Kamala Harris
Early Life and Education
Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a breast cancer scientist who immigrated from India in 1960, and her father, Donald Harris, is a Stanford University economics professor who emigrated from Jamaica in 1961 for graduate study in economics at University of California, Berkeley.
Harris attended Howard University, a historically black university in Washington, D.C. There, she majored in political science and economics. She was also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, a historically African-American organization. After graduating from Howard in 1986, Harris returned to California to attend law school at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law through its Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP).
Legal Career
After passing the bar in 1990, Harris began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. She later served as a managing attorney in the Career Criminal Unit of the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, and as chief of the Community and Neighborhood Division in the office of San Francisco City Attorney, where she established the state's first Bureau of Children’s Justice.
In 2003, Harris was elected District Attorney of San Francisco, defeating incumbent Terence Hallinan. She was re-elected in 2007. As District Attorney, Harris started a program that gives first-time drug offenders the chance to earn a high school diploma and find employment.
In 2010, Harris was elected California's Attorney General, defeating Steve Cooley in the election. She was re-elected in 2014. As Attorney General, Harris received attention for her stance on criminal justice reform and her aggressive prosecution of predatory lenders.
Political Career
Harris announced her candidacy for the United States Senate on January 13, 2015, after incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer announced her intention to retire. Harris won the election on November 8, 2016, defeating Loretta Sanchez.
During her tenure in the Senate, Harris served on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on the Budget.
In 2019, Harris announced her candidacy for the presidency. However, she ended her campaign later that year due to lack of funding.
On August 11, 2020, Joe Biden announced that he had chosen Harris as his running mate for the 2020 presidential election. On November 7, 2020, the election was called in favor of the Biden-Harris ticket. Harris assumed office as vice president on January 20, 2021, making her the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, and the first African American and first Asian American vice president.
Personal Life
Harris is married to Douglas Emhoff, a lawyer. They were married on August 22, 2014, in Santa Barbara, California. Emhoff has two children from a previous marriage.