James David Vance, born August 2, 1984, in Middletown, Ohio, is an American politician, author, attorney, and U.S. Marine Corps veteran currently serving as the 50th vice president of the United States. Raised in a working-class family with Appalachian roots, Vance overcame early life challenges including family instability and his mother’s struggles with addiction, being largely raised by his grandmother. He served four years in the Marine Corps, including deployment to Iraq, before earning his bachelor's degree from Ohio State University and a law degree from Yale Law School in 2013. Vance gained national prominence through his 2016 bestselling memoir, *Hillbilly Elegy*, which chronicled his upbringing and broader social issues facing working-class Americans. After law school, he worked as a corporate lawyer and venture capitalist. Politically, Vance initially considered running for office in 2018 but entered the 2022 U.S. Senate race for Ohio, winning the Republican nomination with support from former President Donald Trump. He defeated Democratic nominee Tim Ryan in the general election and served as U.S. Senator from January 2023 until January 2025. During his Senate tenure, Vance was active in debates, sponsored legislation, and served on committees related to banking, commerce, and aging. He was known for his conservative and populist stances, including opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage, and gun control, and was vocal on issues such as U.S. aid to Ukraine. In July 2024, Trump selected Vance as his vice presidential running mate. The Trump-Vance ticket narrowly won the 2024 presidential election, and Vance resigned his Senate seat on January 10, 2025, before being sworn in as vice president. He is noted as the first millennial and one of the youngest vice presidents in U.S. history. Vance continues to serve as a key figure in national conservative politics and as finance chair of the Republican National Committee[1][2][3][4][5][6].