Douglas Emhoff Wants To Honor 'Legacy Of Progress' Made By Women Who Had His Role

Douglas Emhoff , the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris , is celebrating his new position as America’s first second gentleman by promising to honor the women who came before him. 

“I am honored to be the first male spouse of an American President or Vice President,” Emhoff tweeted Thursday. “But I’ll always remember generations of women have served in this role before me—often without much accolade or acknowledgment. It’s their legacy of progress I will build on as Second Gentleman.”

Emhoff is also the first Jewish person to be married to a U.S. vice president. 

He posted his first tweet from his official second gentleman Twitter account on Inauguration Day, sharing a video of him standing beside Harris as she was sworn in as vice president by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor .

“Wife, mother, sister, auntie... and now, Madame Vice President,” Emhoff captioned the post. “Today marks an amazing chapter for you, our family, and for our nation. We love you so much.”

In an essay published in GQ  this week, Emhoff talked about his decision to step back from his career as an entertainment lawyer after then-candidate Joe Biden asked Harris to be his running mate. 

“On that day it quickly became clear that this wasn’t just about my love for my wife, but also about my love for this country,” Emhoff wrote, adding that he “went from being a lawyer to being a member of a team fighting for justice and trying to turn the page on a dark chapter in our nation’s history.”

Emhoff also shared a nod to first lady Jill Biden in his essay, calling her advice and example as a former second lady “invaluable.”

Like the first lady, Emhoff plans to teach  during the Biden-Harris administration.

Georgetown Law announced  last month that Emhoff would be joining the faculty as a distinguished visitor from practice, teaching a course called “Entertainment Law Disputes.” He will also serve as a distinguished fellow of Georgetown Law’s Institute for Technology Law and Policy.

In his GQ essay, Emhoff referenced a saying he said Harris’ mother used to tell her children and applied those words of wisdom to his new role: “I may be the first Second Gentleman, but I know I won’t be the last.”