Derrick Van Orden
Republican Representative of Wisconsin's 3rd district
Representative
Wisconsin, district 3
January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2025
1
Congresses Served
1
House Terms
September 15, 1969 (55 years old)
Birthday
- American politician, businessman, actor, and retired United States Navy SEAL
- Holds a bachelor’s degree from Excelsior University
- Joined the United States Navy at 18, served for 26 years, retiring as a Senior Chief in 2014
- Served five combat deployments
- Was the Republican nominee for Wisconsin’s 3rd congressional district in the 2020 election but lost
- Attended the January 6th “Stop the Steal” rally and was present at the Capitol during the attack
- Won the 2022 election for Wisconsin’s 3rd congressional district
- Serves on the House Committee on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Veterans’ Affairs
- Allegedly had an outburst at Senate pages and during a White House briefing on the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
- Shouted “lies” during President Joe Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address
- Supports Mike Johnson and Kevin McCarthy, leading to conflicts with more conservative Republicans
- Played roles in films such as “Act of Valor” (2012) and authored a book on manhood
- Operated the Butternut Café with his wife from 2017 to early 2019
- Confronted a library page over a display of books with LGBT themes in 2021
- Married to Sara Jane with four children and eight grandchildren; is a Protestant
- His oldest daughter died of cancer in August 2023
- Cited for having a loaded handgun in his bag at an airport security checkpoint in 2021