Mikie Sherrill, born Rebecca Michelle Sherrill on January 19, 1972, in Alexandria, Virginia, has built a remarkable life of public service as a former Navy pilot, federal prosecutor, and now politician. While she shares little about her early family life, it is known that her childhood involved moving frequently along the East Coast due to her father’s job, which meant she grew up in various locations in that region.
A significant early influence was her grandfather, a pilot in World War II, who inspired her own journey to become a naval aviator. Her educational path took her from South Lakes High School in Reston, Virginia, to the United States Naval Academy, and later to postgraduate studies at the London School of Economics and Georgetown University Law Center.
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Immediate Family and Faith
As an adult, Mikie Sherrill has built a prominent and active family life of her own in Montclair, New Jersey. She is married to Jason Hedberg, who is also a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a former intelligence officer. Reports indicate they have been married for over twenty years and are parents to four children: two sons and two daughters.
Jason and I just voted here at our polling location at Northeast Elementary School! Our kids were excited to come along and see democracy in action. pic.twitter.com/Cu0M0KpZpq
— Mikie Sherrill (@MikieSherrill) June 5, 2018
Their family has recently been in the news because two of their children, Lincoln and Margaret Hedberg, are now students at the U.S. Naval Academy, following in their parents’ footsteps. Regarding her faith, public records note that Sherrill identifies as Catholic, providing a glimpse into her religious affiliation.
Ethnic Background
Mikie Sherrill, the U.S. Congresswoman representing New Jersey’s 11th district, is of white (Caucasian) ethnicity. She was born in Alexandria, Virginia, as the eldest in a family of sisters, and her background traces to European-American heritage, with no public records or self-identifications indicating other ethnic origins.
This aligns with biographical details from sources like her official congressional website and Wikipedia, which describe her as American without specifying subgroups beyond that.
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A Career Forged in Service
The story of Sherrill’s professional life is one of dedication and repeated service to her country. After nearly a decade of active duty in the U.S. Navy, where she served as a helicopter pilot flying missions in Europe and the Middle East and also worked as a Russian policy officer, she transitioned to a legal career. She became a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey, focusing on community outreach and re-entry programs.
Her political career began with her election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, and after several terms in Congress, she was elected Governor of New Jersey in 2025.
