Pete Hegseth is an American official born on June 6, 1980, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has served as United States Secretary of Defense, now also styled Secretary of War, since January 2025.
Before entering government, Hegseth spent years as a Fox News host and Army National Guard officer.
Who is Pete Hegseth?
Pete Hegseth is the 29th United States Secretary of Defense, a role he has also used under the secondary title Secretary of War since September 2025.
President Donald Trump nominated him in November 2024, and the Senate confirmed him on January 24, 2025, in a 51-to-50 vote.
He was sworn in the following day.
Before his government role, Hegseth spent years as a Fox News contributor and co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend.
He also served as an Army National Guard officer, with deployments tied to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Early Life of Pete Hegseth
Pete Hegseth grew up in Forest Lake, Minnesota, alongside two younger brothers. His father, Brian Hegseth, grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota, while his mother is known as Penny Hegseth.
He attended Forest Lake Area High School, where he played football and basketball.
Hegseth graduated as valedictorian of his high school class in 1999.
He has described his Christian faith as a significant part of his upbringing and continues to reference it in public life.
Pete Hegseth Age
Pete Hegseth is 46 years old as of 2026, born on June 6, 1980. His zodiac sign is Gemini.
He was 44 years old when the Senate confirmed him as Secretary of Defense in January 2025.
Hegseth is 6 feet tall or 1.83 m and weighs around 75 kg or 165.3 lbs.
Further, he is fond of tattoos. He has inked large tattoos on his right arm.
Pete Hegseth Ethnicity and Nationality
Pete Hegseth is American, born and raised in Minnesota. His family background traces to Minnesota, where his father grew up on a farm before the family later settled in Forest Lake.
He often references his Midwestern upbringing when discussing his personal background in interviews and public appearances.
Pete Hegseth Education
Pete Hegseth graduated from Princeton University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. While at Princeton, he served as publisher of a conservative student publication called The Princeton Tory.
He later earned a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2013.
His combined military and academic background became a central part of his public image as a commentator and later as a Cabinet official.
Pete Hegseth Career
Early Career
After Princeton, Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard. He deployed to Guantanamo Bay, then served as a platoon leader in Iraq, and later taught counterinsurgency tactics in Afghanistan.
His military service earned him decorations including two Bronze Star Medals and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Following his active-duty deployments, Hegseth led veteran advocacy groups Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America.
Media Career
Hegseth joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014 and became a co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend in 2017, a role he held through 2024. He also authored several books, including The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free, released in 2024.
His media presence built the public profile that led to his nomination as defense secretary.
Hegseth ended his Fox News contract after Trump named him as his nominee in November 2024.
Secretary of Defense and Secretary of War
The Senate confirmed Hegseth as secretary of defense on January 24, 2025, and he took office the next day. In September 2025, Trump signed an executive order authorizing Hegseth and the department to use the secondary titles secretary of war and Department of War, reviving a name last used before 1947.
Hegseth has embraced the new title, installing Department of War signage at the Pentagon in November 2025.
As of 2026, he continues to appear before Congress on defense funding, including testimony about costs tied to military operations connected to Iran.
His tenure has included policy changes such as new testosterone testing requirements for troops, announced in July 2026, along with continued scrutiny over department messaging and personnel decisions.
Pete Hegseth Wife
Pete Hegseth has been married three times. He married his high school girlfriend, Meredith Schwarz, in 2004, and the couple divorced in 2009.
He then married Samantha Deering in 2010.
Hegseth and Deering had three sons together before divorcing in 2017, the same year Hegseth had a daughter with Fox News producer Jennifer Rauchet, whom he was dating at the time.
Hegseth married Rauchet in August 2019 at Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey, with Trump in attendance.
Rauchet worked as a Fox News producer before Hegseth’s government appointment and has since appeared alongside him at official events, including his January 2025 swearing-in.
Pete Hegseth Children
Pete Hegseth has seven children across his marriages. He has three sons, Gunner, Peter Boone, and Rex, with his second wife, Samantha Deering.
He shares a daughter, Gwendolyn, born in 2017, with current wife Jennifer Rauchet.
Rauchet also has three children from a previous marriage, making the couple’s household a blended family of seven children in total.
Pete Hegseth Net Worth
Pete Hegseth’s estimated net worth is $6 million as of 2026. His financial disclosures show income built from his Fox News salary, book royalties, speaking engagements, and real estate holdings, including a property in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
His current salary as secretary of war is set at the Level 1 executive pay rate, far lower than his previous Fox News earnings.
The Bottom Line
Pete Hegseth became the 29th United States Secretary of Defense on January 25, 2025, after a Senate vote of 51 to 50. He later took on the secondary title of Secretary of War in September 2025, after Trump signed an executive order authorizing the name.
Hegseth built his public profile through Fox & Friends Weekend and his National Guard service in Iraq and Afghanistan, drawing on that record throughout his political rise. He is a Princeton and Harvard graduate who has published multiple books about military culture.
As of 2026, he continues to lead the department through defense funding debates and policy changes affecting troops. He remains a prominent, closely watched figure in the Trump administration’s national security team.
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