Mike Pence in Columbus North High School's 1977 yearbook
Gallery of Mike Pence
1400 25th St, Columbus, IN 47201, United States
Columbus North High School where Mike Pence studied.
College/University
Gallery of Mike Pence
530 West New York Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States
The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law where Mike Pence received a Juris Doctor degree in 1986.
Gallery of Mike Pence
484 Ball Dr, Hanover, IN 47243, United States
Hendricks Hall in Hanover College where Mike Pence received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981.
Career
Gallery of Mike Pence
2004
15 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC 20515, United States
Mike Pence works on his computer in his office in the Longworth House Office Building.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2004
207 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20003, United States
Mike Pence, new head of the Republican Conservative Caucus, in his Capitol Hill office in Washington.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2005
15 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC 20515, United States
Mike Pence and Jeff Flake during an interview about the Republican Study Committee, which Pence heads, in Pence's office.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2006
Mosul, Iraq
Congressman Mike Pence visits the United States soldiers in Mosul, Iraq.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2006
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
United States Representative Mike Pence, United States Representative Charles Boustany and United States Representative Dave Weldon hold a press conference on Capitol Hill on July 18, 2006.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2006
15 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC 20515, United States
United States Representative Mike Pence with United States Representative Thomas Tancredo in the Longworth House Office Building at the United States Capitol on November 17, 2006.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2007
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, United States
Mike Pence talks to the news media after leaving a West Wing meeting with United States President George W. Bush on his Iraq strategy at the White House on January 9, 2007.
Gallery of Mike Pence
1988
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, United States
Pence meeting President Ronald Reagan at the White House.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2015
315 W Ohio St, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States
Indiana Governor Mike Pence speaks during a press conference on March 31, 2015 at the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2015
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Pence at the 500 Festival Parade in Indianapolis.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2016
1, Center Court, Cleveland, OH 44115, United States
Republican Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence walks on stage to deliver a speech on the third day of the Republican National Convention on July 20, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2016
Governor Pence at the dedication of a new veterans' clinic on March 30, 2016.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2017
210 Hyeonchung-ro, Dongjak-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence visit the Seoul National Cemetery on April 16, 2017.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2018
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20502, United States
United States President Donald Trump with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and vice president Mike Pence sits nearby in the Oval Office on December 11, 2018.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2018
First St SE, Washington, DC 20004, United States
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence, Second Lady Karen Pence, First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump at the United States Capitol on February 28, 2018.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2018
First St SE, Washington, DC 20004, United States
Former Vice President of the United States Joseph Biden and incumbent Vice President of the United States Mike Pence at the Old Senate Chamber of the United States Capitol on January 3, 2018.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2018
650 S Griffin St, Dallas, TX 75202, United States
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence speaks at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum during the NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on May 4, 2018.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2018
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence speaks at the APEC CEO Summit on board P&O Cruises' Pacific Explorer cruise ship on November 17, 2018.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2019
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA 22211, United States
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on May 27, 2019.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2019
Munich, Germany
Vice President of the United States Michael Pence and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the 55th Munich Security Conference on February 16, 2019.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2019
1 Panther Pkwy, Sunrise, FL 33323, United States
United States President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence stand together during a homecoming campaign rally at the BB&T Center on November 26, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2019
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, United States
Vice President Mike Pence and United States Second Lady Karen Pence welcoming Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Australian First Lady Jennifer Morrison on the South Lawn at the White House on September 20, 2019.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2019
801 Mt Vernon Pl NW, Washington, DC 20001, United States
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence during Access Intelligence's Satellite 2019 Conference and Exhibition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on May 6, 2019.
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence and Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, on October 17, 2019.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2019
10 Downing St, Westminster, London SW1A 2AA, United Kingdom
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence meets Prime Minister Boris Johnson on September 5, 2019 in London, England.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2019
1650 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20502, United States
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner and Ja'Ron Smith special assistant to the President of the United States exit the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on January 5, 2019.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2019
White's Rd, Phoenix Park, Dublin 15, D15 TD50, Ireland
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence meet Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and his partner Matthew Barrett at Farmleigh House on September 3, 2019, in Dublin, Ireland.
Gallery of Mike Pence
2020
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, United States
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence speaks during a briefing on the administration's coronavirus response in the press briefing room of the White House on March 3, 2020.
United States Representative Mike Pence, United States Representative Charles Boustany and United States Representative Dave Weldon hold a press conference on Capitol Hill on July 18, 2006.
15 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC 20515, United States
United States Representative Mike Pence with United States Representative Thomas Tancredo in the Longworth House Office Building at the United States Capitol on November 17, 2006.
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, United States
Mike Pence talks to the news media after leaving a West Wing meeting with United States President George W. Bush on his Iraq strategy at the White House on January 9, 2007.
1, Center Court, Cleveland, OH 44115, United States
Republican Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence walks on stage to deliver a speech on the third day of the Republican National Convention on July 20, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena.
1 Observatory Circle, U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, D.C., United States
Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence are pictured on December 9 in their official 2017 Christmas portrait at the Vice President's Residence.
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20502, United States
United States President Donald Trump with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and vice president Mike Pence sits nearby in the Oval Office on December 11, 2018.
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence, Second Lady Karen Pence, First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump at the United States Capitol on February 28, 2018.
South Korea, Gangwon-do, Pyeongchang-gun, Daegwalnyeong-myeon, Olympic-ro, 200 횡계리
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018.
Former Vice President of the United States Joseph Biden and incumbent Vice President of the United States Mike Pence at the Old Senate Chamber of the United States Capitol on January 3, 2018.
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence speaks at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum during the NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on May 4, 2018.
United States President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence stand together during a homecoming campaign rally at the BB&T Center on November 26, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida.
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, United States
Vice President Mike Pence and United States Second Lady Karen Pence welcoming Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Australian First Lady Jennifer Morrison on the South Lawn at the White House on September 20, 2019.
801 Mt Vernon Pl NW, Washington, DC 20001, United States
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence during Access Intelligence's Satellite 2019 Conference and Exhibition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on May 6, 2019.
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence and Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, on October 17, 2019.
1650 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20502, United States
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner and Ja'Ron Smith special assistant to the President of the United States exit the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on January 5, 2019.
White's Rd, Phoenix Park, Dublin 15, D15 TD50, Ireland
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence meet Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and his partner Matthew Barrett at Farmleigh House on September 3, 2019, in Dublin, Ireland.
Ofiar Niemieckiego Faszyzmu 12, 32-600 Brzezinka, Poland
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp memorial on February 15, 2019 in Oswiecim, Poland.
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, United States
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence speaks during a briefing on the administration's coronavirus response in the press briefing room of the White House on March 3, 2020.
Mike Pence is an American politician and lawyer, known as the 48th vice president of the United States. He also served as the 50th governor of Indiana and a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Background
Ethnicity:
Mike Pence's family members were Irish Catholic Democrats. His maternal grandmother's parents were from Doonbeg, County Clare.
Mike Pence was born on June 7, 1959 in Columbus, Indiana, United States. He is a son of of Nancy Jane (Cawley) and Edward Joseph Pence Jr. His father ran a group of gas stations. His grandfather, Richard Michael Cawley, emigrated from County Sligo, Ireland, to the United States through Ellis Island and became a bus driver in Chicago, Illinois. Pence has five siblings.
Education
Mike Pence studied at Columbus North High School. He finished the school in 1977 and entered Hanover College where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. Later he studied at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law and received a Juris Doctor degree in 1986.
Mike Pence started his career as an attorney in private practice in 1986. In 1988, he started to work as a host of a weekly half-hour radio show, Washington Update with Mike Pence at WRCR-FM radio station. In 1992, Pence began hosting a daily talk show The Mike Pence Show. Syndicated by Network Indiana, the show was aired on weekdays via 18 stations throughout the state from 1994. Starting from 1995, he also hosted a weekend political talk show, also titled The Mike Pence Show, on Indianapolis TV station WNDY. Pence ended his broadcast career in 1999.
In 1991, Mike Pence became President of the Indiana Policy Review Foundation. He held this post until 1994. In 2000, he ran for the United States Congress. In 2001, Pence won the seat in Indiana's 2nd congressional district. In 2002, the district was renumbered as Indiana's 6th congressional district. Pence served in the seat until 2013. He also served as Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee from 2005 to 2007 and as Chairman of the House Republican Conference from 2009 to 2011. In 2010, he said he did not want to run for the senatorial election, instead choosing to run for the governorship of the state of Indiana.
In 2011, Mike Pence announced, that he would seek the Republican nomination for governor of Indiana in 2012. In November 2012, Pence won the gubernatorial election and on January 14, 2013, he was sworn in as the 50th governor of Indiana. Pence decided to run for a second term as governor in the Indiana gubernatorial election in 2016. However, he was elected as the 48th Vice President of the United States on November 8, 2016 and was sworn into the office on January 20, 2017. In 2018, Pence led the Presidential Delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympics. Donald Trump, who expressed his interest in running for a second term during the 2020 United States presidential election, announced that Mike Pence would once again be his running mate. He also was appointed Chairman of the White House Coronavirus Task Force in February 2020.
Mike left the position of Chairman of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and that of Vice President of the United States on January 20, 2021.
Mike Pence was raised in a Catholic family, acted as an altar server and attended a parochial school. Later, he became a born-again Christian in college, while a member of a nondenominational Christian student group. He identified his first year in college and a Christian music festival in Asbury, Kentucky, as the moment he made a "commitment to Christ." When he signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, it made him very popular with hardcore conservatives and Evangelists. Earlier, Pence and his family had joined an evangelical megachurch, the Grace Evangelical Church.
