THE HONORABLE MICHAEL R. PENCE
Michael R. Pence, 48th Vice President of the United States, was born in Columbus, Indiana, on June 7,
1959, as one of six children born to Edward and Nancy Pence. As a young boy, he had a front-row seat
to the American Dream.
The family ran a successful convenience store business in their small Indiana town. Experiencing this
nurtured the future Vice President’s belief in the importance of hard work, faith, and family.
Vice President Pence earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Hanover College in 1981.
While there, he renewed his Christian faith, which remains the driving force in his life. He later
attended Indiana University School of Law and met the love of his life, Karen.
After graduating, Vice President Pence practiced law, led the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, and
began hosting The Mike Pence Show, a syndicated talk radio show and a weekly television public
affairs program in Indiana.
Along the way, he became the proud father to three children, Michael, Charlotte, and Audrey.
Growing up in Indiana, surrounded by good, hardworking Hoosiers, Vice President Pence always knew
that he needed to give back to the state and the country that had given him so much. In 2000, he
launched a successful bid for his local congressional seat, entering the United States House of
Representatives at the age of 40.
The people of east-central Indiana elected Pence six times to represent them in Congress. On Capitol
Hill, he established himself as a champion of limited government, fiscal responsibility, economic
development, educational opportunity, and the U.S. Constitution. His colleagues quickly recognized
his leadership ability and unanimously elected him to serve as Chairman of the House Republican
Study Committee and House Republican Conference Chairman. In this role, Pence worked to make
government’s role smaller and more effective by reducing spending and returning power to state
and local governments.
In 2013, Pence left the nation’s capital when Hoosiers elected him the 50th Governor of
Indiana. He brought the same limited government and low tax philosophy to the Indiana Statehouse. As
Governor, he enacted the largest income tax cut in Indiana history, lowering individual income tax
rates, the business personal property tax, and the corporate income tax in order to strengthen the
State’s competitive edge and attract new investment and good-paying jobs. Due to his
relentless focus on jobs, the state’s unemployment rate fell by half during his four years in
office, and at the end of his term, more Hoosiers were working than at any point in the
state’s 200-year history.
As Governor of Indiana, Pence increased school funding, expanded school choice, and created the first
state-funded Pre-K plan in Indiana history. He made career and technical education a priority in
every high school. Under his leadership, Indiana, known as “The Crossroads of America,”
invested more than $800 million in new money for roads and bridges across the state. Despite the
record tax cuts and new investments in roads and schools, the state remained fiscally responsible,
as Pence worked with members of the Indiana General Assembly to pass two honestly balanced budgets
that left the state with strong reserves and AAA credit ratings that were the envy of the
nation.
It was Indiana’s success story, Pence’s record of legislative and executive experience,
and his strong family values that prompted President Donald Trump to select Mike Pence as his
running mate in July 2016. The American people elected President Donald Trump and Vice President
Pence on November 8, 2016. They entered office on January 20, 2017.
Former Vice President Pence remains grateful for the grace of God, the love and support of his
family, and the blessings of liberty that are every American’s birthright.