James Henry Webb Jr. Outside of working in government, Webb has also worked as a journalist, filmmaker, and author of ten books.
As a member of the Democratic Party , Webb announced on November 19, , that he was forming an exploratory committee to evaluate a run for President of the United States in On July 2, , he announced that he would be joining the race for the Democratic nomination for president , but stepped down from running in the primaries on October 20, , stating that he was "not comfortable" with many political positions from the party's leadership.
Webb was born in St. The family crisscrossed the country, living in Missouri, Illinois, Texas , Alabama, Nebraska, California, and Virginia, as well as in England, where his father was an exchange officer with the Royal Air Force.
After developing an inner ear disorder, Meniere's Disease , he became a pioneer in the Air Force missile program, later serving as the commanding officer of the st Missile Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Webb's parents are buried at the Arlington National Cemetery. Webb is descended from Scots-Irish immigrants from Ulster who emigrated in the midth century to the British North American colonies. Webb's book Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America details his family history, noting that his ancestors fought in every major American war. Webb attended more than a dozen schools across the U. After graduating from high school in Bellevue, Nebraska , he attended the University of Southern California on a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarship from to [ 8 ] and he also was a member of Delta Chi.
