel 9. He founded a nonprofit, Our Ohio Renewal, aimed at addiction and other social problems, though it folded within about two years 1. In 2019, he co-founded his own venture firm, Narya Capital, in Cincinnati, focused on investing in the Midwest 1,9.

A defining thread of Vance's pre-Senate years was his political evolution. He was an outspoken critic of Donald Trump during the 2016 cycle, at one point privately musing that Trump might be "America's Hitler," and was widely described as a Never Trumper [10, 11]. By the early 2020s, he had reversed course, becoming a vocal Trump supporter, an evolution that drew both criticism and credit as he entered electoral politics [11].

Elected to the U.S. Senate

Vance entered the race for Ohio's open Senate seat (being vacated by Rob Portman) in one of the most competitive Republican primaries of the 2022 cycle 12. Trump's endorsement helped him win the primary 12. In the November 2022 general election, he defeated Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan, winning about 53 percent to 46.9 percent 13. He took office on January 3, 2023 14.

The Senate

In the Senate, despite a short tenure, Vance built a national profile as a staunch conservative and Trump ally. Notable elements of his Senate record included a high-profile response to the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment in his home state, vocal opposition to continued U.S. aid to Ukraine, and engagement on immigration and economic-populist issues 12,15. His record is detailed in the policy and legislative sections of this series.

Selected as Trump's running mate

On July 15, 2024, during the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump announced Vance as his vice-presidential running mate, capping months of speculation 3,16. The selection elevated a 39-year-old first-term senator who had become one of the most forceful defenders of Trump-era conservatism 16. Vance faced Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz, including in a nationally televised debate, during the fall campaign 15.

Elected and sworn in as Vice President

Trump and Vance defeated Democratic nominees Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the November 2024 election 17. Vance was sworn in as the 50th Vice President of the United States on January 20, 2025, becoming the first Marine Corps veteran to hold the office 3,18. His Senate seat was filled by appointment, with Jon Husted appointed by Governor Mike DeWine 19.

The vice presidency

As Vice President and President of the Senate, Vance has taken an unusually prominent and active role. He has cast multiple tie-breaking votes in the closely divided Senate, including the decisive vote to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and has been a central figure in the administration's foreign policy, delivering a pointed address at the 2025 Munich Security Conference and participating in a widely covered Oval Office clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky 18,20,21. He was also named Finance Chair of the Republican National Committee in March 2025 18. His tenure is detailed in the policy, quotes, and public-appearances sections of this series.

United States Marine Corps: 2003 to 2007 (corporal; Iraq deployment).

Author of "Hillbilly Elegy" (2016); venture capitalist at Mithril Capital and co-founder of Narya Capital (2016 to 2019 and after).

United States Senator from Ohio: January 3, 2023 to January 10, 2025.

50th Vice President of the United States: January 20, 2025 to present; President of the Senate; RNC Finance Chair (from March 2025).