SerpApi.Org
Congratulations to J.D. and Usha Vance, and sorry to Schuyler Colfax III. Now that the Vances’ baby is here, Colfax has officially lost his claim to fame as the last child to be born to a sitting United States vice president and second lady, a designation he held for 156 years, since his 1870 arrival to Ulysses Grant’s VP, Schuyler Colfax, and his wife, Ellen Maria Colfax. It was a good run, Schuy.
The latest addition to the Vance family, named Alec Neel Vance, was born Sunday morning. Having already displaced one Schuy, one can only surmise that the sky’s the limit for what he might achieve in his lifetime. Colfax III went on to be the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, a role later served by Pete Buttigieg, who could turn out to be Vance’s opponent in the 2028 presidential race; it all comes full circle or, rather, full bend.
Alec Neel joins the Vances’ three older children, 9-year-old Ewan, 6-year-old Vivek, and 4-year-old Mirabel. Alec feels like a slick and professional name befitting a future lawyer or finance guy, though it’s hard to ignore that by far the most famous person who shares it is Alec Baldwin, the actor and outspoken liberal that Vance has at least once tastelessly joked about. Is this name also some sort of SEO maneuver? Or maybe Alec is named after the American Legislative Exchange Council. While his middle name, Neel, looks to be a nod to his mother’s Indian heritage, at a quick glance together with his first name, for some it may call to mind the portrait artist Alice Neel. If he doesn’t become a Midwestern mayor, pompous actor, or lobbyist, great American painter is another solid option.
The vice president announced his son’s birth on Sunday evening on social media, sharing that he and his mother were “happy and healthy,” but without including a photo. Then President Trump went ahead and shared a photo of Alec with his sister and one of his brothers the next morning, beating the Vance family to the punch. It’s unclear if he had permission to do so, but knowing Trump, he almost certainly didn’t, and there’s not much the vice president can or will do about that.
There’s naturally quite a bit of interest in J.D. and Usha Vance as a couple, and this was especially true during Usha’s pregnancy. It was announced amid a wave of jokes about a (mostly made-up) spark between the vice president and Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, who Vance later announced inspired his and Usha’s decision to have the fourth child in the first place, and curiosity may have peaked with Usha sharing the receipt for one of her maternity dresses online. (It was $8.75 at Old Navy.) Their new son’s birth may mark the end of the chatter about how Usha is dressing her baby bump, but not the scrutiny in general, which will only increase if Vance does decide to make a run for the presidency.
Though the Vances plan to maintain their official residence at the Naval Observatory, they also “will be spending more time in rural northern Virginia, leasing part of a sprawling, multimillion-dollar property in the wealthy enclave of Middleburg” in their new life as a family of six, according to CNN. Per the Washington Post, their neighbors are pleased that they leased rather than bought in Middleburg. Whether they’re in D.C. or the country, four kids is a lot to deal with, though maybe catering to a helpless newborn’s every whim will feel like a nice break from J.D. Vance’s day job.
