25 Facts About Ryan Fecteau

Ryan Michael Fecteau was born on September 18,1992 and is an American politician who serves as the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.

At the time of his first election as Speaker of the House in December 2020, Ryan Fecteau was both the youngest active state Speaker in the United States and the first openly gay person to serve as Speaker of the Maine House.

Ryan Fecteau was born and raised in Biddeford, Maine and graduated from Biddeford High School.

Ryan Fecteau attended the Catholic University of America where he was active in student government and LGBTQ+ advocacy.

Ryan Fecteau was first elected to Maine House District 11 in 2014 when he was 21 years old and was re-elected in 2016,2018 and 2020.

In November 2018, Ryan Fecteau was elected Assistant Majority Leader of the Maine House, and in December 2020, and again in December 2024, he was elected Speaker of the House.

Ryan Fecteau is a native of Biddeford, Maine and the grandson of French-Canadian immigrants.

Ryan Fecteau was raised by a single mother who worked in healthcare, and Fecteau grew up in subsidized housing; the family often relied on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for food.

Ryan Fecteau graduated from Biddeford High School, spending two years as the student representative to the Biddeford School Committee during his time there.

Ryan Fecteau was the president of the CUAllies, the University's LGBTQ+ advocacy group, and led a campaign to have the group officially recognized by the University, an effort which ultimately failed.

Ryan Fecteau was the first person in his family to graduate from college.

Ryan Fecteau has worked as a field organizer for Mainers United for Marriage in 2012, was the chairman of the Biddeford Democratic Committee from 2011 to 2012, and was an editorial director at Trueline Publishing in Portland, Maine.

Ryan Fecteau has worked at several Ogunquit, Maine businesses since 2014 and at the Perkins Cove.

In 2013, while he was still a student at CUA, Ryan Fecteau began his campaign for Maine House District 11.

Ryan Fecteau traveled to Maine on weekends to campaign and recruited friends to call voters during the weekends when he could not make the trip.

Ryan Fecteau was 21, the third-youngest member of the Maine legislature and the youngest openly gay state representative in the United States.

Ryan Fecteau's signature legislation was a ban on the harmful practice of conversion therapy in Maine.

Ryan Fecteau worked on a bipartisan measure to expand affordable housing in Maine, the single largest investment in housing in Maine's history.

Ryan Fecteau ran unopposed in both the House District 11 Democratic primary and the general election in 2020.

At the time of his swearing-in, Ryan Fecteau was the youngest presiding officer in the United States, the youngest Maine House speaker since 1842 and the first out speaker in Maine history.

In June 2020 Ryan Fecteau joined with Republicans to defeat a bill aiming to extend overtime protections to farm workers; however, he did back a bill to provide farm workers the right to organize.

Ryan Fecteau authored legislation that allowed property owners to build an accessory dwelling unit on lots previously zoned exclusively for single-family housing.

Ryan Fecteau was later hired by Avesta Housing to serve on its board.

Ryan Fecteau was term-limited in 2022, and was succeeded by fellow Democrat Erin Sheehan in the House and by Rachel Talbot Ross as House Speaker.

In December 2024, Ryan Fecteau was re-elected to a second, non-consecutive term as Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.