Jim Bob Duggar

James Robert Duggar (born July 18, 1965) is an American real estate agent, politician and television personality, known for the reality series, 19 Kids and Counting, which aired from 2008 to 2015. From 1999 to 2002, he was a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives.

Jim Bob Duggar
Duggar in 2007
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 6th district
In office 1999–2002
Preceded by	Louie McJunkin
Succeeded by	Jodie Mahony
Personal details
Born	James Robert Duggar July 18, 1965 Springdale, Arkansas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Michelle Ruark ​ (m. 1984)​
Children	20 (see below)
Occupation	Realtor, businessman, investor, television personality, author
Website	duggarfamily.com
Nickname(s)	Jim Bob Duggar

Life and career

Duggar was born in Springdale, now the fourth largest city in Arkansas, the son of James Lee "Jimmy Lee" Duggar (1936–2009) and the former Mary Lester (1941–2019), who owned a real estate brokerage agency.[1] Duggar has an older sister, Deanna (b. 1962).[2][3] He graduated from Shiloh Christian School.[4]

Duggar is a licensed realtor and owns several commercial properties in his local area as an investor.[5][6]

Political career

From 1999 to 2002, Duggar served in the Arkansas House of Representatives for District 6, which included part of northern Washington County.[7][8][9] Duggar was vice chair of the House Corrections and Criminal Law Subcommittee and also participated in the committees on Insurance and Commerce and Judiciary.[10]

In 2002, rather than seeking reelection the state House, Duggar ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary election for the United States Senate. He was defeated by the incumbent Senator Tim Hutchinson by a lopsided vote of 71,576 to 20,546.[11][12] In 2006, Duggar unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the District 35 seat in the Arkansas State Senate.[13] He lost to his opponent, Bill Pritchard, by two hundred votes.

Marriage and children

On July 21, 1984, Duggar married Michelle Ruark.[14] Together, the couple has 19 children: Joshua ("Josh") (b. 1988), twins Jana and John-David (b. 1990), Jill (b. 1991), Jessa (b. 1992), Jinger (b. 1993), Joseph (b. 1995), Josiah (b. 1996), Joy (b. 1997), twins Jedidiah and Jeremiah (b. 1998), Jason (b. 2000), James (b. 2001), Justin (b. 2002), Jackson (b. 2004), Johannah (b. 2005), Jennifer (b. 2007), Jordyn (b. 2008), and Josie (b. 2009). The family was featured on the reality series 19 Kids and Counting from 2008 to 2015. On November 8, 2011, Duggar's wife announced she was pregnant with their 20th child, whom they named Jubilee Shalom.[15] On December 8, 2011, it was announced she had miscarried.[16]

Duggar and his family are Independent Baptist Christians. They are members of the Institute in Basic Life Principles organization (aka IBLP and Advanced Training Institute),[17] a homeschooling program run by Christian minister Bill Gothard.[18][19][20] Duggar's oldest daughter, Jana Duggar, is a leader at the IBLP's "Journey to the Heart" youth ministry.[21]

Josh Duggar molestation report

Gossip tabloid In Touch Weekly reported[22] that Duggar told the Arkansas State Police that his oldest son had molested five underage girls,[22] including family members, when he was 14–15 years old.[23][24][25][26][27] The abuse involved touching their breast and genital regions on multiple occasions while they slept and in a few cases while they were awake.[24][28][29][30]

Duggar told police he had referred his son to a program consisting of physical labor and counseling after consulting with the leadership of his church. Duggar's wife stated their son was sent away from home to work for a family friend in the home remodeling business. Upon the son's return home, Duggar took him to Arkansas State Trooper Jim Hutchens, a family acquaintance. Hutchens did not take any official action but reportedly gave Duggar's son a "stern talk".[30]

Duggar spoke officially to law enforcement in 2006 after his son's actions were reported to authorities by producers of The Oprah Winfrey Show, which received an email making allegations against Josh Duggar. The three year statute of limitations had expired when the allegations were reported, Josh Duggar was not formally charged with any crime.[30][31]

In a joint statement to People magazine following the report, Duggar and his wife stated, "Even though we would never choose to go through something so terrible, each one of our family members drew closer to God. We pray that as people watch our lives they see that we are not a perfect family. We have challenges and struggles every day."[26]

Books

Duggar and his wife have written two books together, both published by Howard Books. The first is titled The Duggars: 20 and Counting!, which was released on December 2, 2008. Their second is A Love That Multiplies, which was released June 7, 2011.[32]

Other political activities

In 2008, Duggar and his wife endorsed former Governor Mike Huckabee in his campaign for the Republican presidential primaries.[33] In January 2012, the Duggars endorsed Republican former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania for president.[34]

