A committed lawyer and politician, father and “second gentleman” of the United States, Kamala Harris’s partner could also become America’s “First Husband” if the current Democratic Vice President reaches the Oval Office.
Married to the Vice President of the United States since 2014, Douglas Emhoff became the very first “second gentleman” in the history of his country in 2021, an honorary title which refers to that of First Lady, given to the wives of presidents.
Born in 1964, just 7 days before Kamala Harris, into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, Douglas Emhoff was, before becoming the “second gentleman” of the United States, a lawyer specializing in entertainment. Having worked for several firms in the 1990s, the man who will celebrate his 60th birthday in the fall, created his first company in the early 2000s, which he bought in 2006. A partner in the largest law firm in Los Angeles, Douglas Emhoff took a break from his work when Kamala Harris was chosen as Joe Biden’s running mate. When he arrived at the White House, the former lawyer was thrust into the spotlight and became the first “second gentleman” in the history of the United States. Trained by Jill Biden, who was “second lady” for a long time when her husband was Barack Obama’s vice president, Douglas Emhoff is committed to equal access to justice but refuses the title of politician.
Douglas Emhoff prefers golf to politics, he is also part of the Georgetown University Law Center where he can teach and give lectures, a way for him not to completely leave law. The “second gentleman” is also very active on social networks. On Instagram he feeds his two accounts, @douglasemhoff And @secondgentleman, and shows all his devotion to his fights for justice and equality but also to his wife and family. In his bio, we can also read: “Second Gentleman of the United States. Devoted father. Proud husband of Vice President Kamala Harris”, or again: “Defender of justice and equality”.
Hours after Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the race for re-election, Douglas Emhoff praised “a true patriot who leads our nation with honesty, decency and integrity.” And he wanted to recall that the president and the first lady “have fought tirelessly for families and communities, making a contribution to Americans across our country.”
A life before meeting Kamala Harris
Before marrying the current Vice President of the United States, Douglas Emhoff was married for 16 years to American producer Kerstin Emhoff, with whom he divorced in 2008. Together they had two children: Cole, in 1994, and Ella Emhoff who was born five years later.
Despite this divorce, the “second gentleman” is still close to his ex-wife, who kept her married name, and Kamala Harris too. At Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, Kerstin Emhoff was there to support America’s “second couple.” “Kerstin and I get along well and we’re very good friends,” Kamala Harris told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview Peopleadding: “We sometimes joke that our modern family is almost a little too functional.”