Elaine Chao, Marriage, Divorce, Mitch McConnell, and Net Worth

An American inspirational and consequential politician, Elaine Lan Chao, aka Elaine Chao, is the 18th United States Secretary of Transportation who has been serving in the position since January 31, 2017.

Previously, she also served as the United States Secretary of Labour for eight years from 2001 through 2009 under the presidency of Geroge W. Bush. 

Further, the former Commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission married the longest-serving U.S. senator for Kentucky, Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr. and shares three kids from her spouse’s previous marriage.

Taiwan Native

Elaine, the Secretary of Transportation, was born Elaine Lan Chao on March 26, 1953, in Taipei, Taiwan, under the Aries birth sign to Chinese parents, James Si-Cheng Chao and Ruth Mulan Chu Chao.

Her father is an entrepreneur and philanthropist, while her mother is a historian.

Lan had left the Chinese mainland after the outbreak of the Chinese Civil war. In 1961, her whole family immigrated to the United States when she was eight years old.

She has received her American nationality at the age of 19 and belongs to mixed ethnicity.

Academic Backgrounds

Chau attended Tsai Hsing Elementary School in Taipei for kindergarten and first grade. Later in 1975, she graduated from Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.

Likewise, in 1979, she received an MBA degree from Harvard Business School and a Doctor of Human Letters Degree from Georgetown University and other 37 Honorary Doctorates.

Similarly, she is the first Asian-American woman in the history of the United States to be nominated in the President’s Cabinet.

The 68-year-old leader worked as the United States of America president from 1992 through 1996.

A member of the Republican Party as like Chuck Grassley, also worked as the board of directors on several firms and worked for the Hudson Institute and The Heritage Foundation.

Elaine Marital Life With The U.S. Senator, Mitch McConnell

An American businesswoman and government official, Chau tied the wedding knot with Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr., the longest-serving U.S. senator for Kentucky, on February 6, 1993.

Further, the couple exchanged wedding vows in an intimate wedding in the Chapel of the U.S. Capitol.

The date picked for their big day was special for three reasons; firstly, it was Ronald Regan‘s birthday; secondly, it was just before her 40th birthday; and thirdly, it was right before a one-week Senate recess.

Though the twosome has been married for almost three decades, they haven’t welcomed any children. Nevertheless, Elaine shares three children from her husband’s previous marriage. Additionally, Chao is the second wife of Michell.

There are no controversies or rumors about their married life that have been the topic of gossips. The lovebird must be living their espousal life happily.

Elaine and Mitch First Encounter

The 12th Director of the Peace Corps, Elaine and the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, McConnell, met in the early 1990s in Washington, DC.

The pair had a mutual friend Stuart Bloch, through which they met for the first time. Since 1960, Bloch and Mitch had known each other, and Mr. Stuart Bloch was married to the mentor of Chao, Julia Chang Bloch.

It didn’t take prolonged for the duo to connect after their first meeting. After three years, the romantic couple married in 1993 on Regan’s Birthday.

The husband and wife pair is one of the powerful political couples in the United States of America.

More About Chao’s Life Partner, Mitch McConnell

Elaine’s spouse, Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr., is the Senate Majority Leader and Kentucky’s senior United States senator.

Moreover, he is the longest-serving Republican U.S. Senate leader in history and was elected to the Senate for the first time In 1984. Since then, the American politician had been re-elected five more times.

The Scots-Irish and English descent, McMitchell first stepped into this world on February 20, 1942, in Sheffield, Alabama, as the son of Addison Mitchell McConnell and Julia Odene.

In 1964, he earned a B.A. degree in political science from Louisville. Later, Mitch graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1967, where he served as the president Student Bar Association during his college days.

Who Is The Another Mysterious Wife Of Mitch McConnell?

Before this, the Southern Baptist Mitch was in marital bond with Sherrill Redmon in 1968. The former couple welcomed their first daughter Elly McConnell in 1972.

Then again, after four years, they were blessed with two more daughters, Claire McConnell and Porter McConnell, in 1976 and 1979, respectively.

