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U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance attend the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, on February 6 (local time). / Courtesy of AFP, Yonhap News

The Office of the Vice President announced that Second Lady Usha Vance, wife of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, gave birth to a baby boy on July 19 (local time).

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that this marks the first time in roughly 150 years that a sitting vice president's wife has given birth during her husband's term in office.

In a statement, the Vances announced that they named their son Alec Neel Vance, adding, "Both mother and baby are healthy, and our children are thrilled about the arrival of their new sibling."

With the newborn Alec, the Vances now have four children, including Ewan (9), Vivek (6), and Mirabel (4).

Instances of a child being born during a major executive's term in the U.S. administration are extremely rare.

The wife of Vice President Schuyler Colfax gave birth to a son in 1870. In 1963, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of President John F. Kennedy, gave birth prematurely, but the infant passed away shortly after. President Grover Cleveland's wife gave birth to two daughters during his terms in 1893 and 1895.

The 40-year-old Second Lady, born to Indian immigrant parents, grew up in San Diego. She met her husband at Yale Law School and has followed an elite career path, notably serving as a law clerk for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts just a month after giving birth to her first child.

She is also known to have consistently served as a key advisor to her husband regarding his political and policy activities.

While Vice President Vance will not take an official paternity leave, he announced plans to participate in childcare by adjusting his schedule.

In his book published last month, he touched upon the background behind expecting their fourth child. He recalled that after the fatal shooting of his close aide and conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Kirk's wife Erika confided in Usha, saying she regretted not having more children—a conversation that triggered a change of heart in his wife.

                                                                                                          Lee Jeong-eun