Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance announced the birth of their fourth child, a son named Alec Neel Vance, who arrived this past Sunday morning. In a heartfelt statement shared on X, the couple confirmed that both mother and baby are happy and healthy. They noted that their three older children were overjoyed to finally meet their newest little brother.

The delivery took place at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, where Usha Vance is currently recovering. The couple extended their gratitude to the medical staff who assisted them during the birth. Married since 2014, the Vances already share three children: nine year old Ewan, six year old Vivek, and four year old Mirabel.

This addition to the family marks a rare moment in American political history. It has been over a century and a half since a sitting vice president’s family welcomed a newborn while in office. The last recorded instance occurred back in 1870 when Schuyler Colfax Jr., serving under President Ulysses S. Grant, welcomed his son.

In his recent book titled Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, the Vice President revealed that he had hoped for another child for several years despite initial hesitations from his wife regarding the pressures of their public lives. He suggested that a shift in perspective followed the tragic death of his friend Charlie Kirk last autumn. After witnessing the grief of Kirk’s widow over not having more children, Vance wrote that something changed for Usha. While Usha later clarified in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning that those events weren’t the sole deciding factor, she admitted they provided a powerful emotional catalyst during ongoing conversations about expanding their family.