Robert Harlan Henry

Robert Harlan Henry (born April 3, 1953) is a former U.S. judge and politician from Oklahoma who is the 17th and current President of Oklahoma City University. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Henry formerly served as the Attorney General of Oklahoma (1986-1991), resigning early in his second term to become the dean of the Oklahoma City University School of Law, where he remained until 1994. President Bill Clinton appointed Henry as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, a position he held until he resigned in 2010 to return to Oklahoma City University as president.

Biography

Born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Henry earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Oklahoma in 1974 and 1976 respectively. Shortly after graduating from law school, he was elected to his uncle's seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, where he served until 1986. In 1986, he was elected Attorney General of Oklahoma, defeating Republican Brian C. Griffin. He was re-elected in November 1990 but resigned in June 1991 to become the dean of Oklahoma City University School of Law.^[1] Governor of Oklahoma David Walters appointed Henry's first assistant attorney general, Susan B. Loving, to succeed him. Henry continued to serve as Dean until 1993.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed him as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, which, as all other federal judges appointed under Article III, is a lifetime position. He was confirmed by the Senate on May 6, 1994.^[2] Judge Henry is a cousin of former Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry, and administered the oath of office at the governor's inauguration in 2003.^[3]

In January 2008, Henry succeeded Deanell Reece Tacha as chief judge of the Tenth Circuit. On December 10, 2009, Judge Henry was named 17th president and CEO of Oklahoma City University, a private Methodist affiliated university with a student body of 3,700 undergraduate and graduate students.^[4][5] He succeeded Tom J. McDaniel, who assumed the new role of chancellor in July, 2010.

References

v t e Attorneys General of Oklahoma West Freeling Short Dabney King Williamson Cobb Williamson Nesbitt Blankenship Derryberry Cartwright Turpen Henry Loving Edmondson Pruitt