Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security. He is a member of the Republican Party. Since re-entering the private sector, Ridge has served on the boards of The Home Depot, The Hershey Company and Exelon Corporation and as a senior advisor to Deloitte & Touche, and TechRadium. Ridge is also the founder and CEO of Ridge Global, LLC, a Washington, D.C. based security consulting firm. Ridge spent time campaigning with Senator John McCain during his 2008 bid for the presidency and was believed by some to have been in the short list of potential running mates. 

August 26th, 1945 in Munhall (Age 78)