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Usha Vance
Usha Vance, official portrait (2025) (3x4 cropped).jpg
Official portrait, 2025
Second Lady of the United States
Current
Assumed role
January 20, 2025
Vice President JD Vance
Preceded by Doug Emhoff
(as Second Gentleman)
Personal details
Born
Usha Bala Chilukuri

(1986-01-06) January 6, 1986 (age 39)
San Diego County, California, U.S.
Political party Republican (since 2022)
Other political
affiliations
  • Democratic (until 2014)
  • Independent (2014–2022)
Spouse
(m. 2014)
Children 3
Parent
  • Lakshmi Chilukuri (mother)
Residence Number One Observatory Circle
Education Yale University (BA, JD)
Clare College, Cambridge (MPhil)

Usha Bala Chilukuri Vance (born January 6, 1986) is an American lawyer. She is the wife of Vice President JD Vance. She has been the Second Lady of the United States since January 2025. Before this, she worked as a lawyer and helped important judges. She is the first Second Lady who is of Indian American background.

Usha Vance was born in San Diego County, California. Her parents were immigrants from India. She studied history at Yale University and later earned a law degree from Yale Law School. After law school, she worked for several senior federal judges. This included Chief Justice John Roberts at the Supreme Court of the United States.

In 2019, Vance became a member of the District of Columbia Bar, which means she could practice law there. She worked for a law firm, handling different types of legal cases. She left her job in July 2024 to focus on her family. At the 2024 Republican National Convention, she introduced her husband, JD Vance. She often joined him at his campaign events. Usha and JD Vance have three children.

Early Life and Education

Usha Bala Chilukuri was born on January 6, 1986. She grew up in San Diego County, California. Her parents, Lakshmi and Radhakrishna Chilukuri, came to the U.S. from Andhra Pradesh, India, in the 1980s. Her father is an engineer and a lecturer. Her mother is a molecular biologist and a leader at the University of California, San Diego. Usha grew up in a neighborhood called Rancho Peñasquitos.

In 2003, Usha graduated from Mt. Carmel High School. She played the flute in the marching band. Friends remember her as a "leader" and someone who loved to read. She went to Yale University and graduated in 2007 with a degree in history. She was a top student and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. At Yale, she volunteered at schools and led a Girl Scouts troop. She also edited a publication about education.

After Yale, she taught English and American history in China. Then, she studied at Clare College, Cambridge in England. She earned a Master of Philosophy degree in 2010. She studied the history of books and copyright laws.

In 2013, Usha earned her law degree from Yale Law School. There, she worked on several law journals. She also took part in clinics that helped people with legal issues. Her husband has said she is "brilliant" and "way more accomplished than I am."

Legal Career

Usha Vance worked as a law clerk for several judges. From 2013 to 2014, she worked for Judge Amul Thapar. From 2014 to 2015, she worked for Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Then, from 2017 to 2018, she worked for Chief Justice John Roberts at the Supreme Court of the United States. During her time at the Supreme Court, she helped with important cases.

For almost six years, Vance worked at a law firm called Munger, Tolles & Olson. She handled cases about higher education, local government, and technology. She left this job in July 2024. She is allowed to practice law in California, Ohio, and Washington, D.C.

Second Lady of the United States

At the 2024 Republican National Convention in July 2024, Usha Vance gave a speech introducing her husband, JD Vance. Since then, she has advised him and often travels with him to events. She sometimes appears on stage with him. Some people say she helped her husband get ready for the 2024 vice-presidential debate. Many news writers said JD Vance did well in the debate. Usha Vance also received some credit for his performance.

Vice President JD Vance is sworn in (01)
Usha Vance (center) watches as her husband takes the oath of office.

In November 2024, JD Vance became the vice president-elect of the United States. Usha Vance then became the Second Lady of the United States Designate. In January 2025, she officially became the Second Lady. She is the first Indian American, first Telugu, and first Hindu Second Lady. She is also the first Asian American in this role.

Many political experts have said that Usha Vance has been very important in her husband's political journey. In February 2025, she traveled with her husband to France and Germany. That same month, President Trump asked Usha Vance to join the board of trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In March 2025, Vance was chosen to lead the U.S. delegation to Italy for the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

In March 2025, she visited Greenland. This visit caused some disagreement. The Prime Minister of Greenland, Mute Egede, called the visit "a provocation." He said she was not welcome there. He also said that Greenland used to trust the U.S. but that time was over. The Greenland government called the visit "highly aggressive." They accused the U.S. of interfering in their country's matters. Usha Vance had been invited by a group called American Daybreak.

Political Views

Prime Minister of Bharat Shri Narendra Damodardas Modi with Vice President of the United States Mr. JD Vance & Second Lady Mrs. Usha Vance
JD and Usha Vance with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Paris, France, February 11, 2025

Records show that in 2014, Usha Vance voted in the Democratic primary elections. In 2017, she was registered as an independent voter. However, in 2022, she voted in the Republican primary where her husband was running. She worked for judges who are considered conservative. But she also worked at a law firm in California that had a more progressive work style. Her political views seem to have changed over time. For example, in 2021, she gave money to a conservative political campaign.

Personal Life

Usha Chilukuri met her future husband, JD Vance, at Yale Law School. Their professor, Amy Chua, encouraged their relationship. Professor Chua said they were "extremely unlikely" and "almost opposites of personality." In 2013, Usha and JD worked together to create a discussion group at Yale. JD Vance often called Usha his "Yale spirit guide."

Usha and JD Vance got married on June 14, 2014, in Kentucky. It was an interfaith marriage ceremony. Her husband's friend read from the Bible, and a Hindu pandit (priest) blessed them. Usha is a practicing Hindu. Her husband is a Christian who converted to Catholicism in 2019. Usha Vance is a vegetarian. At the 2024 Republican National Convention, she said her husband has "adapted to my vegetarian diet and learned to cook food from my mother—Indian food." The Vances live in Cincinnati, Ohio, and have three children.

Vance is a trustee for the Washington National Opera. She has also served on the board of the Gates Cambridge Alumni Association. She was also the secretary of the board for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Family Background

Usha Vance's parents are Telugu Brahmins from the West Godavari and Krishna districts in Andhra Pradesh, India. Her family history can be traced back to Chilukuri Buchipapayya Sastri, who lived in the 18th century. A part of her family later moved to Vadluru. Usha's mother, Lakshmi, is from Pamarru.

Vance is related to some important Indian academics. Her grandfather, Chilukuri Rama Sastri, taught physics at IIT Madras. The institute now has an award for students in his memory. Her great-aunt, Chilukuri Santhamma, teaches physics at a private university. She has also written an English explanation of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu text.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Usha Vance para niños

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