Tom Ridge
Tom Ridge was born in Munhall, Pennsylvania, United States on August 26th, 1945 and is the Politician. At the age of 78, Tom Ridge biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 78 years old, Tom Ridge physical status not available right now. We will update Tom Ridge's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.
Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1945) is an American politician and author who served as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005.
Prior to this, Ridge was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 and the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2001.
He is a member of the Republican Party. Ridge was born in Munhall, Pennsylvania and raised in veterans' public housing in Erie, Pennsylvania.
After graduating from Harvard University with honors, Ridge served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War where he was awarded the Bronze Star.
He then returned to Pennsylvania and completed his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree at the Dickinson School of Law, graduating in 1972, and entered private practice. As assistant district attorney in Erie, Ridge ran for Congress in his district, where he served six terms.
He then ran for governor in 1994, despite being little-known outside of northwest Pennsylvania.
He won the election, and was reelected in 1998 with the most votes for a Republican governor in Pennsylvania (where Democrats outnumber Republicans by almost 500,000) in more than half a century.
As Governor of Pennsylvania, Ridge is credited for statewide advances in economic development, education, health care and the environment.
As of 2019, Ridge is the last Republican to win reelection as Pennsylvania's governor. Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, U.S. President George W. Bush named Ridge the first director of the newly created Office of Homeland Security.
In January 2003, the Office of Homeland Security became an official Cabinet-level Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and Ridge became the first Secretary of Homeland Security.
He served in these roles for Bush's first term as president, then retired and returned to the private sector. Since re-entering the private sector, Ridge has served on the boards of The Home Depot, The Hershey Company and Exelon Corporation and as a senior advisor to Deloitte & Touche, and TechRadium.
Ridge is also the founder and CEO of Ridge Global, LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based security consulting firm.
Ridge spent time campaigning with Senator John McCain during his 2008 bid for the presidency and was believed by some to have been on the short list of potential running mates.
Early life and education
Ridge was born in Munhall, Pennsylvania, in Pittsburgh's Steel Valley, the eldest of three children. His parents were Laura (née Sudimack) and Thomas Regis Ridge, who was a traveling salesman and Navy veteran. Ridge's maternal grandparents were Rusyn immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), and his paternal great-grandparents emigrated from Great Britain. Ridge was raised in veterans' public housing in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was educated at St. Andrews Elementary School and Cathedral Preparatory School and did well both academically and in sports. He attended Harvard College, where he paid his way through with construction work, played intramural baseball and football, and graduated with honors in 1967. In 1968, after his first year at the Dickinson School of Law, he was drafted into the United States Army.
Personal life
Tom's wife, Michele Ridge, is the former executive director of the Erie County Library System. Married since 1979, they have two children: Lesley and Tommy.
Ridge was hospitalized in critical condition in Texas after a cardiac event on November 16, 2017.
On June 16, 2021, Ridge suffered a stroke while at his home in Bethesda, Maryland. He was hospitalized and underwent a successful procedure to remove a blood clot. Discharged in late June, Ridge began rehabilitation therapy in the Washington, D.C. area.
Legal career
He completed his Juris Doctor (J.D.) after returning to Pennsylvania. graduated in 1972 and went into private practice, with a degree from Dickinson School of Law.
Ridge was a school prosecutor in Erie County, Pennsylvania, in 1980, and he was sued 86 cases in two years.