Politics
In his early adulthood Mike Pence was a Democrat. He volunteered for the Bartholomew County Democratic Party in 1976 and voted for Jimmy Carter in the 1980 presidential election. Pence also said that he was originally inspired to get involved in politics by people such as John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. However, when he entered college his political views started shifting to the right. Pence became a Republican in 1983. In 1988, Pence ran for the United States Congress against Democratic incumbent Philip Sharp, but lost. He also ran against Sharp again in 1990, but once again was unsuccessful. In 1991, Pence wrote an essay, "Confessions of a Negative Campaigner," in which he apologized for running negative ads against Sharp. In 2001, he started his official political career, when he was elected to the United States House of Representatives. During Pence's twelve years in the House, he introduced 90 bills and resolutions, however none of them became law.
Mike Pence gained much popularity for his tax reforms. He was successful in cutting state taxes and also reduced the burden of income tax and eliminated the inheritance tax. Pence also implemented tax reforms aimed at strengthening the state's competitive edge in attracting new investment and good-paying jobs for the residents of Indiana. He also implemented steps to steer funds toward infrastructure improvements. Pence supported significant increases in education funding to preschools and charter schools. However, he frequently clashed with supporters of traditional public schools. In 2014, over the opposition of Indiana school organizations, Pence signed a bill which allows firearms to be kept in vehicles on school property. He also signed law Senate Bill 98, which limited lawsuits against gun and ammunition manufacturers and sellers in 2015.
Mike Pence unveiled an immigration plan which he described as "No Amnesty Immigration reform." This plan includes increased border security, followed by strict enforcement of laws against hiring undocumented immigrants, and a guest worker program. He also voted against the DREAM Act, which would grant the undocumented children of illegal immigrants conditional non-immigrant status if they met certain requirements.
In regard to foreign policy, Pence supported the Iraq War Resolution, which authorized military action against Iraq. He has also stated his support of Israel and its right to attack facilities in Iran to prevent the Iranians from developing nuclear weapons. In 2016, Pence signed a law which would ban Indiana from having any commercial dealings with a company that boycotts Israel.
Mike Pence opposed the expansion of LGBTQ civil rights. He said that the United States Congress should oppose any effort to recognize homosexuals as a discrete and insular minority. He also voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would have banned workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Pence favored the longtime military policy of not letting soldiers openly identify as gay. In 2010, Pence told CNN that he did not want to see the military become a backdrop for social experimentation.
Pence is an opponent of abortion and a critic of comprehensive sex education. In 2009, he voted against the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which allows the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products. In 2016, he signed into law a measure that would reinstate a ten-year mandatory minimum prison sentence for certain drug offenders.
In 2001, Mike Pence wrote in an op-ed in which he stated that global warming is a myth. Later Pence led the Republican effort to defeat the American Clean Energy and Security Act, a Democratic-backed bill to cut greenhouse gas emissions. However, in 2016 Pence agreed that human activity affects both the climate and the environment. Pence voted against energy efficiency and renewable energy funding and rules. He also voted for several bills that supported fossil fuel development.
Views
When a television journalist asked Pence what he thinks about the words "black lives matter" Pence replied that "all lives matter."
Quotations:
"The Patriot Act is essential to our continued success in the war on terror here at home."
"It's time for conservative Americans to right the ship again."
"The presidency is the most visible thread that runs through the tapestry of the American government. More often than not, for good or for ill, it sets the tone for the other branches and spurs the expectations of the people."
"No one should be harassed or mistreated because of who they are, who they love, or what they believe."
"Power is an instrument of fatal consequence. It is confined no more readily than quicksilver, and escapes good intentions as easily as air flows through mesh."
"We must ensure that a catastrophe of nature does not become a catastrophe of debt for our children and grandchildren."
"I – do I believe in evolution? I embrace the view that God created the heavens and the earth, the seas and all that's in them."
"More than anything else, let me be clear - we need to be willing to fight for freedom, and free markets, and traditional moral values. That's what the American people want to see this movement and this party return to."
"I have strongly supported the right to keep and bear arms. I truly believe that firearms in the hands of law abiding citizens makes our families and our communities more safe, not less safe."
Personality
Mike Pence enjoys cartooning. Esquire magazine discovered a comic, that he wrote 30 years ago, called, "Law School Daze." His favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz.
Mike's favorite food is bacon.
Pence and his wife, Karen, have a beagle, named Maverick, and two cats, named Pickle and Oreo.
Pence adheres to the Billy Graham rule, according to which husbands avoid spending time alone with women to whom they are not married.
Quotes from others about the person
Donald Trump: "He is a man of character and accomplishment. He is the right man for the job."
Jeff Flake: "Mike is intensely loyal. That's a virtue. He has never uttered to me one syllable of disagreement with the president. And frankly, I admire him for that."
Interests
Reading, traveling, cartooning
Connections
Mike Pence married Karen Pence on June 8, 1985. They met while Pence was in law school at Indiana University. The marriage produced three children.
The Faith of Mike Pence
The Faith of Mike Pence offers an intimate look at the man, who calls himself "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order."
2019
The Shadow President: The Truth About Mike Pence
In this well-rounded, deeply-investigated biography, the first full look at the vice president, two award-winning journalists unmask the real Mike Pence.