New York: St. Martin's Press [Thomas Dunne Books], 2009. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. xv, [1], 288 pages. Index. Signed with sentiment on fep. Reads With Best Wishes, Tom Ridge June 11, 2011. Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1945) is an American politician and author who served as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 43rd governor of Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2001 and a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995.
After graduating from Harvard University with honors, he served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War where he was awarded the Bronze Star. He then returned to Pennsylvania and completed his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree at the Dickinson School of Law, graduating in 1972, and entered private practice. As Governor of Pennsylvania, he is credited for statewide advances in economic development, education, health care and the environment. Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, U.S. President George W. Bush named Ridge the first director of the newly created Office of Homeland Security. In January 2003, the Office of Homeland Security became an official Cabinet-level Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and Ridge became the first Secretary of Homeland Security. He served in these roles for Bush's first term as president, then retired and returned to the private sector. He is the founder and chairman of Ridge Global, a Washington, D.C.-based security consulting firm. More