JD Vance with his wife Usha.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Hyderabad: While Donald Trump is poised to secure the White House with a resounding victory, his running mate, JD Vance, who is the vice president elect, is 'Andhra Alludu (son-in-law).' Vance is married to Usha Chilukuri, daughter of Indian Telugu immigrants.
Vance was vocal about his wife Usha's support in his life's journey. He was especially appreciative of her Indian roots and values. The Chilukuri family has roots in a small, nondescript village, Vadluru, in West Godavari district. A few families from the Chilukuri lineage also reside in Saipuram, located in Vuyyuru in the Krishna district.
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Usha's grand aunt, Prof Chilukuri Santhamma, who is now 96, teaches Physics at a private university in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram. She lives in Visakhapatnam. Pictures of Usha and Vance's 2013 marriage went viral on the Internet after Trump picked him as his running mate in July of this year.
Usha's parents, Chilukuri Radhakrishna and Lakshmi, moved to the US in 1980. Raised in a San Diego suburb, Usha attended Mount Carmel High School. She is a Yale law graduate and trial lawyer. Usha's mother is a biologist and provost at the University of California at San Diego, and her father is an engineer.
“I'm very happy to know that Chilukuri girl Usha has become so prominent in the USA. I never met her, but I wish her all the best," Prof Santhamma had told DH in July. Santhamma is related to Usha through her husband and Prof Subramanya Sastry. Usha is the granddaughter of Subramanya Sastry's brother Rama Sastry.
Santhamma recalled that her husband's family has roots in West Godavari. While he migrated to Vizag, his other two brothers migrated to Chennai and Pune, respectively. Rama Sastry, Usha's grandfather, taught at IIT Madras. While Santhamma taught physics at Andhra University in Visakhapatnam until her retirement in 1989, her husband, Subramanya Sastry, taught Telugu at the same varsity.
In Vadluru village, where there are no Chilukuris left, their ancestral home now houses a small temple. Usha's great-grandfather, along with family, moved out of Vadluru long ago. But Chilukuris are well respected in Vadluru. However, Usha never visited her ancestral village.
While congratulating Donald Trump and JD Vance, Andhra IT minister Nara Lokesh said it was a special moment for people of Andhra Pradesh.
“My hearty congratulations to President-elect Donald Trump for a historic triumph as he takes charge as the 47th President of the United States. This is a very special moment for the people of Andhra Pradesh, especially West-Godavari district, as JD Vance is elected Vice President. The Second Lady designate, Usha Vance, has roots in Andhra Pradesh. We are proud as people of Andhra Pradesh origin continue to make their mark in various spheres across the world,” said Lokesh.
Usha received an undergraduate degree at Yale University and a master of philosophy at the University of Cambridge through the Gates Cambridge scholarship.