Usha Chilukuri Vance, wife of Republican Vice Presidential Elect JD Vance, has garnered significant attention in India due to her Indian heritage. Media reports reveal that her family has a history of political activism, with a family member who was an RSS worker and was jailed during India’s Emergency period (1975–1977).
Usha’s rising popularity draws parallels to Kamala Harris, whose own Indian roots became a focal point during her bid for vice president alongside President Joe Biden in 2020.
Usha, 38, is a practicing Hindu and the daughter of Indian immigrants. With Trump winning the eection, she would assume the role of “second lady“, as the wife of Vice President Vance.
To my friends in India,
Did you know that Trump's Vice President, J.D. Vance, is married to a beautiful and proud Hindu woman, Usha Chilukuri Vance? She is a highly accomplished attorney and the daughter of hardworking Indian immigrants.
I love what she said in an interview… pic.twitter.com/43FXKm3AMo
— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) July 16, 2024
She is a Yale and Cambridge graduate and left her law job when her husband joined the Republican ticket. Previously, she worked as a law clerk to US Chief Justice John Roberts and later as an attorney at the American firm Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. Recently, she made headlines with a speech introducing her husband at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
As somebody who's spent 30+ years researching human mate choice, I think we can tell a fair amount about someone from who they pick as their spouse.
Pretty impressed with Usha Vance, wife of the new VP candidate @JDVance1: she did her undergrad history degree at Yale, masters… pic.twitter.com/6xKWoSgqdo
— Geoffrey Miller (@primalpoly) July 15, 2024
Interest in Usha’s background has surged internationally, with her ancestral story attracting considerable curiosity. Her great-aunt, 96-year-old Shanthamma Chilukuri, is one of India’s oldest active professors, commuting regularly to teach physics in Visakhapatnam. “Our family has always prioritized education,” Shanthamma shared with Reuters, adding that her husband and Usha’s grandfather held university teaching positions.
Usha Chilukuri’s 96-yr-old grand aunt rooting for Vance’s victory
Long before Usha Chilukuri Vance, wife of Ohio Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, rose to prominence, her 96-year-old grandaunt, Chilukuri Santhamma, had become a ho use hold name in… pic.twitter.com/JJGUROKJxF
— Sudhakar Udumula (@sudhakarudumula) July 18, 2024
In an interview with the Times of India, Shanthamma described Usha as the granddaughter of her husband’s eldest brother, noting, “Usha has inherited our family’s intellectual legacy.”
Vice President JD Vance bhaiyya and Usha bhabhi ☺️ pic.twitter.com/L2HPTVuJfu
— The Hawk Eye (@thehawkeyex) November 6, 2024
Usha’s family background is rooted in academia. Both her father and grandfather are affiliated with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), a prestigious engineering institution. Her sister is a mechanical engineer in San Diego, and her aunt works in healthcare in Chennai.
The family originally hails from Vadduru, a village in Andhra Pradesh, but relocated to Chennai when Usha’s grandfather, Ramasastry Chilukuri, began teaching physics at IIT in 1959. IIT now commemorates him through a student award in his honour.
(With inputs from Wion)
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