Doug Emhoff says he’ll build on the “legacy of progress” from women who came before him in his new role as the second gentleman.
“I am honored to be the first male spouse of an American President or Vice President,” Emhoff, a Georgetown Law faculty member and Vice President Harris’s husband, said Thursday in one of the first posts on his official government Twitter account.
“But I’ll always remember generations of women have served in this role before me—often without much accolade or acknowledgment,” the 56-year-old dad of two said.
Emhoff became both the first male and the first Jewish spouse of a vice president when Harris took office Wednesday.
Harris also made history as the country’s first female and first Black vice president, as well as the first Asian American vice president.
Emhoff, an attorney, had taken a leave of absence last year from his law firm while Harris hit the campaign trail. He also played an active role in her campaign, appearing at virtual events amid the coronavirus pandemic.