Dan Quayle

James Danforth "Dan" Quayle is an American lawyer and Republican politician who served as the 44th vice president of the United States under President George H. W. Bush. Before becoming vice president, he served in both chambers of Congress, representing Indiana in the House of Representatives and later in the Senate. At the age of forty-one, he became one of the youngest people ever elected vice president.

Quayle was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and grew up primarily in Huntington, Indiana. His father, James C. Quayle, was a newspaper publisher and businessman. Quayle attended DePauw University and graduated in 1969, then earned his law degree from Indiana University in 1974. During the Vietnam War era he served in the Indiana National Guard. He married Marilyn Tucker in 1972, and they later had three children.

Quayle began his professional career as a lawyer and worked in journalism and public affairs before entering electoral politics. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976 at the age of twenty-nine and represented Indiana's fourth congressional district from 1977 to 1981. In 1980 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served from 1981 until becoming vice president in 1989. His Senate career included work on defense, budgetary, and economic issues.

George H. W. Bush selected Quayle as his running mate in 1988. The Republican ticket won the election, and Quayle was sworn in as vice president on January 20, 1989. As vice president, Quayle took part in administration efforts concerning economic competitiveness, education, space policy, and drug policy. He also traveled extensively as a representative of the administration and presided over the Senate. The Bush-Quayle ticket was reelected in 1992? No—the ticket lost the 1992 presidential election, and Quayle left office on January 20, 1993.

After leaving the vice presidency, Quayle entered private business, writing, and political commentary. He published his memoir Standing Firm in 1994 and later became involved in investment and business activities. He remained active within Republican politics and continued to participate in national political discussions.

Quayle's legacy is principally connected to his relatively young accession to the vice presidency, his career in Indiana and Congress, and his service during George H. W. Bush's administration. His vice presidency also illustrates the increasingly active executive role of the modern vice president, even though the office continued to retain its constitutional function as president of the Senate.