How rich is the first senator to give birth while in office: Tammy Duckworth’s net worth revealed

Tammy Duckworth is an American politician and army veteran who has served as the junior U.S. Senator from Illinois since 2017. Before entering politics, she served as a helicopter pilot in the Iraqi War, losing both legs and partial use of her right arm in the conflict. Today’s article will pinpoint Tammy Duckworth’s net worth and reveal her sources of income.

How rich is Tammy Duckworth?

As her father worked for the United Nations, Tammy Duckworth attended various schools throughout Southeast Asia: Singapore American School, the Jakarta International School, and the International School Bangkok. She graduated from Honolulu’s McKinley High School in 1985 and got a B.A. in political science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In 1992, she earned her M.A. in international affairs from Elliott School of International Affairs.

Duckworth’s subsequent PhD studies were cut short by her war service. She enrolled at the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in 1990 and became a commissioned officer in 1992. She chose to fly helicopters as it was one of the few positions open to women at the time.

Before successfully entering politics, Duckworth held the position of the Assistant Secretary of Veterans under Barack Obama. She unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2006 but was elected in 2012. In 2016, she became a senator from Illinois and has held the position since.

Disclaimer: Estimating a lawmaker’s net worth is challenging because disclosure forms do not mandate exact values. Instead, lawmakers report the value of their assets and liabilities within specified ranges. While we strive to accurately estimate net worth from filings, disclosure rules have shortcomings. Personal residences, certain personal property, and federal retirement accounts are often not reported. Large assets can be listed in broad categories like “Over $1 million” or “Over $50 million,” potentially worth much more. Additionally, most Members of Congress earn $174,000 annually, but this isn’t required to be disclosed.

How did Tammy Duckworth make her money?

Tammy Duckworth’s humble (at times even negative) net worth is a result of the following sources of income, assets, and liabilities:

• Military service: Duckworth has spent a total of 22 years serving in the United States Army. She holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and bears several medals and awards, most notably the Purple Heart;
• Politician’s salary: Tammy Duckworth entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013 and became a senator in 2017. She was variously compensated for the spots during the years, with her current annual salary being $174,000;
• Book royalties: In 2021, Duckworth wrote her biography, Every Day is a Gift: A Memoir, in which she described her life and service in government, politics, and the military. She has received significant sums in royalties, and in 2022 these amounted to $462,500;
• Investing: A minor contribution to Duckworth’s wealth is her investing endeavors, primarily in mutual funds and ETFs. Her portfolio consists of dozens of small investments in assets, including various Vanguard ETFs; 
• Mortgage: The most significant liability and the debt that drags Tammy Duckworth’s net worth into the negative is the mortgage on her family home, evaluated in her financial disclosure at somewhere between $1 million and $5 million.

Insider trading involvement

Tammy Duckworth is opposed to government representatives owning and trading individual stocks. In fact, in September 2023, she joined two senators, Jon Ossoff and Mark Kelly, in introducing the bill to ban stock trading by members of Congress. 

Who is Tammy Duckworth?

Tammy Duckworth was born on March 12, 1968, in Bangkok, Thailand. Her mother was a Thai of Chinese descent, and her father was an American national. She is the first Thai American woman and the first person born in Thailand to hold office in the U.S. Congress.

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Duckworth earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Hawaii and an M.A. in international affairs from George Washington University. Duckworth was called to service as a helicopter pilot in the 2004 Iraqi War, during which she lost both legs and partial use of her right arm. Her recovery and perseverance made her a national figure and a prominent member of the Democratic Party.

In her 2021 memoir, Every Day is a Gift, she describes the details of being a double amputee military veteran and a senator mother.

Before being elected to the Senate, she served as the Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs. As a senator, she strived to advance efforts on veterans’ affairs, healthcare, and disability rights. Duckworth’s service made her stand out in American politics, especially with regard to military and veterans’ affairs.

The bottom line

The veteran senator from Illinois has a notably low net worth for a U.S. representative and was at times ranked as a second-poorest senator. In fact, Tammy Duckworth’s net worth is estimated to be from as high as over $794,000 to as low as below negative $4.75 million. Regardless of her personal net worth, she has built a reputation for selflessly representing the current service members and veterans of the U.S. Army.

Disclaimer: The content on this site should not be considered investment advice. Investing is speculative. When investing, your capital is at risk.

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