Doug Emhoff, 59, was raised in a Jewish family in Brooklyn and grew up in Matawan, New Jersey, before his family moved to California during his teenage years. Emhoff attended law school in Los Angeles and advanced through major law firms, becoming a partner and earning up to $1.2 million annually, before stepping down in 2020 to avoid conflicts of interest. For the past three and a half years, Emhoff has had a political experience that reflects his identity as the first Jewish spouse of a vice president or presidential candidate, alongside his 30-year career as an entertainment lawyer.
Emhoff and Harris married in 2014, and while Emhoff enjoys sharing stories about their engagement and relationship, he has also talked about the contradiction regarding the temporary impact on his career and his search for ways to make an impact through public service. As the spouse of the first woman to hold the vice presidency, Emhoff has openly discussed the welcome and challenges of taking on a supportive role in their marriage. He told New York Times reporter Katie Rogers in her book "American Woman": "I miss her every day." He added, "The Vice President and I have had many conversations about how to maintain a normal marriage in this environment where I step back from my partnership to support her publicly."
Emhoff has provided strong public support for his wife throughout her political career, including the 2020 Democratic primary elections. He has also spoken about the larger issue of gender equality embodied in their marriage, as reported by the New York Times. Emhoff has two adult children from a previous marriage, and Harris has assisted in raising them. Emhoff told a South Korean newspaper in 2022: "Elevating women so they can take on important roles is incredibly manly." He continued, "This doesn't mean taking opportunities away from men; I also want to say that Harris helps me with my responsibilities. We support each other."
Like First Lady Jill Biden, Emhoff worked while his wife served in the U.S. administration, obtaining a visiting role in Washington to teach law at Georgetown University, and undertook several official responsibilities, including overseeing the Vice President's residence and managing a team of aides. Emhoff maintains an office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House and has proudly discussed other official opportunities, such as leading delegations to attend presidential inauguration ceremonies abroad in South Korea and the Philippines.
Emhoff has also looked to apply his legal background and experience in guiding the administration's policy on expanding legal aid and collaborating with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and the interagency roundtable on legal assistance, according to the report. Emhoff has taken a supportive stance on the American Jewish community, which became prominent after the Israeli war on Gaza, as he rallied support for the community and chaired meetings for Jewish organizations to discuss "anti-Semitism," according to watchdog organizations. In April, he co-chaired a meeting of Jewish leaders to discuss Biden's support for Israel during the war.
