Second dude? Vice spouse? Doug Emhoff also makes history

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris made history on several levels Saturday, becoming the first woman, the first Black woman, and the first person of Asian American descent to be elected to the United States' second-highest office. But Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, made some history of his own.

>> Read more trending news

Emhoff, 57, will be the first male spouse of a vice president when Harris takes the oath of office in January.

“So proud of you,” Emhoff tweeted on Saturday, with a picture of him and Harris hugging.

But that begs the question: What do we call Emhoff? Second gentleman? Second husband? Second dude? Vice spouse?

People on social media have been weighing in with their own opinions.

The country was faced with this possibility in 2016, when Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump in the presidential election. Her husband, Bill Clinton, had already been president, and his wife’s election would have put him in the extremely unusual position of being a president and the spouse of a president.

That did not happen.

However, Hollywood had already covered that possibility in a 1964 movie, “Kisses for My President.”

When Leslie McCloud (Polly Bergen) is elected as president, her husband, Thad McCloud (Fred MacMurray) becomes the First Husband. MacMurray is shown throughout the movie hosting women’s groups and garden parties.

Emhoff probably will not be serving tea. He is a successful entertainment lawyer and partner of DLA Piper in Los Angeles, CBS News reported. His most notable case was his defense of an advertising agency in a dispute over the rights to the Taco Bell chihuahua that was featured in the “Yo Quiero Taco Bell” ads, USA Today reported.

Emhoff took a leave of absence after Harris joined Biden’s ticket so that he could focus on the campaign, the newspaper reported.

Emhoff stayed in the background while Harris ran for president during the Democratic primaries, and also when Harris was tapped as Joe Biden’s running mate in August.

Emhoff, however, is active on social media, and his supporters call themselves the #DougHive, CNN reported. Emhoff did gain attention when he rushed onstage when a protester got too close to Harris during a campaign stop, the network reported.

Harris and Emhoff met after they were set up on a blind date in 2013 by Harris' best friend when Harris was California’s attorney general. Emhoff was, at the time, divorced from Kerstin Emhoff, with whom he has two children, Cole and Ella.

Emhoff proposed the following year and married Harris in a ceremony officiated by Harris' sister, CNN reported.

Emhoff was born in Brooklyn, New York, and moved with his family to Southern California from New Jersey as a teenager, according to USA Today. He graduated from California State University at Northridge in 1987 and attended USC’s Gould School of Law where he got his law degree in 1990, the newspaper reported.

“I love my husband. He is funny, he is kind, he is patient, he loves my cooking. He’s just a really great guy,” Harris told NowThis in an interview last year.

Now, he’s the Second Gentleman.

What name do you prefer?

Cox Media Group