Jerry Demings is an American politicians who is the current Mayor of Orange County, Florida. More than that, he is also recognized as the husband of Val Demings, who is also a politician gunning to become the first black US senator from Florida.
Just as his wife, Jerry has attracted so much attention thanks to his political activities, having formerly served as a law enforcement officer. With many more interesting things about him, here is all we know about the 63-year-old Demings.
Jerry Demings Is Val Demings’ Husband Of 35 Years
The first time that Val and Jerry met was back at Floria State University in the late 1970s. Nonetheless, nothing happened between them at the time and Val did not even remember meeting him.
As chance would have it, Jerry Demings and Valdez Venita Demings (Val) who is also referred to as Val Butler, got to meet again in 1984 when they were serving in the Orlando Police Department; Val was in her first year with the department.
It was thanks to this that the two met properly for the first time when they were both put together to work on a juvenile go-karate-accident case.
Their first meeting was an interesting one as even though Val was a rookie, she did not hesitate to question her superiors on the case they were handling. Jerry liked that about her. Jerry and Val would later go out on casual dates before becoming close friends, and then lovers.
Ultimately, they got married in 1988, even though Val never had the premonition that she would ever date or get married to a policeman. 35 years after they walked down the aisle, they are still very much together.
Jerry and Val Demings Are Parents to Three Kids
The power couple is blessed with three sons, all of whom are doing great for themselves. All their children are now grown-ups and have graduated from college.
More than being parents, Val and Jerry are also grandparents to their five grandchildren.
All Other Facts About Val Demings’ Husband
1. He was brought up in a large family
Jerry L. Demings was born a twin with his brother on June 12, 1959, in Orlando, Florida. It was also there that he was brought up in a large of five kids. While his mother stayed at home, his father worked as a tax diver.
2. Demings is a well-educated fellow
Looking at his educational pursuits, Jerry Demings attended Jones High School in Orlando and from there, he moved to Florida State University and then Everest College, where he graduated with a degree in finance. He also obtained a Master’s degree in business administration. Not done, Demings went to Havard University’s Kennedy School where he got a certificate of completion.
3. He lost a sibling to heroin addiction
While growing up, Jerry suffered the tragic loss of his brother who was said to have died at a very young age. His demise was caused by an addiction to heroin. This loss was what opened the eyes of the young Jerry to the effects of drug abuse on families.
4. Jerry Demings was a police officer for 22 years
Jerry Demings joined the Orlando Police Department in 1981 after passing through the J. C. Stone Memorial Police Academy. While there, he rose to become the first African American Chief in 1998. He held that post until he retired in 2002 after 21 years of service.
5. Jerry Demings’ wife also rose in ranks in the police force
By the time he was retiring from the police department, his wife was still rising in ranks. In 2002 after he left the force, Jerry became a Director of Public Safety for Orange County until he was elected in 2008 as Sheriff of the county. At the time, his wife also rose to become the second African American Chief of the Orlando Police Department, and the first African American woman to achieve the feat. More so, she was the first woman to hold the position.
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6. From the police force, both Val Deming’s husband and she joined politics
Although Jerry has been in politics for a while, his wife got to join after she left the Orlando Police Department in 2011. The next year, she ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida’s 10th District. Sadly, she lost out. Two years later, in 2014, she ran to become her county’s mayor but later withdrew.
In 2017, she became a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida’s 10th District, a position she continues to occupy. Following Joe Biden’s victory at the Democratic Primaries, Val Demings was shortlisted to become his vice ahead of the 2020 presidential elections.
In 2022, Val became the Democratic nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Florida.
In the same manner, her husband has been in politics for a long time. After serving as Sheriff, Jerry Demings became the first African American Mayor of Orange County in 2018.
