Paul Davis Ryan grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin, the fifth generation of his family to do so. His initials earned him the nickname PD, which he disliked. Both his father and grandfather were prominent attorneys.
Source: US News, The Los Angeles Times
Ryan's father, Paul Murray Ryan, died of a heart attack in 1986, when his son was 16.
Source: The Los Angeles Times
Ryan graduated from Miami University (Ohio) in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in economics and political science. The future member of Congress was also a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. His father's Social Security survivor benefits helped pay for his education.
Sources: The Los Angeles Times, US News, Miami UDelts
He then went to Washington as an intern for Wisconsin Senator Bob Kasten. Ryan became a committee professional staffer, but when Kasten lost re-election in 1992, Ryan was without a job.
Source: The Los Angeles Times
He took a job as a waiter and dishwasher at a Tex-Mex restaurant in Washington. By 1993, he had joined Jack Kemp's Empower America as a speechwriter.
Source: The Los Angeles Times
From 1995 to 1997, Ryan worked as legislative director for Senator Sam Brownback, who later served as governor of Kansas. When Ryan decided to run for Congress, he moved back to Wisconsin and worked at Ryan Incorporated Central, his family's construction business.
Sources: CNN, The Los Angeles Times
Ryan won his first election to the House of Representatives in 1998. He has been serving Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, in the southeast portion of the state, for the two decades since.
Source: Ballotpedia
In December 2000, Ryan married Janna Little, who came from a prominent Democratic family and formerly promoted liberal causes.
Source: The New York Times
Ryan comes from a wealthy family, and Janna's inheritance is reported to have been as high as $5 million.
Source: The Los Angeles Times
Janna, who now goes by Janna Ryan, was a tax attorney and then lobbyist, before becoming a full-time parent for the couple's three children: Liza, Charles, and Samuel.
Source: ABC News
In 2012, Mitt Romney pegged Ryan to be his running mate. Vice Presidential nominee Ryan spent months on the campaign trail.
When John Boehner resigned as Speaker of the House in October 2015, Ryan won the election to replace him. At 45, Ryan became the youngest elected speaker since 1869.
Source: Washington Post
Ryan is a Roman Catholic and has said that religion and the Bible have informed his political views and philosophy. As a child, he served as an altar boy at St. John Vianney in Janesville, where he is still a member.
Ryan and his wife are big on the great outdoors. He fly-fishes and hunts deer, so his Secret Service codename during the 2012 campaign was "Bowhunter." Ryan is also a big fitness buff who uses the P90X and completed a marathon in just over four hours.
Ryan is also known for his music taste — and ignoring reporters by keeping his headphones in. The avowed rocker said his playlist starts with AC/DC and ends with (Led) Zeppelin. He has even shared his Spotify playlist with Twitter followers: he likes Rage Against the Machine, Hank Williams Jr., The Grateful Dead, and Beethoven.
Source: The Los Angeles Times, Twitter, CNN
After 20 years, Ryan announced that his Congressional career would end with his current term.
Source: Business Insider
When announcing his retirement, Ryan said he wanted to spend more time with his kids, who are now teenagers. "If I am here for one more term, my kids will only have ever known me as a weekend dad," he said. "I just can't let that happen. So I will be setting new priorities in my life."
Source: CNN
