John Ratcliffe Biography
Rep. John Ratcliffe (John Lee Ratcliffe) is an American politician and attorney and the immediate former congressman for Texas’s 4th district. Currently, he is the Director of National Intelligence for the Trump administration, a position to which he was confirmed by the Senate on May 21, 2020.
His appointment was a long way coming as President Trump had first announced his intention to nominate Ratcliffe to the post on July 28, 2019. After a number of Senators raised their concerns, Ratcliffe withdrew from the nomination. The Senators feared that his appointment could politicize the National Intelligence. Ratcliffe is viewed as one of the most conservative members of Congress and a Trump loyalist.
John Ratcliffe Age
He was born on October 20, 1965, Mount Prospect, Illinois, U.S. Ratcliffe is 54 years old.
John Ratcliffe Height
Judging by one of his photos standing next to Vice-President Mike Pence, Ratliffe appears to be a tall man. His height could be at least 6 ft (1.82 m).
John Ratcliffe Family
Mr. Ratcliffe was born northwest of Chicago in Mount Prospect, Illinois. His parents were teachers and he was the last child in a family of six children. Not much else is known about his parents and siblings.
John Ratcliffe Wife and Daughters
Ratcliffe met his wife Michele while pursuing his law degree at Southern Methodist University. It is not clear for how long the two dated or when they got married. Ratcliffe and his wife are proud parents of two daughters. The couple lives in Heath, Texas.
John Ratcliffe Education
For his high school education, Ratcliffe attended Carbondale Community High School in Carbondale, Illinois. He then proceeded to join the University of Notre Dame from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Studies in 1987. Ratcliffe later graduated with a Juris Doctor from the Southern Methodist University School of Law (now Dedman School of Law) in 1989.
John Ratcliffe Texas
He has been a renowned conservative throughout his extensive career in public service. Before becoming a Congressman representing Texas in Congress, Ratcliffe was the Mayor of Heath Texas serving from June 2004 to May 2012. As Mayor, he was credited with balancing the budget for eight consecutive years without raising taxes.
John Ratcliffe For Congress
Ratcliffe challenged 17-term incumbent Congressman Ralph Hall in the Republican primary on March 4, 2013 where he finished second with 29 percent of the vote, behind Hall’s 45 percent. He eventually won in the run-off with 53 percent of the vote. Hall was 91 years old at the time.
In the November 2014 general election, Ratcliffe was unopposed. The 4th District is predominantly Republican with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+25. He left his elected position after he was confirmed by the Senate as the director of National Intelligence on May 21, 2020.
John Ratcliffe Director of National Intelligence
On July 28, 2019, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence to replace Dan Coats. However, after a number of Senators expressed their reservations with Trump’s choice, Ratcliffe withdrew his name five days later.
The president then expressed his intention for the second time on February 28, 2020. This time the Senate confirmed his nomination on May 21, 2020.
John Ratcliffe Net Worth
Ratcliffe has been in public service in various capacities for more than 15 years. Prior to this, he was a practicing attorney in the law firm Tucker & Ratcliffe LLP. His net worth is estimated to be upwards of $2.5 million. However, we will update the actual figure once it is available.
John Ratcliffe Resume
Ratcliffe has been Mayor of Heth Texas for eight years serving from June 2004 to May 2012. He then ran for office in 2014 where he defeated 17-term incumbent Ralph Hall. However, most critics deem him as inexperienced for the post of National Director of Intelligence.
Washington post’s Philip Bump wrote an article on July 29, 2019, asserting that “Trump’s nominee to lead America’s intelligence agencies has an unusually thin resume”. The whole article can be read through this link.
John Ratcliffe Impeachment and Trump
Ratcliffe is deemed to have been preferred for the Director of National Intelligence for his performance during the Senate impeachment trial.
On January 20, 2020, Ratcliffe was appointed as one of the Trump administration’s congressional members of the President’s impeachment team. Speaking shortly after the appointment Ratcliffe said:
“I took an oath to defend the Constitution. This impeachment is an assault on due process. It’s an assault on the separation of powers. It’s unconstitutional. I’m grateful for the opportunity to make that clear to every American during the Senate trial.”
John Ratcliffe Looks Like Steve Carell
Some people seem to think that Mr. Ratcliffe looks a lot like the American actor, comedian, producer, writer, and director, Steve Carell!
John Ratcliffe Twitter
Twitter accounts that were previously attributed to Mr. Ratcliffe before his appointment as the Director of National intelligence, seem to have been deleted. We will update this section with his next Twitter account.