Rick Tawney
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46th President of the United States
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office December 13, 2019 | |
| Predecessor | Arnold Wolf |
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48th Vice President of the United States
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| In office January 20, 2017 – December 12, 2019 | |
| President | Arnold Wolf |
| Predecessor | Vandel Diehl |
| Successor | Vacant |
House Majority Whip
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| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Leader | Louis Frelinghuysen |
| President | Louis Frelinghuysen |
| Leader | |
| Predecessor | Quinn Vale |
| Successor | Thomas Volker |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 1st district
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| In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Predecessor | David Hagel |
| Succeeded by | Lynne Shalala |
| Born | November 3, 1960 (age 59) Gaffney, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Birth name | Richard George Tawney |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Caroline Tawney (m. 1995) |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Number One Observatory Circle, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Alma mater | United States Air Force Academy (BA) |
| Religion | Evangelical Christian |
Richard George Tawney (born November 3, 1960) is an American politician and soldier currently serving as the 48th Vice President of the United States.
Tawney was born on November 3, 1960 in Gaffney, South Carolina. His father was George Tawney, mother Joanne Tawney (nee Winslow). His family moved to North-Eastern Tennessee when Richard was eight.
As a young man Richard moved to Colorado to attend the United States Air Force Academy which he graduated in 1988. Tawney served as a fighter pilot during the Gulf War. He retired from the Air Force in 1994 deciding to pursue a career in politics instead. He returned to his homestate of Tennessee, settling down in Washington County. He married Caroline Kinsey in 1995.
Using his record as a war veteran he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in the highly conservative first congressional district representing the area he resided and largely grew up in. After a mild primary contest Tawney was elected for his first term. He was sworn in on January 3, 1997, almost seventeen years after the first presidential inauguration of Ronald Reagan, who Tawney often times describes as his political "role model". During the Presidency of Clifford Tawney largely voted against the administration establishing a track record of laissez-faire economic positions and social conservatism. In almost two decades in Congress Tawney served on the Committees dealing with Agriculture, Small Businesses and Foreign Affairs. A social and fiscal conservative Tawney espoused various conservative positions opposing same-sex marriage, mass immigration and gun regulation while supporting War in Iraq and drug prohibition among others. Over the course of his career Tawney climbed the Congressional hierarchy to become the House Majority Whip after the Republican wave of 2010.
In August 2013 George Tawney, son of then-House Majority Whip tragically died as a result of a car crash, with one of his children, Richard's grand-children coming out of the accident paralised from the waist down. Soon after a number of press reports alleged that the Congressman is considering a retirement from the House with the rumours being confirmed later that year. Richard G. Tawney's 18 year-long House career ended on January 3, 2015. He spent the following year and a half with his family and friends largely uninvolved in the day-to-day political life of the United States until the 2016 Republican Party primaries were over and he was approached by the Republican Party leadership with an offer of being Arnold Wolf's running mate in the general election. Initially sceptical about the nominee and his views Tawney eventually agreed to be put on the ticket largely thinking Wolf's campaign would not prove to be successful. To his surprise Wolf defeated the Democratic nominee Diane Clifford and Tawney was elected to become the 48th Vice President of the United States.
As Vice President Tawney serves in a primarly ceremonial capacity, not having any major influence in the Wolf White House. On his first day in office he administered the swearing in of two cabinet secretaries. Tawney cast his first tie-breaking vote to advance a bill to defund Planned Parenthood. So far he cast 10 tie-breaking votes. In 2017 Tawney toured the Asia-Pacific region meeting with leaders of South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Australia. In 2018 he led the presidential delegation at the 2018 Winter Olympics. During his term as Vice President Tawney lended his support to a number of conservative groups having spoken at the 2017 March for Life.
On December 13, 2019, Richard Tawney was sworn in as President after President Arnold Wolf resigned due to illness.
Married in 1995 to Caroline Tawney (nee Kinsey), Richard G. Tawney has four children one of whom, George, died in 2013. He has three grand children.