Paul Ryan: Congressman, fitness nut, catfish noodler

Published August 11, 2012


The following is a brief biography of Rep. Paul Ryan, selected to be Mitt Romney's running mate. 


*        Currently serving seventh term as a member of Congress.
*        Ryan was little known outside Janesville when he ran for
Congress in 1998 at age 28. He captured 57 percent of the vote.
*        Ryan's first budget plan, which he called "Roadmap for
America's Future," was released in 2010.
*        Early in his career as a representative to Congress, Ryan
held office hours in an old truck he converted into an office.
*        Ryan was the legislative director for Sen. Sam Brownback
of Kansas, 1995-1997.


*        Born and raised in the community of Janesville; Ryan is a
fifth-generation Wisconsin native.
*        Ryan moonlighted on Capitol Hill as a waiter at the Tortilla Coast
restaurant and as a fitness trainer at Washington Sport and Health
*        One of Ryan's summer jobs in college was as an Oscar Mayer
salesman in Minnesota, peddling turkey bacon and a new line
called "Lunchables" to supermarkets.
*        Ryan worked as a marketing consultant for his family's construction business before being elected to Congress. The company -- Ryan Incorporated Central -- began as an earthmoving business created by his great-grandfather in 1884.
*        Ryan's hobbies include hunting and fishing. He is a bowhunter and belongs to his hometown's archery association - the Janesville Bowmen.
*        Ryan listens to Rage Against the Machine and Led Zeppelin