Ron Wyden

Ron Wyden
Official portrait, 2021
United States Senator
from Oregon
Assumed office
February 6, 1996
Serving with Jeff Merkley
Preceded byBob Packwood
Committee positions
Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee
Assumed office
January 3, 2025
Preceded byMike Crapo
In office
January 3, 2015  February 3, 2021
Preceded byOrrin Hatch
Succeeded byMike Crapo
Chair of the Senate Finance Committee
In office
February 3, 2021  January 3, 2025
Preceded byChuck Grassley
Succeeded byMike Crapo
In office
February 12, 2014  January 3, 2015
Preceded byMax Baucus
Succeeded byOrrin Hatch
Chair of the Senate Energy Committee
In office
January 3, 2013  February 12, 2014
Preceded byJeff Bingaman
Succeeded byMary Landrieu
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oregon's 3rd district
In office
January 3, 1981  February 5, 1996
Preceded byRobert B. Duncan
Succeeded byEarl Blumenauer
Personal details
Born
Ronald Lee Wyden

(1949-05-03) May 3, 1949
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Laurie Oseran
    (m. 1979; div. 1999)
  • Nancy Bass
    (m. 2005)
Children5
RelativesPeter H. Wyden (father)
Franz Weidenreich (grand-uncle)
EducationUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
Stanford University (BA)
University of Oregon (JD)
Signature
WebsiteSenate website

Ronald Lee Wyden (/ˈwdən/ WY-dən; born May 3, 1949) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Oregon, a seat he has held since 1996. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until 1996. He is the dean of Oregon's congressional delegation and serves as the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee. Known for his libertarian-leaning stances within the Democratic Party, Wyden has been a prominent advocate for privacy rights, internet freedom, and limiting government surveillance, positioning him as a defender of civil liberties.