Ridge, Tom (1945-…), was the first secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security. He took office in 2003 and held the post until 2005. Ridge, a former governor of Pennsylvania, served as director of the smaller Office of Homeland Security from 2001 until 2003. As the nation’s security director, Ridge was responsible for overseeing and coordinating national efforts to protect against and respond to attacks of terrorism.
President George W. Bush created the Office of Homeland Security in late 2001, after the nation experienced the worst terrorist attack in its history. On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists in hijacked commercial airplanes had deliberately crashed into the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and into the Pentagon near Washington, D.C. A fourth plane crashed in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. About 3,000 people were killed. The Trade Center towers and part of the Pentagon were destroyed.
In November 2002, Congress passed legislation to replace the Office of Homeland Security with a Cabinet-level department. The new department—the Department of Homeland Security—began operations in early 2003. It includes such agencies as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Secret Service.
Thomas Joseph Ridge was born on Aug. 26, 1945, in Munhall, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Harvard University in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in government. From 1968 to 1970, he served in the Army in Vietnam, where he earned a Bronze Star for valor. In 1972, Ridge received a law degree from Dickinson School of Law. After graduation, he practiced law. From 1972 to 1982, he was a part-time assistant district attorney of Erie County. Ridge worked on George H. W. Bush’s campaign for the 1980 Republican presidential nomination. Ronald Reagan won the nomination but chose Bush, the father of George W. Bush, as his nominee for vice president.
Ridge was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982 and was reelected five times. In the House, he was viewed as a moderate Republican. He disagreed with his party by opposing capital gains tax cuts and missile defense spending. In 1994, he won election to his first term as governor of Pennsylvania. He was reelected in 1998.
As Pennsylvania’s governor, Ridge cut taxes and reduced regulations affecting businesses to improve the state’s economy. He became known as a tough opponent of crime and a strong supporter of the death penalty.
See also Bush, George Walker (Homeland security) ; Homeland Security, Department of .
