Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Barry Smitherman
Barry Smitherman is the former commissioner and chair of the Texas Railroad Commission, a regulatory body that oversees the oil and natural gas industries in Texas. Smitherman served from his appointment in July 2011 to fill the commissioner post left vacant by Michael Williams (Texas Commissioner of Education). Smitherman served out the rest of Williams' unexpired term, and the position was up for re-election on November 4, 2014.[1] Smitherman was named chairman of the commission in February 2012, following the resignation of Elizabeth Ames Jones.[2]
Smitherman ran for Texas Attorney General in 2014.[3] He lost during the Republican primary in March 2014.
Biography
Smitherman previously served on the Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee (EAC).[4] After that, Smitherman served as a member of the Texas Public Utility Commission and was eventually appointed chairman.[5] During his time with the PUC, a February 2013 article in Governing named Smitherman as one of the top state Republican officials to watch in 2013.[6]
In the private sector, Smitherman was a public finance investment banker from 1986 until 2002. He has also worked as a banker, a prosecutor for Harris County District Attorney's Office, and an adjunct professor of Public Administration at St. Thomas University.[7]
Smitherman is a member of the State Bar of Texas and Vice Chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Panel on Federal Environmental Regulation as well as the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissions (NARUC) Board of Directors and the Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment (ERE). He is also the Chairman of the NARUC Committee on Gas. [8]
Education
- B.B.A., Texas A&M University
- M.P.A., Harvard University
- J.D., University of Texas School of Law[8]
Political career
Texas Railroad Commission (2011-2015)
Smitherman was first appointed to the Texas Railroad Commission by Governor Rick Perry on July 8, 2011, following the resignation of former commissioner Michael Williams (Texas Commissioner of Education), who stepped down to run for U.S. House.[9] Williams' term was not set to expire until 2014. As stated by the railroad commission office website, "When a Commissioner is appointed by the Governor to fill an unexpired term, the appointee serves until the next General Election at which time the appointee may run for the remainder of the unexpired term." Because of this procedure, after his initial appointment, Smitherman was elected in the 2012 general election to an abbreviated term on the commission ending in 2014.[1]
Public Utility Commission of Texas (2004-2011)
In 2004, Rick Perry appointed him to the board of the Public Utility Commission. He was reappointed in September 2007, and the board elected him chairman in November 2007.[5]
Elections/Appointments
2014
- See also: Texas attorney general election, 2014
Smitherman ran for Texas Attorney General in 2014. He lost the Republican nomination in the primary on March 4.[3]
- Primary
| Texas Attorney General Republican Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Ken Paxton |
44.5% | 569,034 | ||
| Dan Branch |
33.4% | 428,034 | ||
| Barry Smitherman | 22.1% | 282,701 | ||
| Total Votes | 1,279,769 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State. | ||||
Endorsements
- Texas Right to Life PAC[10]
2012
Smitherman ran for re-election to the Texas Railroad Commission in 2012. He faced Greg Parker, Elizabeth Murphy-Kolb and Al Lee in the May 29 Republican primary. Since no candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote getters - Smitherman and Parker - faced off in a runoff election on July 31,[11] which Smitherman won.[12]
- Primary
| Texas Railroad Commissioner, Unexpired term, Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Barry Smitherman Incumbent |
44.2% | 497,100 | ||
| Greg Parker |
27.8% | 311,903 | ||
| Elizabeth Murphy-Kolb | 21.5% | 241,784 | ||
| Al Lee | 6.5% | 72,867 | ||
| Total Votes | 1,123,654 | |||
| Election results via The Texas Secretary of State. | ||||
- Primary Runoff
| Texas Railroad Commissioner, Unexpired term, Primary Runoff, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Barry Smitherman Incumbent |
62.1% | 583,506 | ||
| Greg Parker | 37.9% | 355,480 | ||
| Total Votes | 938,986 | |||
| Election results via The Texas Secretary of State. | ||||
Smitherman defeated Jaime Perez (Libertarian) and Josh Wendel (Green Party) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[13]
2011
Smitherman was first appointed to the Texas Railroad Commission by Governor Rick Perry on July 8, 2011.[9]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Smitherman grew up in Highlands, Texas, and now lives in Austin with his wife and two of their four children. Their two oldest sons attend Texas A&M University.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Barry + Smitherman + Texas + Railroad"
See also
| Texas | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
- Texas Railroad Commission
- Texas state executive official elections, 2012
- Texas Public Utility Commission
External links
- Official campaign website
- Texas Railroad Commission
- Barry Smitherman on Facebook
- Campaign contributions: 2012
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Railroad Commission of Texas: "Commissioners," accessed June 20, 2013
- ↑ State Impact, "Meet the New Chairman of the Railroad Commission," February 28, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Texas Tribune, "Smitherman to Announce Run For Attorney General," June 24, 2013
- ↑ Railroad Commission of Texas: "About Chairman Smitherman," accessed November 12, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Texas Public Utilities Commission, "Past Commissioners," accessed January 13, 2015
- ↑ Governing, "State Republican Officials to Watch in 2013," February 6, 2013
- ↑ Project Vote Smart: "Railroad Commissioner Barry Smitherman's Biography," accessed June 20, 2013
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Commissioner Barry Smitherman"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Barry Smitherman Railroad Commissioner: "About Barry Smitherman," accessed May 29, 2012 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "appt" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Texas Right to Life, "Texas Right to Life begins 2014 endorsement process," November 4, 2013
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "2 Railroad Commission seats headed toward runoffs," May 30, 2012
- ↑ '"Texas Secretary of State, "2012 Republican Party primary runoff: Election night returns," accessed July 31, 2012
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "November 6, 2012 Results"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Michael Williams |
Texas Railroad Commission 2011-2015 |
Succeeded by Ryan Sitton |
| Preceded by - |
Texas Public Utility Commission 2004-2011 |
Succeeded by Rolando Pablos |
 |
State of Texas Austin (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
