Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance has gone through numerous changes − from comparing former Donald Trump to Hitler to accepting a place on Trump's ticket, from bestselling author to Silicon Valley to the stage of the Republican National Convention.
It's not just Vance's beliefs or career trajectory that has changed, but his name as well.
Why did JD Vance change his name?
Vance was born James Donald Bowman in Middletown, Ohio, a town halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati. Following his parents' divorce, Bowman's middle name was changed David.
James adopted his stepfather's last name for some of his teenage years, with his 2003 senior yearbook identifying him as James Hamel. This was also the name used during James' military service from 2003 to 2007, where he served as a Corporal in the Marines.
Marriage to JD Vance's wife Usha
In 2014, Vance married his wife, Usha, and decided to take on his maternal grandparents' surname. In his bestselling novel Hillbilly Elegy, and in his congressional bio, Vance has repeatedly emphasized their importance in his upbringing, and thanked his grandmother in his Senate victory speech, and in his vice presidential acceptance speech, causing the RNC audience to chant "Mamaw! Mamaw!"
Vance's family history is central to his name change, and equally critical to his selection as vice president.
Vance's association with blue-collar, rust-belt America, a place he characterizes as "cast aside and forgotten by America's ruling class in Washington," could prove pivotal in helping Trump flip back crucial states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.Cy Neff reports on Wyoming politics for USA TODAY. You can reach him at cneff@usatoday.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter,@CyNeffNews
FAQs
Vance tells us that he is a “distant relative” of Jim Vance, and he connects himself with the feud early on, telling us on page 24: “Papaw's distant cousin—also Jim Vance—married into the Hatfield family and joined a group of former Confederate soldiers and sympathizers called the Wildcats.
Where does JD Vance come from? ›
Middletown, Ohio, U.S. After graduating from high school in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, Vance served from 2003 to 2007 as a combat correspondent, with six months in Iraq. He then attended Ohio State University, graduating in 2009. He graduated from Yale Law School in 2013.
Is Hillbilly Elegy a true story? ›
Is 'Hillbilly Elegy' based on a true story? Yes, "Hillbilly Elegy" is based on the life of JD Vance, who talks in detail about his rough childhood filled with violence, poverty, and substance abuse in Kentucky and Ohio.
What was JD Vance's mom? ›
His mother, Bev Vance, stood for the applause and appeared to tear up and hold a tissue to her eyes. After a lengthy standing ovation, the crowd started chanting "JD's mom," over and over.
What ended the Hatfield and McCoy feud? ›
During a televised ceremony on June 14, 2003, the Hatfield and McCoy families signed a formal truce proclaiming that the families, "do hereby and formally declare an official end to all hostilities, implied, inferred and real, between the families, now and forevermore." Today, the Hatfields, McCoys, residents of the ...
Who won between the Hatfields and McCoys? ›
Floyd Hatfield prevailed when Bill Staton, though Randolph McCoy's nephew, testified in favor of Hatfield, and juror Selkirk McCoy, Randolph's cousin, provided the decisive vote for acquittal. Staton was harassed following the trial, then killed by brothers Sam and Paris McCoy, also nephews of Randolph.
What is the ethnicity of JD Vance's wife? ›
Many Republicans have welcomed Usha Vance, the Indian American wife of vice-presidential nominee JD Vance, as a symbol of generational change and growing diversity in the party ranks. Usha, 38, a corporate lawyer who used to be a registered Democrat, is the daughter of Indian immigrants and a practicing Hindu.
Where did the Vance family come from? ›
The Vance family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Vance families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 112 Vance families living in Ohio. This was about 19% of all the recorded Vance's in USA.
Where in Ohio was Hillbilly Elegy filmed? ›
Significant parts of the Hollywood production were shot in Middletown, Ohio, where Vance was raised by his grandparents.
Who does JD Vance look like? ›
Over the past few years, Vance has also taken on a new look that telegraphs his politics. But he doesn't look more like a country-club Republican — he looks more like Donald Trump. A tour of Vance's public appearances these last eight years reveals the transformation.
(Hillbilly Elegy, 2020, 00:51:16) In this section, Bev shows her mental illness that is anxiety disorder when she cries and hurts her own hand. This sadness has been recurring since her father, Papaw, passed away.
What was Vance's wife hiding? ›
Meanwhile Director Vance, still on an administrative leave of absence following the murder of his wife Jackie, discovers that she had secretly set up her own bank account and hired a lawyer to draft a Separation of Property letter.
Does JD Vance have a kid? ›
Vance and his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, have three children: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel.
What happened to Jim Vance? ›
Death. In May 2017, Vance revealed he was battling lung cancer, but would continue working through treatment. Vance died in his sleep on July 22, 2017, at the age of 75. At the time of his death, Vance was the region's longest-serving television news anchor, with more than 45 years at WRC-TV.
Are the Hatfields and McCoys Irish? ›
The Hatfields were a family of Appalachian frontiersmen living in the Tug Fork region of West Virginia. The family was led by William Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield, a Confederate veteran and prominent local figure. The McCoys were a family of Scottish-Irish immigrants who had settled in the same region of Kentucky.
What are the famous hillbilly families? ›
Hollywood has always loved the Hatfields and McCoys.
' 1950 “Merrie Melodies” cartoon “Hillbilly Hare,” in which Bugs Bunny finds himself ensnared in a dispute between the rival Martin and Coy families. Frankie McCoy and Shirley Hatfield pose together in a photograph that appeared in Life magazine in May 1944.
Is Victor Vance related to Lance Vance? ›
Victor Vance is the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He also appears in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, briefly, as a minor character. He is the older brother of Lance Vance and younger a better than Pete Vance, an associate of Vice City protagonist, Tommy Vercetti.
