Former Gov. Tom Ridge, Homeland Security’s First Chief, to Speak at College

Ridge began his lifetime of public service to the United States during the Vietnam War as an infantry staff sergeant in the Army, where he earned the Bronze Star for Valor, the Combat Infantry Badge and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. Following his military service, Ridge earned a law degree at the Dickinson School of Law, and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served from 1983 to 1995. He was elected governor of Pennsylvania, serving from 1995 to 2001, when he was named first assistant to the president for Homeland Security in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. On Jan. 24, 2003, he became the first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The creation of the country’s 15th cabinet department marked the largest reorganization of government since the Truman administration. Ridge served as Secretary of Homeland Security until February 2005.

Ridge is president and CEO of Ridge Global, an international strategic advisory firm, and recently wrote a memoir, “The Test of Our Times.”

The annual Constitution Day Address is endowed through the generosity of Winfield C. Cook, former Dickinson trustee. Each year The Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues at Dickinson College invites a prominent public figure to campus to speak on a contemporary issue related to the Constitution. The event celebrates the signing of the Constitution and commemorates Dickinson's connection to that document, through John Dickinson’s participation as an original signer.

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