Pompeo, Mike (1963-…), served as secretary of state in the Cabinet of United States President Donald J. Trump from 2018 to 2021. The secretary of state heads the Department of State, which manages U.S. relations with foreign countries. Pompeo had previously served as the director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Prior to being confirmed to lead the CIA, Pompeo, a Republican, had represented a district in Kansas in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Michael Richard Pompeo was born in Orange, California, on Dec. 30, 1963. In 1986, he graduated first in his class from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He then served in the U.S. Army until 1991. After leaving active duty, Pompeo attended Harvard Law School. He graduated with a J.D. degree in 1994.
In 1997, Pompeo helped found Thayer Aerospace, a company that makes specialized parts for aerospace equipment. He served as the company’s chief executive until 2006. He later became the president of an oil field services company.
In 2010, Pompeo won election to the U.S. House of Representatives. He took office in 2011, representing a district that includes Wichita, Kansas. In the House, he served on the committees for Intelligence, Energy, and Commerce. He also was a member of the House Select Benghazi Committee that investigated a 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya. Pompeo was reelected in 2012, 2014, and 2016.
In late 2016, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Pompeo for the position of CIA director. The U.S. Senate confirmed Pompeo’s nomination in January 2017. In March 2018, Trump, after firing Rex Tillerson, nominated Pompeo to be secretary of state. The Senate confirmed the nomination in April. As secretary of state, Pompeo faced diplomatic challenges with such countries as China, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela.
