Early Life and Family Background
Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was an Indian cancer researcher, and her father, Donald Harris, was a Jamaican economics professor. After her parents divorced, she was raised by her mother in Berkeley and attended public schools in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Education and Legal Career
Harris earned a degree in political science and economics from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She later obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She began her legal career in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office before joining the San Francisco District Attorney's Office and later the city attorney's office.
Path to National Office
Harris was elected San Francisco District Attorney in 2003 and later served as California Attorney General from 2011 to 2017. In 2016, she was elected to the United States Senate, becoming the second Black woman and the first South Asian American to serve in that chamber. Her career trajectory from local prosecutor to the vice presidency is documented in biographies and official congressional records.
For a detailed timeline of her career, see the official biography at https://www.senate.gov.
