Ryan Zinke (MT-1)

Biography

Ryan Zinke is a Republican U.S. Representative for Montana's 1st congressional district, which covers 16 counties in western Montana including Bozeman, Butte, Missoula, and Kalispell. A fifth-generation Montanan born on November 1, 1961, in Bozeman and raised in Whitefish, he is a former Navy SEAL commander, the first SEAL elected to the U.S. House, and previously served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 2017 to 2019 under President Trump. Notable achievements include advocating for public lands access, rural school funding, energy development, conservation, tribal issues, and military priorities; he earned a Bronze Star for service in Iraq and championed bills to improve classroom technology and challenge restrictive land policies.

Education

• BS in Geology, University of Oregon, 1984 .
• MBA in Finance, National University, 1991.
• MS in Global Leadership, University of San Diego, 2004.

Political Experience

• Montana State Senate .
• U.S. House at-large district for Montana , serving on Armed Services and Natural Resources Committees.
• U.S. Secretary of the Interior , implementing policies to expand energy production, reduce environmental regulations, and adjust national monument boundaries.
• Returned to U.S. House for Montana's 1st district , continuing focus on conservative priorities like resource management and public access.