Who Is Robert Wilkie's Wife? New Details On Julia Wilkie
She's known her husband since they were young.
getty After David Shulkin was dismissed by the president, Robert Wilkie was sworn in as the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs in July 2018. Before being appointed, he was Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Prior to serving in the Trump administration, Wilkie was nominated for a position in the Department of Defense and was an intelligence officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
Under the Bush administration, he was special assistant to the President for national security affairs, as well as senior director of the National Security Council, a senior policy advisor to Condoleezza Rice, and her successor, Stephen Hadley.
He was also assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs and for five years, was Vice President for Strategic Programs for CH2M Hill, “one of the largest program management and engineering firms in the world.”
But, as most appointees to the Trump administration, his nomination wasn’t without controversy. He’s a known pro-confederate and has given multiple speeches to defend the case. In 1995, he gave a speech at the U.S. Capitol where he praised Confederate President Jefferson Davis as “a martyr to The Lost Cause” and “an exceptional man in an exceptional age.”
At a 2009 pro-Confederate event, he spoke about Robert E. Lee and called abolitionists “radical,” “mendacious,” and “enemies of liberty.” He also misled Senators during his confirmation hearings, saying he hadn’t been in contact with Confederate groups when he actually had.
But what do we know about Wilkie’s personal life? Does his family agree with his positions on certain issues, or do they have differing opinions? Who is Robert Wilkie’s wife? Here are five things to know about Julia Wilkie and their life together.
1. They’ve known each other since childhood.
According to Wilkie, the two would walk to high school together everyday and knew each other since they were youngsters.
2. They have two kids.
The two are parents to Adam and Megan.
3. They’ve been married 28 years.
They wed in 1990.
4. Her family owned and operated the Haymount Market for 40 years.
Haymount Market is a combination town hall and town market building in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
5. She’s always stood by his side.
When Wilkie was sworn in as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, he thanked his wife for always being with him. “Outside of the military oaths that I have taken, this is the third time that I have taken the federal oath of office. And just as in 2006 and 2017, my wife Julia is with me. We have known each other since we were youngsters in North Carolina, and nothing that I have done would have been possible without her,” he said.
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.