Mitt Romney's announcement of Paul Ryan as his running mate brings the media glare onto a young Wisconsin family. The candidate's wife is Janna Christine Little Ryan, 43. Here's what is known about her so far:
Family
Janna Ryan grew up in Madill, Oklahoma, a small town in Marshall County. Her mother, Prudence Petersen Little, married immediately after her graduation from Wellesley and followed her husband to his native Oklahoma, where she graduated first in her class from the state university's law school.
According to her obituary, Prudence Little practiced law, was extremely active in local affairs, and was appointed by Oklahoma's governor to the state's Ethics Commission and to its Council of Campaign Compliance and Ethical Standards.
Janna's father, Dan Vincent Little, practiced at the Madill law firm started by his father Reuel Little (more on him below), and served on the Oklahoma University Board of Regents, according to NewsOK.
Janna's uncle by marriage is David Boren, a former Oklahoma senator and governor, and a Democrat. Her first cousin is Congressman Dan Boren, also a Democrat, who released a statement Saturday praising both Ryans, and concluding, "Although we belong in different political parties, I see Paul as a friend, a fellow hunter, and most importantly, a family man."
Education
Attended Wellesley, her mother's alma mater, and George Washington University Law School
Career
According to her wedding announcement in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, she worked as a tax attorney for the Washington, DC firm of Pricewaterhouse-Cooper. According to OpenSecrets.org and numerous other sources, she also worked as a lobbyist.
Marriage
The Ryans were married in 2000, when Janna was 31 and her husband 30. According to NewsOK, their wedding took place in St Joseph Old Cathedral, Oklahoma City's Catholic cathedral. News articles frequently cite Janna Ryan's devout Catholicism. If this is true, she perhaps converted when marrying her Catholic husband, as her mother appears to have been Methodist and her father's family to have been parishioners of the Church of Christ in Madill.
Upon their marriage, the Ryans moved to Paul Ryan's hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin. Janna Ryan has remained based there, while her husband famously sleeps in his office in Washington during the week.
Children
The Ryans have three children - Liza, Charlie, and Sam
Personality
Gloria Dittus, a political strategist who was a guest at the Ryan's wedding, described Janna to Politico as "rocket smart". "Big brains, small town values," she said.
Journalists dispatched to Janesville have thus far quoted locals as describing Janna as friendly and down-to-earth.
Assets
She seems poised to be a likable presence in her husband's campaign. Coverage of her has so far been pretty much in line with this near-glowing piece by Eleanor Clift in The Daily Beast.
She also brings the Romney campaign visible links to the South Central region of the country.
Potential liabilities
Last year, the Daily Beast reported that Paul and Janna Ryan owned stakes in four Little family companies that lease land to oil companies. This, the website alleged, made them direct beneficiaries of tax breaks for energy companies called for in Ryan's budget proposal.
Another liability is that Janna is the granddaughter of Reuel W. Little. According to NewsOK's blog, Reuel Little was a lawyer, a failed gubernatorial candidate, and a political backer of George Wallace, of "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" fame.
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