Greg Pence

Gregory Joseph Pence (born November 14, 1956) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Indiana's 6th congressional district since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he is the older brother of United States Vice President Mike Pence, who represented the district from 2003 to 2013.

This article is about the U.S. Representative from Indiana. For the philosopher, see Gregory Pence.

Greg Pence
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Luke Messer
Personal details
Born	Gregory Joseph Pence (1956-11-14) November 14, 1956 Columbus, Indiana, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Denise Pence
Children	4, Nicole, Lauren, Emily & John
Relatives	Mike Pence (brother) Karen Pence (sister-in-law) Charlotte Pence (niece)
Education	Loyola University Chicago (BA, MBA)
Website	House website
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1979–1984

Early life

Born in Columbus, Indiana on November 14, 1956,[1] Pence is the oldest of six children born to his parents, Ann Jane "Nancy" (née Cawley) and Edward Joseph Pence Jr., who ran a group of gas stations.[2][3] According to his mother, Pence and his three brothers rode wagons in a 1964 campaign parade for Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.[4]

Pence earned a B.A. in theology and philosophy and a Master of Business Administration in 1983 from Loyola University Chicago.[5][6] He earned a commission in the Marines in 1979 after receiving his undergraduate degree and served for five and a half years, rising to the rank of first lieutenant.[7][6] In 1983, his battalion was stationed in Beirut, Lebanon and shipped out shortly before the bombings.[8]

Business career

Pence owns and operates antique malls in southern Indiana.

After being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, Pence joined Kiel Brothers Oil Company in 1988, after his father died, and served as its president from 1998 to 2004. After his departure, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2004.[7] Through the company, he had also run a chain of gas stations and convenience stores.[9][10]

According to some reports, the cleanup from the defunct business sites has cost Indiana at least $21 million.[11] Pence also worked for Marathon Oil and Unocal. In 1999, he was elected to the board of directors of Home Federal Bancorp and its subsidiary Home Federal Savings Bank.[6][12]

U.S. House of Representatives

Greg Pence standing behind Donald Trump at the 2017 inauguration

Pence with Mike Braun, Donald Trump Jr., and Kimberly Guilfoyle in 2018

Elections

2018 general election

See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana § District 6

Pence was the finance chairman in U.S. House representative Luke Messer's 2018 campaign for the U.S. Senate.[10] In October 2017, Pence launched his own campaign for the position Messer was leaving.[13] On May 8, 2018, Pence won the Republican nomination for the U.S. House seat his brother Mike had held for twelve years. With Pence raising and spending about a million dollars as of mid-April and his closest Republican challenger loaning himself about three quarters of that amount, it made the "race the most expensive in the state." Pence faced Democrat Jeannine Lake in the November general election and won with over a 30 percent margin.[9]

Tenure

Committee assignments[14]

• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
• Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy, and the Environment

Caucus memberships

Electoral history

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Greg Pence	47,955	65.3
	Republican	Jonathan Lamb	17,523	23.9
	Republican	Mike Campbell	3,229	4.4
	Republican	Stephen MacKenzie	2,500	3.4
	Republican	Jeff Smith	2,258	3.1
Total votes			73,465	100.0

Indiana's 6th congressional district, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Greg Pence	154,260	63.8
	Democratic	Jeannine Lee Lake	79,430	32.9
	Libertarian	Tom Ferkinhoff	8,030	3.3
	Independent	John Miller (write-in)	5	0.0
	Independent	Heather Leigh Meloy (write-in)	1	0.0
Total votes			241,726	100.0
	Republican hold

Personal life

Pence and his wife, Denise, own two antique malls.[12] They have four children – Nicole, Lauren, Emily, and John – and six grandchildren.[15]

Denise was an Indiana delegate at the 2016 Republican National Convention and cast her vote for Donald Trump and Mike Pence to be the party's nominees.[2] Pence and his family were in attendance at the Inauguration of Donald Trump, seated several rows behind the incoming president. Their oldest daughter, Nicole, was a TV anchor in Indianapolis[16] and their son, John, was working for the Trump 2020 Campaign as a senior advisor as of February 2020.[17]

References

1. "Where they stand Q&A: Greg Pence". Daily Reporter. April 13, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
2. Pitrelli, Adrianna (October 6, 2017). "VP's sister-in-law on life since the election". WTHR. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
3. "Mike Pence photo gallery". The Republic. January 20, 2017. slides 8, 12, 32. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
4. Webber, Mark (November 1, 2016). "Pence family hosts Edinburgh rally". The Republic. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
5. "About Greg". Greg Pence for Congress. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
6. "Home Federal Bancorp Elects New Director". Business Wire. December 21, 1999. Retrieved May 9, 2018 – via The Free Library.
7. Tackett, Michael (April 22, 2018). "As Another Pence Runs for Congress, His Business Record Raises Questions". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
8. Thomas, Ken (October 23, 2017). "Pence honors memory of Marines killed in 1983 Beirut bombing". The Times of Israel. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
9. Chamberlain, Samuel (May 8, 2018). "Greg Pence wins GOP nomination for House seat once held by brother Mike Pence". Fox News. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
10. Pathé, Simone (August 16, 2017). "Could There Soon Be Another Pence in Washington?". Roll Call. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
11. Slodysko, Brian (July 13, 2018). "Pence family's failed gas stations cost taxpayers $20M+". Associated Press. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
12. Pathé, Simone (April 18, 2018). "Inside the Antique Mall That's Greg Pence's Largest Asset". Roll Call. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
13. Slodysko, Brian (October 18, 2017). "Mike Pence's brother Greg launches run for Indiana U.S. House seat". Washington Times. Associated Press. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
14. "Greg Pence, Representative for Indiana's 6th Congressional District". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
15. Johannesen, Kirk (February 9, 2018). "Candidate discusses Republican concerns with party leaders, including Second Amendment rights, aid for veterans". The Republic. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
16. Ariens, Chris (March 8, 2017). "Nicole Pence, Niece of VP Mike Pence, Leaving TV News". TV Spy. AdWeek. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
17. "John Pence". Fox News. Retrieved February 4, 2020.

External links

• Congressman Greg Pence official U.S. House website
• Campaign site

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Luke Messer	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 6th congressional district 2019–present	Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Chris Pappas	United States Representatives by seniority 393rd	Succeeded by Dean Phillips