Kamala Harris

Early Life

Kamala Devi Harris was born on 20 October 1964 in Oakland, California, to Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher who had emigrated from India, and Donald J. Harris, an economist from Jamaica who taught at Stanford University. She grew up in Oakland and Berkeley, in a household shaped by the civil rights movement, and often attended protests with her mother. In 1976 the family moved to Montreal, Canada, where she attended Westmount High School. She returned to the United States for university. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she was raised mainly by her mother, who died of colon cancer in 2009.

Education

Harris studied political science and economics at Howard University in Washington, D.C., a historically Black university, and graduated in 1986. She then studied law at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, earning her Juris Doctor in 1989. She was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1990 and began her legal career as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County.

Career

After thirteen years as a prosecutor in Alameda County and San Francisco, Harris was elected district attorney of San Francisco in 2003 and took office in 2004, serving two terms. In 2010 she was elected attorney general of California, the first woman and the first Black person to hold the office, and was re-elected in 2014. As attorney general she worked on mortgage relief for homeowners after the financial crisis, and on criminal justice, environmental and consumer protection cases. In 2016 she was elected to the United States Senate, taking office in January 2017. In the Senate she served on the Judiciary and Intelligence committees and questioned witnesses in high-profile hearings. She sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019 but withdrew in December of that year. In August 2020 Joe Biden chose her as his running mate, and on 20 January 2021 she was sworn in as the 49th vice president, the first woman, the first Black person and the first South Asian American to hold the office. As vice president she cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate and worked on voting rights, immigration and abortion rights. In July 2024, after Biden withdrew from the race, Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee, choosing Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running mate. She was defeated by Donald Trump in the election of 5 November 2024 and left office on 20 January 2025. In July 2025 she announced she would not run for governor of California, and in September 2025 she published a memoir of the campaign, 107 Days.

Achievements

Harris's central achievements were as California's chief law enforcement officer and as vice president. As attorney general she secured mortgage relief for California homeowners affected by the foreclosure crisis and pursued cases against banks, polluters and companies accused of fraud. In the Senate she was a prominent voice in hearings on the Supreme Court and on intelligence matters. As vice president she cast more tie-breaking votes in the Senate than any vice president in American history, 33 in all, a record that reflected the Senate's narrow 50-50 split during the Biden administration. Her election as vice president broke three barriers at once, and her 2024 nomination made her the first Black woman and the first South Asian American to head a major party's presidential ticket. Her books include Smart on Crime (2009), The Truths We Hold (2019) and 107 Days (2025).

• Elected district attorney of San Francisco in 2003, taking office in 2004
• Elected attorney general of California in 2010, the first woman and the first Black person to hold the office; re-elected in 2014
• Secured mortgage relief for California homeowners after the foreclosure crisis as attorney general
• Elected to the United States Senate in 2016, serving from 2017 to 2021
• Chosen as Joe Biden's running mate on 11 August 2020
• Sworn in as the 49th vice president of the United States on 20 January 2021, the first woman, the first Black person and the first South Asian American in the office
• Cast 33 tie-breaking votes in the Senate as vice president, more than any vice president in American history
• Became the Democratic Party's presidential nominee in 2024, the first Black woman and the first South Asian American to head a major party ticket
• Published the memoirs The Truths We Hold (2019) and 107 Days (2025)

Legacy

Harris is remembered first for the barriers she broke: the first woman, the first Black person and the first South Asian American to serve as vice president of the United States. Assessments of her record differ. Supporters point to her work as a prosecutor and attorney general, her Senate record and her historic vice presidency, and argue that her 2024 campaign, assembled in about three months, kept the Democratic Party competitive. Critics question parts of her record as a prosecutor, including her positions on truancy and on criminal cases, and argue that the 2024 campaign failed to present a distinct agenda. The profile records both assessments without taking a side. Because she is a living person whose public work continues, this profile records only documented milestones and will need regular updating from reliable sources.

Contributions

Harris's contribution was to break three barriers at once in the American vice presidency, and to carry a prosecutor's approach into national politics, from the district attorney's office in San Francisco to the attorney general's office in California and the United States Senate. As vice president she cast a record number of tie-breaking Senate votes during a period of narrow majorities, and her 2024 presidential nomination made her the first Black woman and the first South Asian American to head a major party's ticket.

Notable Works

• Smart on Crime (2009)
• The Truths We Hold (2019)
• Superheroes Are Everywhere (2019)
• 107 Days (2025)

Milestones

• 1964 — Born on 20 October in Oakland, California Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1986 — Graduated from Howard University Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1989 — Earned a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1990 — Admitted to the State Bar of California Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2004 — Took office as district attorney of San Francisco Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2011 — Took office as attorney general of California, the first woman and first Black person in the office Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2014 — Re-elected attorney general of California Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2017 — Sworn in as a United States senator from California Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2019 — Launched her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination; withdrew in December Source: Wikipedia (Kamala Harris)
• 2020 — Chosen as Joe Biden's running mate on 11 August Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2021 — Sworn in as the 49th vice president of the United States on 20 January Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2024 — Became the Democratic presidential nominee in July; defeated by Donald Trump in November Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2025 — Published the memoir 107 Days Source: Wikipedia (Kamala Harris)

Timeline

1. 20 October 1964

   Born in Oakland, California

   Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
2. 1976

   Moved with her family to Montreal, Canada

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
3. 1986

   Graduated from Howard University

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
4. 1989

   Earned a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
5. 1990

   Admitted to the State Bar of California

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
6. 2004

   Took office as district attorney of San Francisco

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
7. 2011

   Took office as attorney general of California

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
8. 3 January 2017

   Sworn in as a United States senator from California

   Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
9. 27 January 2019

   Launched her campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination

   Source: Wikipedia (Kamala Harris)
10. 3 December 2019

    Withdrew from the 2020 presidential race

    Source: Wikipedia (Kamala Harris)
11. 11 August 2020

    Chosen by Joe Biden as his vice-presidential running mate

    Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
12. 20 January 2021

    Sworn in as the 49th vice president of the United States

    Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
13. 21 July 2024

    Became the Democratic presidential nominee after President Biden withdrew from the race

    Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
14. 5 November 2024

    Defeated by Donald Trump in the presidential election

    Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
15. 2025

    Published the memoir 107 Days; announced she would not run for governor of California

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia (Kamala Harris)

In Their Words

“While I may be the first woman in this office, I won't be the last.” Source: Kamala Harris, victory speech, Wilmington, Delaware, 7 November 2020 — Victory speech on the night the Biden-Harris ticket was declared the winner of the 2020 election.

Related Personalities

• Barack Obama President of the United States · b. 1961
• Donald Trump President of the United States · b. 1946
• Abraham Lincoln President of the United States · 1809–1865

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & References

1. Kamala Harris — Encyclopaedia Britannica — Encyclopaedia Britannica (accessed 13 November 2026)
2. Kamala Harris — Wikipedia (cross-check) — Wikipedia (accessed 13 November 2026)
3. Vice President Kamala Harris — White House archives — The White House (archives) (accessed 13 November 2026)
4. File:Kamala Harris Vice Presidential Portrait (cropped).jpg — Wikimedia Commons (portrait file page) — Wikimedia Commons (accessed 13 November 2026)

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