Tom Ridge Bio, Wiki
Tom Ridge (Full name: Thomas Joseph Ridge) is an American politician, author, Vietnam War veteran, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security under the Bush administration. He is also the former Republican governor of Pennsylvania. A lifetime member of the Republican Party, Ridge came back to the spotlight on Sep. 27, 2020, when he publicly endorsed Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate over Donald Trump. The 2020 election will be the first time that Ridge votes Democratic for president.
Tom Ridge Age
He was born on August 26, 1945, in Munhall, Pennsylvania, United States. Ridge is 75 years old.
Tom Ridge Height
He is a man who is relatively tall in stature. Ridge’s height is 6 ft 2 in (Approx. 1.88 m).
Tom Ridge Family
Ridge was born to his mother Laura (née Sudimack) and father, Thomas Regis Ridge in Munhall, Pennsylvania, in Pittsburgh’s Steel Valley. He was born the eldest of three children. Ridge’s father was a traveling salesman and Navy veteran. his paternal great-grandparents were immigrants from Great Britain while his maternal grandparents were Rusyn immigrants from Czechoslovakia (present-day Slovakia).
Tom Ridge Wife
He is married to his lovely wife Michele Ridge since 1979. Ridge’s wife is a former executive director of the Erie County Library System. The two are proud parents of two children: Lesley and Tommy Ridge.
Tom Ridge Health
During the Vietnam war, Ridge served for six months as a staff sergeant with Bravo Company starting in November 1969. His time in duty ended in May 1970 when he ruptured his appendix. He also had a childhood ear infection which was aggravated by his military deployment causing him to use a hearing aid in his left ear afterward. He lived a generally healthy life until he suffered a heart attack in 2017.
Tom Ridge Education
Ridge attended St. Andrews Elementary School and Cathedral Preparatory School where he excelled in both academics and in sports. He proceeded to Harvard College paying his tuition fees through construction work. While at Harvard, Ridge also played intramural baseball and football graduating with honors in 1967. He then joined Dickinson School of Law and studied for a year but was drafted into the United States Army in 1968.
Governor Tom Ridge
Ridge ran for Pennsylvania governor in 1994 despite the fact that he was not well-known outside of northwest Pennsylvania. However, he won the election since he was a pro-choice Republican. In 1998, Ridge again ran for reelection winning the race with 57 percent of the vote the highest for a Republican governor in Pennsylvania.
During his tenure as governor, Ridge signed numerous death warrants including two for African-American civil rights activist Mumia Abu-Jamal. He resigned as governor in 2001 to become the Director of Homeland Security following the September 11 attacks.
Tom Ridge Homeland Security
Ridge resigned as governor of Pennsylvania in 2001 to become the Director of Homeland Security following the September 11 attacks. President George W. Bush sought to create the Department of Homeland Security which came to existence in January 2003 and after the passage of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. Ridge became the first Secretary of Homeland Security serving from 2003 to 2005. He resigned from the post on November 30, 2004, saying that:
“After more than 22 consecutive years of public service, it is time to give personal and family matters a higher priority.”
Tom Ridge Trump
Ridge is a life-long Republican but a fierce critic of President Donald Trump. He has been especially vocal about Trump’s aspersions against vote-by-mail saying that it leads to widespread voter fraud. Once in a war of words on Twitter Donald Trump called Ridge “a failed RINO” adding that he “loved watching pathetic Never Trumpers squirm!”. On September 27, 2020, Ridge publicly endorsed Joe Biden for POTUS in the 2020 election.
Tom Ridge Endorsement | Tom Ridge Joe Biden
Over the course of his political career, Ridge has made several endorsements. He endorsed Mitt Tomney in 2012. However, it is Ridge’s public announcement on September 27, 2020, endorsing Joe Biden for President that stood out. Ridge is a life-long Republican but is supporting a Democratic presidential candidate. The 2020 election will be the first time that Ridge will vote for a Democratic candidate for POTUS. Former aides in the Trump administration Miles Taylor and Olivia Troye also support Biden. In his own words, Ridge released a statement that read:
“I will cast my vote for Joe Biden on Nov. 3. It will be my first vote for a Democratic candidate for president of the United States. But it is not the first time I have said “no” to Donald Trump. I urge my fellow Pennsylvanians to join me.”
Tom Ridge Environmental Center
The Tom Ridge Environmental Center is named after former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge. It is a center on the grounds of Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania with 65,000 square feet (6,039 m2) of space including exhibits highlighting local and regional flora and fauna. It also preserves the human history and culture of the area, a large-format movie theater, a visitors’ center, a gift shop, a cafe, and an observation tower of 75 feet (23 m) overlooking Lake Erie.
Tom Ridge Heart Attack
He has been generally healthy for the most part of his life. However, on November 16, 2017, Ridge was hospitalized in critical condition in Texas after he suffered a cardiac arrest. He has since recovered.
Tom Ridge Net Worth
Ridge has been was in the public service for more than two decades before retiring into private business venti=ures. There is no doubt that he has accumulated a good fortune over the years. Ridge’s estimated net worth is $17 million.