James Norman Mattis was born on September 8, 1950, in Pullman, Washington. He is the son of John West Mattis, a merchant mariner, and Lucille (Proulx) Mattis, who immigrated from Canada to the United States as an infant. Lucille Mattis worked in Army Intelligence in South Africa during World War Two, while John Mattis moved to Richland, Washington to work at a plant that supplied fissile material for the Manhattan Project. Mattis was raised in a bookish house where there was no television, fostering an early love for reading and learning.
James Norman Mattis is an American veteran and former government official who served as the 26th United States Secretary of Defense from January 2017 through December 2018. Prior to his tenure as Secretary of Defense, Mattis had a distinguished career in the United States Marine Corps, serving in the Persian Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War.
Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1972. Over the course of his military career, he held various command and staff positions, including as the commander of the 1st Marine Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Mattis retired from the Marine Corps in 2013 with the rank of general.
In January 2017, Mattis was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the Secretary of Defense. He was confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 98-1, and served in the position until his resignation in December 2018. During his tenure as Secretary of Defense, Mattis focused on strengthening military partnerships and alliances, and advocated for a strong defense budget to maintain the United States' military superiority.