Kamala Devi Harris has achieved worldwide recognition after becoming the 49th, and first female Vice President of the United States in 2021.
Regarding her height, often surrounded by male politicians, she regularly appears on the shorter side, but how tall is she exactly, and is she under average height for an American woman? Let's find out the answer to this question, and we'll also compare her height to President Joe Biden, and the top shortest Vice Presidents throughout the years.
Kamala Harris is the shortest Vice President in history, standing at, 5'3.5" (161.3 cm) which is 8.75 inches shorter than President Joe Biden. Yet, she's within the average height range for an American woman, which is around 5'4", and is by no means a short woman; in contrast to how she's often perceived in the media.
Height Comparisons
When in a world predominantly comprised of men, for a woman of average height, it's easy to look on the shorter side, but Kamala is actually within the average height for an American female.
When we see Kamala standing next to President Joe Biden, who stands at 5'11.5" (181.6 cm), he looks a lot taller than her, even when she's wearing 3-inch heels. The height difference in such instances appears to be around 5 inches, which puts Kamala comfortably over 5'3" tall.
When she's standing next to former President Barack Obama, who is 6'1" (185.4 cm) and wearing 3-inch heels, the height difference looks to be closer to 7 inches, again falling in line with the idea that Kamala stands over 5'3" tall. To summarize, a person within the 5'0"- 5'2" range would look shorter than she does standing with a man comfortably over 6 feet tall.
Fitting Into A Tall World
Over time, Kamala's height has made itself into news articles, and there are reports all over the web that state Kamala is 5'2", but from the evidence below, I believe she is taller than this.
There have been reports that when Kamala moved into office, according to a former aide, she inherited furniture which was designed to fit the 'average male height', and more specifically the 48th Vice President, Mike Pence, who is within the average male height range of 5'9" (175.3 cm). Therefore, to accommodate her size, a new chair was made.
She also has a new desk amongst other furniture, but it is unclear whether this is due to her stature.
How Tall Are Kamala's Family Members?
- Kamala is married to the Second Gentleman of the United States, Douglas Craig Emhoff, who stands 5'10.5" (179 cm) tall.
- Her Mother, Shyamala Gopalan, stood at 5'0" (152.4 cm), and her father, Donald Harris, stands 5'9" (175.3 cm) tall.
- Her younger sister, Maya Harris, stands 4'11" (149.9 cm) in height.
- Kamala's niece, Meena Harris, stands at 5'8" (172.7 cm)
Who Is The Shortest Vice President?
The average height for a vice president is around 5'11" tall. Kamala is significantly shorter than this. But is she the shortest vice President? Let's see how she stacks up against the top shortest vice presidents in history.
- Kamala Harris, 5'3.5" (161.3 cm)
- Martin Van Buren, 5'6" (167.6 cm)
- Aaron Burr Jr., 5'6" (167.6 cm)
- John Adams, 5'7" (170.2 cm)
- Richard Bruce Cheney, 5'8" (172.7 cm)
- John Calvin Coolidge Jr., 5'9" (175.3 cm)
- Harry S. Truman, 5'9" (175.3 cm)
- Michael Richard Pence, 5'9" (175.3 cm)
Kamala Harris is the shortest Vice President in American history and is 2.5 inches shorter than the second shortest, Martin Van Buren.
Also, the tallest Vice President in history was Lyndon Johnson, who stood at 6'3" (190.1 cm), and the difference in height between him and Kamala Harris is 11.5 inches.
Conclusion
There are lots of reports that Kamala Harris stands at 5'2" tall, but in fact, her height is within the 5'3"-5'4" range throughout the day, so I'll list her at 5'3.5", which is within the average height range for an American woman. She's the shortest Vice President in history, but also the only woman to have taken the role.
Related Heights
- Nancy Patricia Pelosi, American politician, 5'4.5 (163.8 cm)
- Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States (2021-), 5'6" (167.6 cm)
- Hilary Clinton, 54th (official 44th) First Lady of the United States (1993–2001), 5'5.5" (166.4 cm)
- Donald Trump, 45th U.S. President (2017-2021), 6'2" (188 cm)
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, American politician and activist, 5'4" (162.6 cm)