Tom Ridge

Tom Ridge
1st United States Secretary of Homeland Security
In office January 24, 2003 – February 1, 2005
President	George W. Bush
Deputy	Gordon R. England James Loy
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Michael Chertoff
1st United States Homeland Security Advisor
In office October 8, 2001 – January 24, 2003
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	John A. Gordon
43rd Governor of Pennsylvania
In office January 17, 1995 – October 5, 2001
Lieutenant	Mark Schweiker
Preceded by	Bob Casey Sr.
Succeeded by	Mark Schweiker
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 21st district
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1995
Preceded by	Donald Bailey
Succeeded by	Phil English
Personal details
Born	Thomas Joseph Ridge (1945-08-26) August 26, 1945 (age 78) Munhall, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Michele Ridge ​ (m. 1979)​
Children	2
Education	Harvard University (AB) Dickinson School of Law (JD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Rank	Staff sergeant
Unit	Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Bronze Star (with valor) Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm

Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1945) is an American politician and author who served in the George W. Bush administration as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003 and as the United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005. He was the first person to hold either office. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 and as the 43rd governor of Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2001.

Ridge was born in Munhall, Pennsylvania, and raised in veterans' public housing in Erie, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Harvard University with honors, he 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 outnumbered Republicans by almost 500,000) in more than half a century.^[1] As Governor of Pennsylvania, he is credited for statewide advances in economic development, education, health care and the environment. As of 2024, he 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 reentering 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. He is also the founder and chairman of Ridge Global, a Washington, D.C.-based security consulting firm. He spent time campaigning with Senator John McCain during his 2008 presidential bid and was believed by some to have been on the short list of potential running mates.^[2][3]