Tom Ridge

Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1946) is a former Governor of Pennsylvania (1995–2001), Assistant to the President for Homeland Security (2001–2003), and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2003–2005).

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 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 public office.

Related Topics:
Erie County, Pennsylvania - 1980 - 1982 - House - Vietnam - 2005

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In 1994, Ridge ran for governor of Pennsylvania, winning the election as a Republican. He was reelected in 1998 with 57 percent of the vote in a four-way race. Ridge's share of the vote was the highest for a Republican governor in Pennsylvania (where Democrats outnumber Republicans by almost 500,000) in more than half a century. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/september01/ridge_bio.html. Ridge served as Governor until his resignation to become the Director of Homeland Security in 2001.

Related Topics:
1994 - Republican - 1998 - 2001

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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.

Related Topics:
Law and order - Three-strikes law - Death penalty - Gay marriage - Roman Catholic - Abortion

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Over Ridge's tenure, the Commonwealth?s budget grew by two to three percent per fiscal year and combined tax reductions totaled over $2 billion. Ridge created and grew a ?Rainy Day? Fund balance to over $1 billion to be utilized during an economic downturn or recession.

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Ridge pushed for legislation permitting competition among electric utilities and enhanced federal and state support for the Children?s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). He also separated the Commonwealth?s environmental regulatory and conservation programs into two new agencies; the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

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Ridge proposed the creation of public charter schools in Pennsylvania and in establishing alternate schools for disruptive students. He launched new academic standards that established academic expectations for what students were expected to know in different grades. Ridge also proposed a school choice demonstration program.

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Ridge oversaw a number of e-government projects including renewing drivers? licenses and vehicle registrations to viewing historical documents and library catalogs. The Commonwealth's portal won several national awards. One of the nation's first electronic grant systems was put into place at the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Ridge also created the Link-to-Learn intiative to increase the effective use of technology in public schools and universities.

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