Children

Children	Birth	Marriage		Grandchildren
		Date and Place	Spouse
Joshua "Josh" James	March 3, 1988[35] Tontitown, Arkansas	September 26, 2008 Buford Grove Baptist Church Hilliard, Florida	Anna Renée Keller June 23, 1988	Mackynzie Renée Duggar October 8, 2009
	Michael James Duggar June 15, 2011
	Marcus Anthony Duggar June 2, 2013[36]
	Meredith Grace Duggar July 16, 2015[37]
	Mason Garrett Duggar September 12, 2017 (age 3 years) [38]
	Maryella Hope Duggar [39] November 27, 2019 (age 1 year 2 months)
Jana Marie	January 12, 1990 Tontitown, Arkansas	None
John-David	January 12, 1990[35] Tontitown, Arkansas	November 3, 2018 First Baptist Church Ada, Oklahoma[40]	Abbie Grace Burnett April 16, 1992	Grace Annette Duggar[41] January 7, 2020 (age 1 year 1 month)
Jill Michelle	May 17, 1991 (age 29) Tontitown, Arkansas	June 21, 2014 Cross Church Springdale, Arkansas	Derick Michael Dillard March 9, 1989	Israel David Dillard April 6, 2015 [42]
	Samuel Scott Dillard July 8, 2017 (age 3 years) [43]
Jessa Lauren	November 4, 1992[44] Tontitown, Arkansas	November 1, 2014 First Baptist Church Bentonville, Arkansas	Benjamin "Ben" Michael Seewald May 19, 1995	Spurgeon Elliot Seewald November 5, 2015[45]
	Henry Wilberforce Seewald February 6, 2017 (age 4 years)[46]
	Ivy Jane Seewald May 26, 2019 (age 1 year 8 months)[47]
Jinger Nicole	December 21, 1993[44] Fayetteville, Arkansas	November 5, 2016 Cathedral of the Ozarks Siloam Springs, Arkansas	Jeremy Joseph Vuolo September 5, 1987	Felicity Nicole Vuolo July 19, 2018 (age 2 years 6 months)[48]
	Evangeline (Evie) Jo Vuolo[49] November 22, 2020 (age 2 months 16 days)
Joseph "Joe" Garrett	January 20, 1995[35] Tontitown, Arkansas	September 8, 2017 First Baptist Church Siloam Springs, Arkansas	Kendra Renee Caldwell August 11, 1998	Garrett David Duggar June 8, 2018 (age 2 years 7 months)
	Addison (Addie)Renee Duggar [50] November 2, 2019 (age 1 year 3 months)
	Baby Duggar (Due February 21 2021)
Josiah Matthew	August 28, 1996[35] Tontitown, Arkansas	June 30, 2018 Cathedral of the Ozarks Siloam Springs, Arkansas	Lauren Milagro Swanson May 18, 1999	Bella Milagro Duggar November 8, 2019 (age 1 year 2 months) [51]
Joy-Anna	October 28, 1997[44] Tontitown, Arkansas	May 26, 2017 Cross Church Pinnacle Hills Rogers, Arkansas	Austin Martyn Forsyth December 11, 1993	Gideon Martyn Forsyth February 23, 2018 (age 2 years 11 months)
	Evelyn (Evy) Mae Forsyth August 21, 2020 (age 5 months 17 days)
Jedidiah Robert	December 30, 1998[35] Tontitown, Arkansas	None
Jeremiah Robert	December 30, 1998[35] Tontitown, Arkansas	None
Jason Michael	April 21, 2000[35] Tontitown, Arkansas	None
James Andrew	July 7, 2001[35] Tontitown, Arkansas	None
Justin Samuel	November 15, 2002[35] Tontitown, Arkansas	None	Claire Yvonne Spivey (engaged)[52][53] February 27, 2001	None
Jackson Levi	May 23, 2004[35] Tontitown, Arkansas	None
Johannah Faith	October 11, 2005[44] Tontitown, Arkansas	None
Jennifer Danielle	August 2, 2007[44] Tontitown, Arkansas	None
Jordyn-Grace Makiya	December 18, 2008[44] Tontitown, Arkansas	None
Josie Brooklyn	December 10, 2009[44] Little Rock, Arkansas	None
Tyler Wayne	February 10, 2008[35] Arkansas	Adopted Child

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have guardianship of Tyler Hutchins, born February 10, 2008, whose birth mother is Rachel Hutchins, Michelle Duggar's niece. [54]

