# In the U.S., Highest Elected Office Held by a Person in a Mixed Race Marriage? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 25, 2016, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167 "2016-01-25T12:30:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/1 "2016-01-25T12:30:44Z")
If the answer is different for current vs. of all time, then broader discussion is welcome. Likewise, offering up possible nominees even if you’re not certain if that person indeed holds/held the highest elected office compared to other possible nominees is still helpful to the discussion. “Highest Elected Office” may be subjective anyway. Is Governor of Wyoming a higher office than Mayor of New York? Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio was actually the inspiration for this Thread. Are there any current or previous office holders of similar political clout who are in mixed race marriages? ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/2 "2016-01-25T12:57:31Z")
Jeb Bush’s wife Columba is Hispanic, having been born and raised in Mexico. (Jeb Bush is, of course, former governor of Florida.) However, there is a great debate over whether Hispanicity should be defined as is a race, an ethnicity, or something else entirely; so it may or may not “count” depending on how you define things. For that matter, Ted Cruz is married to a non-Hispanic woman; so if we count Jeb! we should probably count Senator Cruz as well. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/3 "2016-01-25T13:02:29Z")
Obama is mixed race so he should count. His mother was white. It’s just as valid to view Obama / Michelle as a black white marriage as a black - black marriage. Otherwise the question is meaningless, theres no such thing as a “pure white” or “pure black” person, we’re all mongrels if you go back far enough. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/4 "2016-01-25T13:05:39Z")
Obama has as much right to be called white as black, so that is the answer to your question. It is only the “one drop” theory of race that prevents that. It also illustrates the fatuous nature of the whole idea of race. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/5 "2016-01-25T13:06:27Z")
Well, Obama’s biracial, so _any_ marriage he’s in is going to be a mixed race marriage… ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/6 "2016-01-25T13:08:06Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > Obama is mixed race so he should count. His mother was white. It’s just as valid to view Obama / Michelle as a black white marriage as a black - black marriage. > > Otherwise the question is meaningless, theres no such thing as a “pure white” or “pure black” person, we’re all mongrels if you go back far enough. There is no such thing. But the question is not meaningless, because it refers to marriages between people whose ‘races’ are defined in different slots in the American system. Per which, Obama _is_ black. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/7 "2016-01-25T13:50:59Z")
[William Cohen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cohen) (U. S. Senator 1979-1997). He married Janet Langhart in 1996. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/8 "2016-01-25T13:57:09Z")
Yeah, I forgot to put in the disclaimer “Yes, the OP understands that race is a social construct having no valid scientific taxonomic significance and is looking for discussion framed within such social construct as it is sociologically observed in the present day United States” in 50 point font in red in bold. Silly me. When will I learn? You can file the Obamas under “broader discussion” if you like. Barack Obama, being biracial, in some ways probably experienced society coming of age in ways different from both his white peers and his black peers but, when faced with systemic racism as it is applied in society a biracial person who looks black is not going to get any mileage out of protesting “But I’m only _half_ black!” The general thinking is that if society sees you as black, then you’re black- despite the rich tapestry of nuance that you may enjoy with people who know you personally as an individual. When you sees reds and blues in your rearview mirror: if you look black, you’re black. When you’re in a job interview: if you look black, you’re black. When you’re applying for a bank loan: if you look black, you’re black. So, yes, under the “broader discussion” the Obamas count. Under the narrower view, they do not. But, like I said in the OP, I’m all for broadening the discussion. But now that I’ve added the disclaimer missing from the OP can we stop pretending that we don’t have established common vocabulary to discuss this? Ted and Heidi Cruz, I’d file under broader discussion since he’s got European stock on his father’s side (Spanish Grandfather, though born in Cuba) as well as his mother’s side. He’s pretty white. Jeb and Columba Bush, I’d say, do count. Since I, as the OP, am welcoming varying definitions on the terms as well as welcoming disagreement on the examples, the mods can feel free to move this out of GQ if they deem so fit. I still think it’s a GQ kind of question and I raise no objection to responses that challenge or reshape the subject matter. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/9 "2016-01-25T14:09:27Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > [William Cohen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cohen) (U. S. Senator 1979-1997). He married Janet Langhart in 1996. Another Senator, [Ed Brooke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Brooke), was a black man married to an Italian woman. Later he was married to another white woman but that appears to have been after his career in electoral politics came to an end (helped along by the very public divorce from wife #1). ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/10 "2016-01-25T14:27:48Z")
