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