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James Comey Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 5, 2026 • 4 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth14 December 1960

BirthplaceYonkers, New York, U.S.

ProfessionLawyer

NationalityAmerican

Marital statusMarried

SpousePatrice Failor (m. 1987)

FamilyFive children (one son deceased)

James Comey Biography

James Brien Comey Jr. is an American lawyer who served as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Known for a long career in public service and in

Early life and background

James Brien Comey Jr. was born on December 14, 1960, in Yonkers, New York, and was raised in Allendale, New Jersey. He completed his secondary education at Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale. Comey attended the College of William & Mary, graduating in 1982 with majors in chemistry and religion, and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School in 1985.

Comey comes from an Irish-American family. His father worked in real estate and his mother worked as a computer consultant. He was raised Roman Catholic and later joined the United Methodist Church. Personal hardships include the loss in 1995 of a nine-day-old son to Group B strep infection, an event noted in accounts of his family life.

Career

After law school, Comey clerked for Judge John M. Walker, Jr. in Manhattan and later worked as an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He moved into federal service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where from 1987 to 1993 he advanced to Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and participated in high-profile prosecutions, including actions against members of the Gambino crime family.

In the mid-1990s Comey worked in private practice and served in investigative roles. In 1996 he was Deputy Special Counsel for the Whitewater investigation and later developed expertise in commercial litigation and criminal defense while at the firm McGuireWoods. In 2001 he led the investigation into the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, an attack that had killed 19 American servicemen.

Comey served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2002 to 2003. In 2003 he brought charges against Martha Stewart that resulted in her conviction on counts including obstruction and conspiracy, and a subsequent custodial sentence.

During the George W. Bush administration, while serving as acting attorney general in 2004, Comey declined to certify the legality of certain aspects of the administration’s domestic wiretapping program, taking a publicly notable stand on the limits of executive authority.

From 2005 until 2010 he worked in the private sector as General Counsel and Senior Vice President at Lockheed Martin. He also held academic and research positions, including a Hertog Fellowship and a Senior Research Scholar role at Columbia University in 2013.

On July 29, 2013, the U.S. Senate confirmed Comey as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by a 93–1 vote. He was sworn in on September 4, 2013. During his tenure at the FBI he oversaw several high-profile matters. In July 2016 he publicly addressed the investigation into the handling of classified information by then–Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and announced the FBI’s recommendations on that inquiry. In March 2017 he confirmed that the FBI was conducting an investigation into links between Russia and members of the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.

On May 9, 2017, President Donald Trump dismissed Comey from his position as Director of the FBI, a dismissal that drew significant national attention.

Public profile

Comey has described his longtime political registration history as having been a registered Republican for most of his adult life; he supported Republican presidential candidates in past contests but later said he was no longer registered. He has a public reputation as a law enforcement professional who moved between government service, private industry, and academic posts.

Comey’s physical presence has been noted in public profiles: he stands well over six feet tall and has been described in profiles with a commanding stature. Personal interests mentioned in accounts include reading and traveling. He has also expressed views about journalistic entities and their legitimacy in relation to classified material.

Family and personal life

Comey married Patrice Failor, his college sweetheart whom he met as freshmen at William & Mary in 1978. The couple married in 1987. They have five children: two sons (one of whom, Collin, died in infancy) and three daughters. The family lived in Richmond after leaving New York in the early 1990s.

Latest updates

In 2011 William & Mary Law School honored Comey as its Carter O. Lowance Fellow. His public career continued to draw attention through and after his time as FBI director, owing to the high-profile investigations and decisions that marked his tenure.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about James Comey, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded
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Recent Work

Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn in as FBI Director in 2013; served until his dismissal in May 2017.

2013–2017
General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Lockheed Martin

Served in a senior legal role at Lockheed Martin following his early federal career.

2005–2010
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Career Highlights

  1. Clerked for Judge John M. Walker, Jr.
  2. Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York
  3. United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (2002–2003)
  4. Led investigation into the Khobar Towers bombing (2001)
  5. General Counsel and Senior Vice President at Lockheed Martin (2005–2010)
  6. Confirmed as Director of the FBI by the Senate in 2013; served until 2017
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was James Comey born?

James Comey was born on 14 December 1960.

What is James Comey known for?

James Comey is known for lawyer.

What is James Comey’s marital status?

James Comey's marital status is listed as Married.

Who is James Comey married to?

James Comey is publicly listed as married to Patrice Failor (m. 1987).