Vance has written that his childhood was marked by poverty and abuse, and that his mother struggled with drug addiction.[18] Vance and his sister Lindsey were raised primarily by his maternal grandparents, James (1929–1997) and Bonnie Vance (née Blanton; 1933–2005), whom they called "Papaw" and "Mamaw".[19]
Vance (then Hamel) in the US Marine Corps, 2003
At age 17, Vance began his first job, as a cashier at Dillman Foods, a local grocery store.[20] After graduating from Middletown High School in 2003, Vance enlisted in the United States Marine Corps,[21] where he served as a military journalist with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.[22] During his four-year service, he was deployed to Iraq in 2005 for six months in a non-combat role, writing articles and taking photographs.[21] He attained the rank of corporal and his decorations included the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.[22][23][24]
Using the G.I. Bill,[25][26] Vance attended Ohio State University from September 2007[27] to August 2009,[28] graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts with majors in political science and philosophy.[29] Vance then attended Yale Law School,[30][31] where he formed a close friendship with Jamil Jivani, a future Conservative member of Canadian parliament.[3] During his first year, Professor Amy Chua persuaded Vance to begin writing his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy.[32] In 2010 and 2011, Vance wrote for David Frum's "FrumForum" website under the name J. D. Hamel.[33][34] He graduated in 2013 with a Juris Doctor degree.[30] Although Hillbilly Elegy implies that Vance adopted his grandparents' surname of Vance upon his marriage in 2014,[35] the name change actually occurred in 2013, as he was about to graduate from Yale.[2]
A Venezuelan migrant with links to Tren de Aragua has been arrested for allegedly robbing one of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s prosecutors in her apartment after she busted him ma…
A Venezuelan migrant with links to Tren de Aragua has been arrested for allegedly robbing one of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s prosecutors in her apartment after she busted him ma…
Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, says he is withdrawing his name from consideration to serve as the Justice Department chief in a post on X.