See also

• The Bates Family

References

1. "Good Neighbor Realty, Mary Duggar" Archived August 4, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 17, 2015.
2. "Prayers for "Grand Pa" Jim Duggar." Archived August 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Discovery Health. February 11, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
3. "Counting their blessings" Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. San Diego Union Tribune. January 5, 2006. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
4. https://www.romper.com/p/did-jim-bob-duggar-go-to-college-heres-what-the-father-of-19-has-done-for-education-8889927
5. Rengers, Carrie (September 9, 2001). "13 Children Add Up To Asset For Challenger". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Archived from the original on June 5, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
6. Celizic, Mike (September 21, 2007). "Meet the Duggar family – all 19 of them". New York, US: MSNBC. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
7. Patrick, Galen (December 13, 2011). "Memorial Ceremony Held by Jim Bob, Michelle Duggar for Jubilee Shalom". Ontario, Canada: MJB Star. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
8. Arkansas House District Map as of 2002. The yellow district at the northern part of Washington County is the sixth.
9. Considine, Bob (May 9, 2008). "Mom pregnant with 18th child". New York, USA: MSNBC. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
10. "Representative Jim Bob Duggar". Arkansas Legislature. Archived from the original on November 7, 2002.
11. "Certification Report: 2002 Preferential Primary Non-Partisan Judicial" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 7, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
12. Staff reporter (May 23, 2002). "Senator Wins in Arkansas". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
13. Doug Thompson (March 29, 2006). "Duggar runs for Springdale state Senate seat". Arkansas News Bureau. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007.
14. "Family Scrapbook". Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar Family. Archived from the original on January 24, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
15. "Michelle Duggar, feminist?" Additionally, they have 16 grandchildren from the 8 of their 19 children who are married. Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Faith Street. November 10, 2011.
16. Dennis, Alicia. "Michelle Duggar Miscarries". People. Archived from the original on December 10, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
17. Duggar, Michelle & Jim Bob (2011). A love that multiplies. Nashville, Tenn.: Howard Books. pp. 228, 275, 276, 281. ISBN 978-1-4391-8381-6.
18. "Bill Gothard placed on administrative leave". World. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
19. "A Time of Transition: A Statement From the Board of Directors". IBLP. June 17, 2014. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
20. Hathaway, Jay. "The Duggar Homeschool Program's Terrifying Advice on Sexual Assault". Gawker. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
21. "A Duggar on Her Own" Archived July 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Duggar Family Blog. September 25, 2012
22. Josh Duggar sex scandal reported Archived November 13, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, intouchweekly.com; accessed May 22, 2015.
23. "Duggars reeling from Josh's sex-abuse scandal". USA Today. May 21, 2015. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
24. Ohlheiser, Abby (May 22, 2015). "Josh Duggar apologizes amid molestation allegations, quits Family Research Council". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
25. Rhodan, Maya (May 21, 2015). "Josh Duggar Responds to Child Molestation Claims: 'I Acted Inexcusably'". Time. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
26. "Josh Duggar Child Molestation Accusations: 19 Kids & Counting Star Responds". people.com. May 21, 2015. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
27. "Josh Duggar Involved In Underage Sex Scandal: Report". ibtimes.com. May 19, 2015. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
28. "Heavily redacted police report re Duggar case". Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
29. "Duggar Son Allegedly Admitted to Sexually Molesting Minor Girls, Including Sisters". tmz.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
30. Jones, Allie. "The Web Has Known About Josh Duggar for Years. When Did TLC Find Out?". gawker.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
31. O'Connor, Brendan. "Josh Duggar Confirms Teen Molestation Reports". gawker.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
32. Duggar, Michelle; Duggar, Jim Bob (June 7, 2011). A Love That Multiplies: An Up-Close View of How They Make it Work. Howard Books. ISBN 978-1-4391-8381-6.
33. "'19 Kids' stars dump Santorum for Huckabee". msnbc.com. May 6, 2015. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
34. O'Brien, Michael (January 2, 2012). "Santorum wins support of TLC's Duggar clan". MSNBC. NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
35. "Family Scrapbook - the Boys". Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
36. "Josh and Anna Duggar Welcome Baby Boy Marcus Anthony". US Weekly. June 7, 2013. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
37. "Josh and Anna Duggar Welcome Daughter Meredith Grace – See the Photos". Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
38. "Josh & Anna Duggar Welcome Son Mason Garrett". Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
39. https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/anna-josh-duggar-welcome-baby-no-6-a-daughter/
40. "John-David Duggar Marries Abbie Grace Burnett: Photo". Us Weekly. November 3, 2018. Archived from the original on November 4, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
41. https://people.com/tv/john-david-duggar-abbie-burnett-expecting-baby-girl/
42. https://web.archive.org/web/20150409025855/http://www.people.com/article/jill-duggar-derick-dillard-baby-boy-born-israel-david-dillard. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
43. "Jill (Duggar) Dillard Welcomes Second Son Samuel Scott". Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
44. "Family Scrapbook - the Girls". Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
45. Seewald, Ben (November 6, 2015). "The Baby Is Here!".
46. "Jessa (Duggar) Seewald Welcomes Baby No. 2!". Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
47. "First Pic! Jessa Duggar Gives Birth to Third Child with Ben Seewald". May 28, 2019.
48. "Baby Girl Vuolo is Here!". July 19, 2018. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
49. https://www.today.com/parents/jinger-dugger-husband-welcome-2nd-child-daughter-evangeline-jo-t200820/
50. https://people.com/tv/joseph-duggar-and-wife-kendra-welcome-daughter-addison-renee/
51. https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/josiah-duggar-lauren-swanson-reveal-sex-of-first-child/
52. "Justin Duggar is engaged! See fiancée Claire Spivey's ring". TODAY.com. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
53. "Engaged! Counting On's Justin Duggar Proposes to Claire Spivey". Us Weekly. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
54. https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/who-is-tyler-on-counting-on-135098/

External links

• Duggar family website
• Jim Bob Duggar at IMDb
• Arkansas House of Representatives page (archived from November 2002)
• Jim Bob Duggar Life And Children Story