Chris Van Hollen

official U.S. Congress photo of Chris Van Hollen c. 2010

Birth Name: Christopher J. Van Hollen, Jr.

Place of Birth: Karachi, Pakistan

Date of Birth: January 10, 1959

Ethnicity: English, smaller amounts of Dutch and Scottish

Chris Van Hollen is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been a U.S. Senator from Maryland, since January 3, 2017. He was previously a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland, from January 3, 2003 to January 3, 2017, a Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, from January 3, 2007 to January 3, 2011, and a Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, from January 3, 2017 to January 3, 2019.

Chris was born in Karachi, Pakistan, the son of American parents, Edith Eliza (Farnsworth), who was born in New York, and Christopher Van Hollen, who was born in Maryland. His father was a diplomat, who was a U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, from October 27, 1972 to April 21, 1976, among other duties. The Van Hollen family helped develop the Cedarcroft section of North Baltimore. Chris’s mother worked for the CIA and state department.

He is married to Katherine Wilkens, with whom he has three children.

Chris’ ancestry is largely colonial American. Many of his lines trace back to New England in the 1600s.

Chris’s paternal grandfather was Donald Beauchamp Van Hollen (the son of George Henry Van Hollen and Margaret Beauchamp). Donald was born in Maryland, and worked for the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, and for the family’s seafood business. Chris’s great-grandfather George owned the Atlantic Packing Co. Margaret was the daughter of Robert S. Beauchamp and Eleanora C. Mullikin.

Chris’s paternal grandmother was Cecilia Harvey Coale (the daughter of William Ellis Coale and Mary Ella Baily). Cecilia was born in Maryland, and was a secretary for the League of Women Voters. William was the son of Thomas Ellicott Coale and Cecilia Harvey. Mary was the daughter of Hezekiah Bye Baily and Elizabeth Baker Griffith.

Chris’s maternal grandfather was Charles Winslow Farnsworth (the son of Charles Farnsworth and Edith Winslow). Chris’s grandfather Charles was born in Colorado. Chris’s great-grandfather Charles was the son of Charles Farnsworth and Harriet Peck Lester. Edith was the daughter of Roland Winslow and Ann/Annie/Anne Payson Hall.

Chris’s maternal grandmother was Caroline/Carolina Waterman Swift (the daughter of Frederick Rotch Swift and Eliza Morgan Bates). Caroline was born in Washington, D.C. Frederick was the son of Frederick Swift and Sarah Rodman Rotch. Eliza was the daughter of Alfred Elliot Bates, a Major General, and of Caroline Eliza McCorkle.

Sources: Genealogy of Chris Van Hollen – http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com

Genealogy of Chris Van Hollen (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com