James Ruchti is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the

Idaho House of Representatives The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate se ...

from the 29th district. Elected in November 2020, he assumed office on December 1, 2020. Ruchti had previously served in the House from 2006 to 2010.

Early life and education

Ruchti was born and raised in

Pocatello, Idaho Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

in 1993 and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Idaho College of Law The University of Idaho College of Law is the law school of the University of Idaho, with its main location in Moscow and a second campus in the state capital of Boise. As of the entering class of 2017–18, students may take all three years of ins ...

in 2001.

Career

Ruchti served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, retiring with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. From 1993 to 1998, he was an officer with the Military Intelligence Corps. Ruchti is a personal injury attorney in

Pocatello Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the ...

. From 2006 to 2010, he served as a member of the

from the 29th district. He was elected to the seat again in November 2020. He assumed office on December 1, 2020, succeeding Elaine Smith. Ruchti has written op-ed columns on Idaho politics for the ''

Post Register The ''Post Register'' is a U.S. daily newspaper serving the Idaho Falls, Idaho, area, as well as Jackson, Wyoming, and West Yellowstone, Montana. It is owned by the Adams Publishing Group. History In 1931, The local ''Daily Post'' merged with ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruchti, James Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Pocatello, Idaho United States Military Academy alumni United States Army officers University of Idaho College of Law alumni Idaho lawyers Democratic Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians