Barry T. Smitherman
Barry Thomas Smitherman (born September 13, 1957) is an American lawyer who served as a member and chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission from 2011 to 2015. A Republican, he was appointed to the commission on July 8, 2011 by then Governor Rick Perry to fill a vacant post; on February 28, 2012 he was elected chairman of the commission, which regulates not railroads but the Texas oil and gas industry.
Barry T. Smitherman | |
|---|---|
| Railroad Commissioner of Texas | |
| In office July 8, 2011 – January 2, 2015 | |
| Governor | Rick Perry |
| Preceded by | Michael L. Williams |
| Succeeded by | Ryan Sitton |
| Chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas | |
| In office November 14, 2007 – July 8, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Hudson |
| Succeeded by | Donna L. Nelson |
| Commissioner of the Public Utility Commission of Texas | |
| In office April 21, 2004 – July 8, 2011 | |
| Governor | Rick Perry |
| Preceded by | Rebecca Klein |
| Succeeded by | Rolando Pablos |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Barry Thomas Smitherman September 13, 1957 Highlands, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Marijane Frede Smitherman
(m. 1987) |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence(s) | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | Ross S. Sterling High School |
| Alma mater | Texas A&M University University of Texas at Austin Harvard University |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
In 2013, Smitherman announced his candidacy to succeed Greg Abbott as state attorney general in the Republican primary election held on March 4, 2014, when Abbott polled 91.5 percent of the ballots cast to win the party's nomination for governor to succeed the retiring Rick Perry, who declined to seek a fourth full term. Smitherman's opponents were State Senator Ken Paxton of McKinney in Collin County and State Representative Dan Branch of Dallas County.
Smitherman finished in third place with 281,064 votes (22.1 percent) in the primary race for attorney general.