Who is Lanny Wiles? Get to know Susie Wiles' ex-husband
Lanny Wiles was married to Donald Trump's Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, for over three decades. The former couple met in the early 1980s while working for President Ronald Reagan and had two daughters.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Lanny Wiles is a veteran political operative and consultant in Republican campaigns.
- The former Ronald Reagan advance man was Susie Wiles' husband from 1984 to 2017, and they welcomed two daughters, Katie and Caroline.
- Susie revealed that Lanny's poor financial decisions marred their marriage and ultimately contributed to their divorce.
Lanny Wiles' profile summary
Full name | Lanny Wiles |
Place of birth | Wilkes, North Carolina, United States |
Current residence | Florida, United States |
Wife | Susie Wiles (1984 to 2017) |
Children | Katie Wiles, Caroline Wiles |
Education | Wilkes Central High School North Carolina State University |
Profession | Political operative |
Social media |
Lanny Wiles is a North Carolina native
Susie Wiles' ex-husband grew up in Wilkes County, North Carolina, where he attended Wilkes Central High School in Wilkesboro, according to his LinkedIn. He later enrolled at North Carolina State University.
Lanny has strong ties in GOP politics
Wiles has been a Republican political operative and consultant for about five decades. He serves as the principal of Florida-based Wiles Consulting LLC, a government affairs consulting firm he established in January 1995.
Early in his career, Lanny was part of Ronald Reagan's failed 1976 presidential campaign. Reagan won four years later in 1980 and made Wiles head of the White House advance team, according to the New York Times.
Wiles later worked on John McCain's presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2008 and became a tour director on Rick Scott's 2010 gubernatorial campaign. In 2011, he was a senior consultant on Jon Huntsman Jr.'s presidential bid but resigned after a few months to focus on lobbying and government affairs, according to Politico.
Source: Original
Lanny Wiles was taken hostage at Augusta National
On October 22, 1983, Lanny Wiles was preparing for a round of golf with US President Ronald Reagan's entourage at Augusta National Golf Club when a recently unemployed millwright, Charlie Harris, crashed his truck through the club's gates. He entered the pro shop armed with a .38 calibre revolver.
Harris took several people hostage, including Wiles. He was reportedly distressed over job losses in the steel industry and demanded to speak with President Reagan, whom he had voted for.
The standoff ended after two hours without any injuries when Charlie Harris surrendered to the authorities. He served three and a half years in prison and later became a Sunday school teacher. In a 2015 interview with Golf.com, Wiles recalled the incident, saying he was scared but sympathised with the gunman.
I don't think he was a bad guy. He had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Everything that could go wrong for this guy had gone wrong.
Source: Getty Images
Inside Lanny Wiles and Susie Wiles' 33-year marriage
The former couple met in the early 1980s while working in President Ronald Reagan's administration. Susie was a scheduler at the White House and became Lanny Wiles' wife in 1984 at the age of 27. Her husband was in his early 40s and 14 years older than her.
In 1985, the pair relocated to Susie's home state of Florida, settling in Ponte Vedra Beach. Susie, who grew up in Lake City as the eldest daughter of the late NFL star and sportscaster Pat Summerall, told Vanity Fair in December 2025 that she moved there to start a family and live away from politics.
The pull to politics was stronger, and she returned in 1988 to work with Dan Quayle. The Republican Chief of Staff finalised her divorce from Lanny in 2017 after 33 years of marriage.
Susie and Lanny Wiles have two children
Lanny and Susie Wiles welcomed daughters, Katie Wiles and Caroline Wiles, who have both worked in Republican politics. In November 2024, their eldest daughter, Katie, was appointed the director of Continental Strategy's lobby and consulting offices in Jacksonville, Florida, and Washington, D.C.
Caroline Wiles is the vice president of federal affairs at Rubin, Turnbull & Associates. She previously worked as a White House staffer in Donald Trump's first administration.
Source: UGC
Why did Susie Wiles divorce her husband?
Financial troubles resulting from Lanny Wiles' poor decisions led to a rocky marriage. He filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1991 with a debt of around $3 million in his home state of North Carolina, and Susie Wiles was listed as a joint debtor.
Wiles reportedly owed around $353,476 to JC. Faw, a North Carolina real estate tycoon and $710,970 to the construction company John S. Clark. His highest debt was $725,000 to the city of Wilkesboro from his failed plans.
Creditors even sought to garnish Susie's wages while she worked for the mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, and the couple were ordered to pay over $75,000 in the case. Susie Wiles opened up about the troubled marriage and money problems in a November 2024 interview with the Daily Mail.
I was drawn into it. My former husband, sadly, made a series of poor business decisions nearly 35 years ago. As I recall, monies owed were paid in full. This was an unfortunate time in our lives, and ultimately, these issues led to a divorce some years later.
In the divorce settlement, Lanny got the 2017 Porsche 911 while Susie got a 2014 Mercedes, according to the Daily Mail. Susie also received their Ponte Vedra Beach home, on which Lanny was ordered to make monthly mortgage payments.
Source: Getty Images
Conclusion
Lanny Wiles, now in his early 80s, has mainly stayed out of the spotlight but remains active in government affairs. His ex-wife Susie Wiles did not remarry after their divorce, choosing to immerse herself in politics. She worked with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and was instrumental in Trump's re-election in 2024. The President rewarded her by making her the first female White House Chief of Staff.
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Briefly.co.za highlighted facts about Karoline Leavitt's marriage to Nicholas Riccio. The couple met in 2022 during Leavitt's congressional campaign in New Hampshire and they tied the knot in January 2025.
Riccio is a real estate developer and investor from New Hampshire. The White House press secretary welcomed their first child, son Nicholas Robert, in July 2024, and announced in late 2025 that she is expecting their second child.
Source: Briefly News
