Paul Ryan

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Paul Ryan

American politician

Also known as: Paul Davis Ryan

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 21, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

In full:: Paul Davis Ryan

Born:: January 29, 1970, Janesville, Wisconsin, U.S. (age 54)

Title / Office:: Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (2015-2019), United States; House of Representatives (1999-2019), United States

Political Affiliation:: Republican Party

Notable Family Members:: son of Paul Murray Ryan; son of Betty Ryan Douglas; married to Janna Ryan (2000–present); father of Charles Ryan; father of Elizabeth Ryan; father of Samuel Ryan; brother of Stan Ryan; brother of Tobin Ryan; brother of Janet Ryan Rock

Paul Ryan (born January 29, 1970, Janesville, Wisconsin, U.S.) is an American Republican politician who served as a congressman from Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives (1999–2019), where he was speaker from 2015 to 2019. He was selected by Mitt Romney to be his vice presidential running mate in the 2012 presidential election. While studying economics and political science at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, Ryan began working for Republican Sen. Robert Kasten, first as an intern and, after graduating in 1992, as an aide. In 1993 he joined Empower America, a conservative think tank cofounded by Rep. Jack Kemp, ...(100 of 700 words)

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