Second lady Usha Vance gave birth to a baby boy on Sunday morning, marking the first time in 156 years that a sitting second lady has been pregnant or delivered a child. Vice President Vance announced the news in a statement on X, saying the family is overjoyed.
“We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning. Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother,” Vance wrote.
The vice president also expressed gratitude for the medical care his family received. “The incredible military doctors and staff members of Walter Reed Medical Center and the White House Medical Unit have been a blessing. We are deeply thankful for all they have done for our family,” he added.
Alec is the couple’s fourth child. They also have two sons, Ewan and Vivek, and a daughter named Mirabel. Their most recent child was born in December 2021, while Vance was campaigning for the Senate in Ohio.
Vance has indicated he does not plan to take parental leave following the birth. The arrival of Alec follows the May birth of a baby girl to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who took a brief leave and returned to the briefing room lectern on Thursday.
The Vance family’s expansion comes amid a busy political period. Vance has recently drawn attention for his comments on Israeli officials orchestrating a campaign against the Iran deal and for admitting that Epstein files communication was “screwed up” in a Rogan interview. Meanwhile, Usha Vance has been active in promoting literacy through her Summer Reading Challenge, which recently expanded with prizes from Walmart and Crayola.
The historic nature of the birth has drawn attention to the role of second lady, a position that has not seen a pregnancy in over a century and a half. The last sitting second lady to give birth was Ellen Hamlin, wife of Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, in 1868.