Unfortunately, in 1980, the ex-duo parted their ways, just a year after they welcomed their youngest daughter. Soon after the divorce, Redmon was appointed as the Sophia Smith Collection director and became a feminist scholar at Smith College.

How Much is Elaine Chao’s Net Worth?

The secretary of transportation, Lan has a jaw-dropping net worth of $24 Million, which she accumulated throughout her multi-professional career.

As per some tabloids, In the United States of America, the average wage of a politician is $174,000 per year, which also adds to her fortune.

The Republican member has worked in numerous honorable positions in the United States. She served as Secretary of Labour under the presidency of George W. Bush from January 29, 2001, through January 20, 2009.

Also, Chao was appointed as Secretary of Transportation on January 31, 2017, under Donald Trump‘s presidency and is currently doing under the same position.

Meanwhile, her beloved partner holds a staggering net value of $22.5 Million.

Further, he has been actively toiling in various governmental positions since 1975. Serving in numerous honorable positions for more than four decades, Mitch has successfully stockpiled millions of dollars as his net worth. 

Evaluating all the fortune combined of Mr. and Mrs. McConnell comes in eight-figures. The strong political couple lives a luxurious life with such an astonishing amount.

Elaine Chao Comes From A Wealthy Family

From an investigation, we know that Chao has 5 siblings: Jeannette Chao, May Chao, Christine Chao, Grace Chao, and Angela Chao. Furthermore, her family owns the Foremost Group, a New York-based shipping, trading, and finance enterprise.

In 2004, the net worth of Elaine was $3.1 Million as per the Washington Post. Subsequently, in 2014, her net worth enriched sevenfold, from $3.1 Million to $22.8 Million.

Coming from a wealthy family, she received the estate after her mother’s demise in 2007, resulting from an increase of her fortune by millions.

During the re-election campaigns of Mitch McConnell’s, her father contributed millions of dollars. The whole Chao family is the top donor of the Republican Party of Kentucky, granting approximately $525,000 over two decades.

Besides, the Chao family gave $40 million to Harvard Business School in 2012 for scholarships for students of Chinese heritage and the Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Center.

In-Charge Of The Singapore Office.

Scrolling down social sites, we found that Elaine Lan Chao is Co-Partner-in-Charge of the Singapore office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

Likewise, her course areas possess renewable energy, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, infrastructure projects, oil and gas, and a broad range of general corporate/commercial dealings.

Ms. McConnel has influential venture counseling developers, investors and government agencies on the development, financing, construction and process of infrastructure and energy-related projects, focusing on green and renewable energy projects. In Asia, Africa, and the United States.

The politician has counseled on acquiring and developing several biomass, fuel cell technology, and solar and wind power projects.

Additionally, her experience rises to drafting and arranging project development agreements, power purchase agreements, consultancy agreements, turbine supply agreements, FEED contracts, EPC contracts, direct agreements, procurement and equipment supply agreements, BOP agreements, asset management agreements and O&M agreements.

Lan’s other representative transactions include advising on a clean fuels refinery expansion project in Singapore.

It is a methanol export facilities project in Brunei, various upstream oil and gas acquisitions, a Jet Merox refinery expansion project in Thailand, and divestments in the Middle East and North Africa.

Also, an integrated steel mill project in Ethiopia and two pipeline projects in Djibouti.

Besides, her practice includes advising on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, regulatory and compliance matters, Singapore-related corporate and commercial transactions in the FMCG sector.

Investigations

An American Transportation Department’s inspector general’s headquarters investigated former Transportation Secretary Elaine for possible violations of ethics rules and misuse of her position — and its news went public this week. 

The inquiry focused on, among other things, how she — who is wedded to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — may have improperly assisted members of her family and their shipping company, Foremost Group.

Foremost Group does important business in China and is navigated by Lan’s father, James S.C. Chao, and her sister, Angela. (Neither Elaine nor Mitch has a financial stake in it, found on publicly available information.)