Doug Emhoff

Doug Emhoff
Official portrait, 2022
Second Gentleman of the United States
Assumed role January 20, 2021
Vice President	Kamala Harris
Preceded by	Karen Pence (as Second Lady)
Succeeded by	Usha Vance (Designate)
Personal details
Born	Douglas Craig Emhoff (1964-10-13) October 13, 1964 (age 60) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Kerstin Mackin ​ ​ (m. 1992; div. 2008)​ Kamala Harris ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	2, including Ella
Residence	Number One Observatory Circle
Education	California State University, Northridge (BA) University of Southern California (JD)
Signature
Website	whitehouse.gov

Douglas Craig Emhoff (born October 13, 1964) is an American lawyer serving as the second gentleman of the United States since 2021 as the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris.^[1] As the first husband of a vice president, Emhoff is the first second gentleman in U.S. history. He is also the first Jewish spouse of an U.S. vice president.^[1]

Biography

Early life

Douglas Craig Emhoff^[2] was born on October 13, 1964, in New York City to Jewish parents.^[3] From 1969 to 1981, he grew up in Matawan and Old Bridge Township, New Jersey.^[4]

When he was 17, he moved with his family to Southern California.^[5] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies from California State University, Northridge, in 1987 and a Juris Doctor from the USC Gould School of Law in 1990.^[6]

Legal career

Emhoff is an entertainment lawyer.^[7] He opened his own firm with Ben Whitwell in 2000 in California.^[7] His clients included Walmart and Merck,^[8] and he became managing director of Venable's West Coast offices.^[9]

2020 United States presidential election

Emhoff joined DLA Piper as a partner in 2017, working at its Washington, D.C., and California offices.^[10][11] Following the announcement that his wife would be Joe Biden's running mate in the 2020 United States presidential election, Emhoff took a leave of absence from the firm.^[11] After the Biden–Harris ticket won, the campaign announced Emhoff would leave DLA Piper before inauguration day.^[12]

In August 2020, Kamala Harris was announced as Biden's running mate in the presidential election, making Emhoff the third man in U.S. history to be a spouse of the vice presidential candidate of a major party.^[13]

Second gentleman of the United States

When Harris became vice president, Emhoff became the first second gentleman of the United States in U.S. history.^[14] He is also the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. vice president.^[6][15][16]

In his role as second gentleman, Emhoff said he wanted to focus on equal access to justice and legal representation.^[17] In March 2021, while second gentleman, Emhoff began teaching at Georgetown University Law Center.^[18]

During his time as second gentlemen, he also helped the Joe Biden administration in fighting against antisemitism.^[19][20] Emhoff was part of the White House team that launched the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, the country's first combatting antisemitism strategy, on May 25, 2023.^[21]

Personal life

Emhoff was married to movie producer Kerstin Mackin from 1992 to 2008.^[22] They have two children together, Cole and Ella.^[23][24] While Emhoff and Mackin continue to be friends after their divorce, Emhoff has said that he had an extramarital affair with one of his children's teachers.^[25][26]

In 2013, Emhoff was set up on a blind date with then-attorney general of California, Kamala Harris.^[27][28] They became engaged in March 2014, and were married on August 22, 2014.^[29] As of August 2019, Emhoff and Harris had a net worth of $5.8 million.^[30]

Emhoff and Harris have homes in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.^[31]

References

1. "Douglas Emhoff: Second Gentleman". The White House. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
2. "Attorney Licensee Profile: Douglas Craig Emhoff". The State Bar of California. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
3. Rosenberg, Amy S. (November 20, 2020). "Second gentleman, first Jew, Jersey-raised: Doug Emhoff is making history". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
4. "Kamala Harris's husband has roots in Matawan, Old Bridge". centraljersey.com. November 12, 2020. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
5. Davis, Mike (August 12, 2020). "Kamala Harris's husband, Douglas Emhoff, has 'NJ in his veins'". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
6. Kisken, Tom (August 26, 2020). "Agoura High alumnus could become nation's first 'second gentleman'". Ventura County Star. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
7. "ICYMI: Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine: A Conversation with the Second Gentleman of the United States". UCSB. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
8. Saul, Stephanie (August 17, 2020). "Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris's husband, takes a leave of absence from his law firm". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
9. Greene, Jenna (August 13, 2020). "Westlaw Today Signon". Westlaw Today. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
10. Summers, Juana (June 8, 2019). "Harris's husband takes on growing public role in 2020 race". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
11. Bonos, Lisa (August 19, 2020). "The story of Kamala and Doug, a match made in Hollywood (literally)". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
12. "The Latest: Biden speaks to leaders of European allies". Associated Press. November 10, 2020. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
13. Emmrich, Stuart (August 13, 2020). "The 9 Things We Know About Kamala Harris's Husband". Vogue. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
14. Edelman, Adam (August 13, 2020). "The first 'second gentleman'? Meet Kamala Harris's husband, Doug Emhoff". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
15. "Douglas Emhoff: Kamala Harris's husband and potential 'second gentleman'". BBC News. August 13, 2020. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
16. Schor, Elana (August 12, 2020). "Harris brings Baptist, interfaith roots to Democratic ticket". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
17. Deliso, Meredith (November 7, 2020). "Doug Emhoff set to become 1st second gentleman". Good Morning America. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
18. Chamlee, Virginia (March 9, 2021). "Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff on What He's Learned from His Classroom Day Job". People. Archived from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
19. Scott, Eugene (December 5, 2022). "Second gentleman Doug Emhoff to host roundtable focused on antisemitism". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
20. Ordoñez, Franco (December 7, 2022). "Second gentleman Emhoff says antisemitism has become an epidemic". NPR. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
21. Launch of U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, May 25, 2023, archived from the original on July 24, 2023, retrieved 2023-07-24
22. Goldstein, Jessica M. (October 5, 2020). "Doug Emhoff Is the Good Husband". Marie Claire. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
23. Harris, Kamala (May 10, 2019). "Sen. Kamala Harris on Being 'Momala'". Elle. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
24. Friedman, Gabe (August 11, 2020). "Kamala Harris is Joe Biden's VP pick – here's what Jewish voters should know". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
25. Dovere, Edward-Isaac (August 3, 2024). "Emhoff acknowledges affair during first marriage after tabloid report". CNN. Archived from the original on August 3, 2024. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
26. Bensinger, Ken; Rutenberg, Jim (August 3, 2024). "Doug Emhoff, Husband of Kamala Harris, Acknowledges Long-Ago Affair". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
27. Wurzburger, Andrea (November 15, 2023). "From a Blind Date to the White House: A Look at Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff's Loving Relationship". People. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
28. Wright, Jasmine; Stracqualursi, Veronica (January 15, 2021). "Harris and Emhoff recall first date: 'It felt like we had known each other forever'". CNN. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
29. Siders, David (August 25, 2014). "Kamala Harris married in Santa Barbara ceremony". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on February 16, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
30. "The Net Worth Of Every 2020 Presidential Candidate". Forbes. August 14, 2019. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
31. Bose, Debanjali (October 12, 2020). "Take a Look inside Kamala Harris's multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio, which includes property in California and Washington, DC". Business Insider. Retrieved January 18, 2021.

Other websites

• Douglas Emhoff on White House website
• Appearances on C-SPAN