This collection is unprocessed. Materials are arranged in the order received.
Accession No. OCA.2026.0001: Tim Ryan, 2023 January
[identification of item], Tim Ryan Papers, SPEC.OCA.57.Q, Ohio Public Policy Archives, Ohio State University
Contains VHS tapes and compact discs.
This collection is closed until January 2033. At that time, the majority of this collection will be available for patron research, but may be used only in the University Archives Reading Room. Exceptions include: Congressional official committee records (which must be closed for 30 years from the date of creation, per the rules of the United States House of Representatives), and audio/visual materials and computer media (which may need a use copy produced before access is allowed). Contact the Ohio Public Policy Archives for more information. Contact the Ohio Public Policy Archives for more information.
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This collection is unprocessed. Finding aid written by: Sierra Sales, 2026 February
As of 2026, Tim Ryan is a retired United States Representative for Ohio’s 13th and 17th congressional districts. Born in Niles, Ohio in 1973, Ryan graduated from John F. Kennedy High School. He was recruited to play football at Youngstown University, then he transferred to Bowling Green State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1995. After graduation, Ryan joined the office of Ohio congressman Jim Traficant. In 2000, he received his Juris Doctor degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center. From 2000 to 2002, Ryan served half a term in the Ohio State Senate.
After United States Representative Jim Traficant was arrested on criminal charges in 2002, Ryan declared himself as a candidate for the 17th congressional district. He defeated U.S. Congressman Tom Sawyer in the Democratic Primary election and then he went on to defeat the Republican nominee in the general election. When Ryan took office in 2003 at the age of 29, he was the youngest Democrat in the House. While Ryan was in office, Ohio’s 17th congressional district became obsolete in 2013. The district was redrawn and it merged with Ohio’s 13th congressional district, which Ryan continued to represent until 2023. While he was in office, he was a member of the House Appropriations Committee and in 2021, as chair of the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, investigated the January 6 United States Capitol Attack.
Ryan was a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate; however, he suspended his campaign to run for reelection to the House. After being reelected to the House in 2020, Ryan announced his candidacy for the United States Senate and won the Democratic nomination in 2021. He lost to Republican nominee J.D. Vance in the 2022 general election.
The Tim Ryan Papers, dated 1970-2021, bulk 2003-2021, contains materials related to and created during Tim Ryan’s half term as a member of the Ohio State Senate and ten terms as the United States Representative for Ohio’s 13th and 17th districts. The materials are reports, correspondence, newspaper articles, pamphlets, VHS tapes, compact discs, and campaign materials. Materials related to Ohio and United States politics, dating from 1970 to 1999, were compiled during Tim Ryan’s political career.