Tom Ridge
Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1946) is a former Governor of Pennsylvania (1995–2001), Advisor to the President on Homeland Security (2001–2003) and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2003–2005).
Early life
Born in Munhall, Pennsylvania, in Pittsburgh's Steel Valley, the son of a travelling salesman and Navy veteran, he was the oldest of three children. Ridge was raised in a working class family in veterans' public housing in Erie, Pennsylvania from 1948. He was educated at local Catholic schools and did well both academically and in sports. He earned a scholarship to Harvard College, paying his way through with construction work and graduating with honors in 1967.
After his first year at the Dickinson School of Law, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as an infantry staff sergeant in Vietnam. His awards included the Bronze Star Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm, and the Combat Infantry Badge.
A ruptured appendix cut short his tour and he returned home in 1970; a childhood ear infection was also aggravated by his service and Ridge has needed a hearing aid in his left ear since then. After returning to Pennsylvania, he earned his law degree at Dickinson, graduating in 1972, and entered private practice.
Public service in Pennsylvania
He became Assistant District Attorney in Erie County, Pennsylvania in 1980 and prosecuted 86 cases in two years. In 1982 he successfully ran for a Pennsylvania House seat, and was re-elected to six times. Ridge was notable as the first enlisted Vietnam combat veteran elected to the U.S. House. As of 2005, Ridge has never lost an election for politican office.
In 1994, Ridge ran for governor of Pennsylvania, winning the election as a Republican. He was reelected in 1998, serving until his resignation to become the Director of Homeland Security in 2001. As governor, he promoted "law-and-order " policies, supporting a three-strikes law and a faster death penalty process. He signed more than two hundred execution warrants, five times the number signed over a 25-year period by the two previous governors. On social issues, he opposed gay marriage, and, despite being a Roman Catholic, supported abortion rights. He also attempted to introduce voucher-style schemes to finance private educational institutions over public schools.
Homeland Security Director and Secretary
Following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, U.S. President George W. Bush created the Office of Homeland Security within the executive branch, and named Ridge to head it. In January 2003, the Homeland Security Office became a Cabinet department, and Ridge assumed the post of Homeland Security Secretary. Organizing and operating the office, which combined 22 federal agencies and employed 180,000 people, proved to be a significant bureaucratic challenge. On November 30, 2004, he announced his resignation to White House staffers, citing a desire to devote more time to his family, saying, "After more than 22 consecutive years of public service, it is time to give personal and family matters a higher priority." [1]
He has also indicated that, with one daughter in college and another entering shortly, he was seeking a higher paying position in the private sector, and that the job had indeed worn him down somewhat, leaving him with little or no desire to serve another term.
Work in the private sector
In February 2005, Tom Ridge was named to the board of Home Depot. Critics of Ridge question this move, noting that Home Depot experienced a highly profitable run on duct tape and plastic sheeting after Ridge's controversial 2003 announcement proclaiming these items to be viable protection from chemical weapons. Many Home Depot stores set up Homeland Security product displays near the front of the store in response.
Based on an article from the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Ridge's compensation was expected to be in the area of $100,000 per annum for this position.
The Erie International Airport has been named Tom Ridge Field in Ridge's honor.
Personal life
Ridge and his wife, Michele, the former executive director of the Erie County Library system, have two adopted children, Lesley Hannah and Tommy Ridge, and have been married since 1979.
External Links
News links
- BBC profile of Tom Ridge
- Security Chief Ridge: 'The Task is Enormous', NPR.org, October 8, 2001.
- Newsmaker: Tom Ridge, Online NewsHour, May 9, 2002.
- Person of the Week: Tom Ridge. Now for the hard part: After a week in which the Senate gave him a cabinet-level position, the Homeland Security chief is preparing to take on the toughest job in Washington, Time.com, November 22, 2002.
- Ridge's journey to the national stage, The Rising Son; updated January 21, 2003. Locally produced biography of Tom Ridge.
Official links
Commentary (anti-Ridge)
|- style="text-align: center;"
| width="30%" |Preceded by:
New Position
| width="40%" style="text-align: center;" |Secretary of Homeland Security
2003-2005
| width="30%" |Succeeded by:
Michael Chertoff
