Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge was hospitalized Wednesday after suffering a stroke, his family announced.
The 75-year-old Ridge, who was governor from 1995 to 2001, a member of the House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 and served as the first secretary of homeland security after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, had the stroke at his home in Bethesda, Maryland, the family’s statement said.
He was taken to a Washington-area hospital Wednesday morning, where he was conscious upon arrival, underwent surgery to remove a blood clot and was in critical but stable condition, the Pittsburgh CBS affiliate KDKA reported.
Four years ago, Ridge had a heart attack while attending a Republican Governors Association conference in Austin, Texas. He subsequently underwent a cardiac catheterization, according to a spokesman.
Ridge's time at the Department of Homeland Security was noted for establishing a system of color-coded terror alerts, and his advocacy of ''disaster kits'' in 2003 sparked a spree of buying duct tape and plastic sheeting.
Most recently, Ridge has led an eponymous consulting firm that advises on cybersecurity, international security and risk management.