Cate Edwards

Catharine Elizabeth "Cate" Edwards (born March 4, 1982) is the elder daughter of John Edwards, the 2004 nominee for Vice President of the United States from the Democratic Party, and Elizabeth Edwards. Her siblings are: Wade (1979 - 1996), Emma Claire (born 1998), and Jack (b. 2000).

Early life

Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, where her parents were both practicing attorneys, Edwards was educated in the Wake County Public school system. She attended Aldert Root Elementary School, Daniels Middle School, and Broughton High School, where she graduated at the top of her class. In high school, she played soccer, basketball and softball, and was named all-conference and MVP her senior year.

Edwards then attended Princeton University, majoring in political economics and graduating with honors. She is a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and has worked in an internship for the Council on Foreign Relations.

Political activity

She actively campaigned with her father on his unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2003 and 2004. After the Presidential election, Edwards lived in New York City and worked as an editorial assistant for Vanity Fair. While in New York, she and co-worker Jessica Flint founded an online rolodex called UrbanistaOnline to help young newcomers settle into New York. In 2004 Edwards also became a board member of the youth voter initiative, Generation Engage and an active voice in youth politics. She was again an active campaigner for her father's 2008 run for the Democratic presidential nomination.

She started attending Harvard Law School in the fall of 2006. She worked as intern to Nina Totenberg at NPR in the summer after her 1L year.

Early in the 2004 Presidential campaign, Edwards became the first family member of the Democratic presidential candidates to state that she is in favor of legalizing gay marriage. On September 30, 2007, during a campaign stop with actor James Denton, Edwards again stated that she sides with her mother in support of gay marriage. She is quoted as saying: "I'm on my mom's side with this, not my dad's. It's the word 'marriage' that he is hung up on. John Edwards supports civil unions, while Elizabeth Edwards has stated that she supports marriage.