Vice President (1929-1933) [Charles Curtis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Curtis) was “nearly half American Indian” (Wikipedia) himself. I’m assuming his wife [Annie Elizabeth Baird Curtis](http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13193649) was European-American(?). ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/11 "2016-01-25T14:42:33Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > Vice President (1929-1933) [Charles Curtis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Curtis) was “nearly half American Indian” (Wikipedia) himself. I’m assuming his wife [Annie Elizabeth Baird Curtis](http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13193649) was European-American(?). I just noticed that Curtis was a widower by the time he became Vice President. But he was a Senator from 1915-1929. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/12 "2016-01-25T15:10:48Z")
US Senate Majority Leader [Mitch McConnell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_McConnell) is married to former Secretary of Labor [Elaine Chao](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Chao). McConnell is of Scottish and Irish descent. Chao is of Chinese heritage and was born in Taiwan. Of non-elected members of government Supreme Court Justice [Clarence Thomas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Thomas) is married to [Virginia Thomas (née Lamp)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Thomas). Clarence Thomas is an African American descendant of slaves. Virginia Thomas is a [white woman from Nebraska](http://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/02/us/black-white-marriages-rise-but-couples-still-face-scorn.html?pagewanted=all). ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/13 "2016-01-25T15:13:08Z")
Carl Stokes[1], Mayor of Cleveland (1968-1971). Married to Shirley Edwards from 1958-1973[2]. [1] [Carl Stokes - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Stokes) [2] [LaBonneVivante.com is for sale - Domains Corporation](http://www.labonnevivante.com/product_detail.php?cid=9&pid=597) ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/14 "2016-01-25T15:25:55Z")
Alexander Twilight, member of the Vermont state legislature from 1836 to ? > **[Alexander Twilight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Twilight)** > > Alexander Lucius Twilight (September 23, 1795 – June 19, 1857) was an American educator, minister and politician. He was recognized as the first African American to have earned a bachelor's degree from an American college or university, graduating from Middlebury College in 1823. He was ordained as a Congregational minister and worked in education and ministry all his career. In 1829 Twilight became principal of the Orleans County Grammar School. There he designed and built Athenian Hall, the f... [http://oldstonehousemuseum.org/twilight-bio/](http://oldstonehousemuseum.org/twilight-bio/) Edit: With regard to his marriage, the sources don’t specifically state his spouse was European-American, but I’m assuming it is implied. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/15 "2016-01-25T16:00:52Z")
SC Governor Nikki Haley is Indian and married to a white dude. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/16 "2016-01-25T16:25:26Z")
Former Republican [Senator Phil Gramm’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Gramm) wife is has Korean/native Hawaiian ancestry. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/17 "2016-01-25T16:28:32Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > Vice President (1929-1933) [Charles Curtis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Curtis) was “nearly half American Indian” (Wikipedia) himself. I’m assuming his wife [Annie Elizabeth Baird Curtis](http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13193649) was European-American(?). Never knew that! Was it an issue at all during the election? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/18 "2016-01-25T16:31:19Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Well, Obama’s biracial, so _any_ marriage he’s in is going to be a mixed race marriage… What if Michelle had been the daughter of a black African and a white American? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/19 "2016-01-25T18:17:26Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Never knew that! Was it an issue at all during the election? I don’t know. Whatever the case may be, he certainly didn’t keep his heritage a secret: > [@](#): > > Curtis’ election as vice president made history because he was the only native Kansan and only Native American to hold the post. The first American of significant Indian ancestry to reach high office, **Curtis decorated his office with Native American artifacts and posed for pictures wearing Indian headdresses**. (bolding mine) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167/20 "2016-01-25T18:28:20Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > SC Governor Nikki Haley is Indian and married to a white dude. … and what race are Indians? 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-u-s-highest-elected-office-held-by-a-person-in-a-mixed-race-marriage/744167.md?page=2)