John Spencer Sharp (born July 28, 1950) is an American Democratic politician from

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, who has served since 2011 as the chancellor of the

Texas A&M University System The Texas A&M University System is a state university system in Texas and is one of the state's seven independent university systems. The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States, with a ...

. From 1991 to 1999, he was the

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts is an executive branch position created by the Texas Constitution. The comptroller is popularly elected every four years, and is primarily tasked with collecting all state tax revenue and estimating the a ...

. From 1979 to 1987, he was a member of both houses of the

Texas State Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a po ...

. From 1987 to 1991, he was a commissioner of the

Railroad Commission of Texas The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC; also sometimes called the Texas Railroad Commission, TRC) is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and su ...

. In 1998 and 2002, he was the Democratic Party's nominee for

Lieutenant Governor of Texas The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive officer, executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the United States, U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the wor ...

. Sharp is also a principal in the

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

office of the

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

-based Ryan & Company, a tax consulting firm. In 2005, he was appointed as chairman of the Texas Tax Reform Commission. He was appointed by

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 in the first administration of Donald Trump. He previously served as the 47th governor of Texas fr ...

and the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents as the 14th Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System in 2011. He is set to step down from the position on June 30, 2025.

Education and early life

The son of an oil field worker and a school teacher, Sharp grew up in the small farming community of Placedo, Texas. In 1972, Sharp earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

in College Station, where he was a member of Squadron 6 in the Corps of Cadets and was elected

class president A class president, also known as a class representative, is usually the leader of a student body class, and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a student council. In a grade school, class presidents are generally elected by ...

his sophomore year, and eventually Student Body President. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserves. He belongs to

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

Post 76 in Austin. In 1976, Sharp received a master's degree in Public Administration from

Texas State University Texas State University (TXST) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in San Marcos, Texas, United States, and another campus in Round Rock, Texas, Round Rock. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has ...

in San Marcos while working full-time in Austin with the Legislative Budget Board. In 1978, Sharp returned to Victoria, Texas, where he opened a real estate firm with a partner, the former County Commissioner Gene Martin.

Political career

Early career

In 1973, Sharp started working as an analyst for the Texas Legislative Budget Board. He was selected by the Lt. Governor William P. Hobby Jr. to be on the 10-man committee that implemented

zero-based budgeting Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is a budgeting method that requires all expenses to be justified and approved in each new budget period. It was developed by Peter Pyhrr in the 1970s. This budgeting method analyzes an organization's needs and costs by ...

. Sharp began his political career in 1975 as the chief campaign aide in

Phil Gramm William Philip Gramm (born July 8, 1942) is an American economist and politician who represented Texas in both chambers of United States Congress, Congress. Though he began his political career as a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Gr ...

's campaign for the 1976 U.S. Senate election in Texas. After being asked by '' The Bryan-College Station Eagle'' why he decided to take the job, he was quoted, "A perfect set of examples is the federal government's involvement with the

brucellosis Brucellosis is a zoonosis spread primarily via ingestion of raw milk, unpasteurized milk from infected animals. It is also known as undulant fever, Malta fever, and Mediterranean fever. The bacteria causing this disease, ''Brucella'', are small ...

program and forced busing. I think Gramm has the courage to stop things like that."

Texas Legislature

In 1978, Sharp ran unopposed and was elected to the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

from the 40th District in Victoria and was later named one of the best newcomers to the House by ''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, ''Texas Monthly'' chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the Natura ...

'', along with Bill Messer. Just a few weeks after his re-election for a third two-year term in the general election of 1982, he ran for the seat left open in the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

in the special election that took place after John Wilson had won re-election despite already being dead. He won the special election runoff against Tim Von Dohlen and served a full four-year term in the

. He was appointed to the several committees, including the Senate Committee on Finance in 1985. He was elected to the Texas Railroad Commission in 1986. In 1985, while in the state legislature, Sharp proposed a law restricting abortion rights in Texas. Then-State Treasurer

Ann Richards Dorothy Ann Richards (née Willis; September 1, 1933 – September 13, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995. A Democrat, she first came to national attention as the Texas State Treasurer, ...

helped kill the bill. When he ran for statewide office, Sharp moderated his anti-abortion views. In 1990, Sharp was elected as the 35th State Comptroller of Public Accounts for the State of Texas. He was re-elected in 1994. In 1998, he did not seek a third term as comptroller but instead lost the race for lieutenant governor to Rick Perry, by 2% of the vote. Government Sharp ran for lieutenant governor again in 2002, but was defeated, losing by 6% to David Dewhurst, then the Land Commissioner. Upon taking office as Comptroller, Sharp pledged to "make government work more like our most successful businesses." During his eight years as Comptroller, Sharp established the Texas Performance Review (TPR), an ongoing audit on state government. During Sharp's two 4-year terms as Comptroller, the TPR changed the way government does business through the ''Council on Competitive Government''. Other programs implemented under the leadership of Sharp during these eight years included: * The Texas Tomorrow Fund: A pre-paid college tuition plan that allows over 80,000 Texas families to pre-pay to lock in the future costs of their children's college tuition. * The

Lone Star Card The Lone Star Card is an Electronic Benefit Transfer pin-based card. The card is used for Food Stamp and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs for the State of Texas, United States of America. When the program was implemented in 1995 th ...

: First recommended by Sharp in 1991. This program switched the state's paper food stamp coupons to computerized bank-type cards. As Comptroller, Sharp also commanded the

Texas Lottery The Texas Lottery is the government-operated lottery available throughout Texas. It is operated by the Texas Lottery Commission, headquartered in Downtown Austin, downtown Austin, Texas. The lottery and its operator, International Game Techno ...

. He contracted out most of the work, with the state lottery having only 189 employees (compared to California's 1,000 and Florida's 750), He later turned it over to the new Texas Lottery Commission. In 2005, Sharp was asked to head an education task force – called the Texas Tax Reform Commission – charged with preparing a bi-partisan education plan for the state. The special session convened on April 17, 2006. Sharp accepted the offer and removed himself as a potential candidate for governor in 2006. The task force issued its final plan several months later, and the legislature adopted it. Sharp was nominated for the "Texan of the Year" Award in 2005. He has taken credit for preventing a

state income tax In addition to Federal government of the United States, federal Income tax in the United States, income tax collected by the United States, most individual U.S. states collect a state income tax. Some local governments also impose an income tax, ...

from being adopted in the state, saying, "I killed the state income tax twice".

Senate campaign

On December 4, 2008, Republican U.S. Senator

Kay Bailey Hutchison Kay Bailey Hutchison (born Kathryn Ann Bailey; July 22, 1943) is an American attorney, television correspondent, politician, diplomat, and was the 22nd United States Permanent Representative to NATO from 2017 until 2021. A member of the Republic ...

announced the creation of an

exploratory committee In the election politics of the United States, an exploratory committee is an organization established to help determine whether a potential candidate should run for an elected office. They are most often cited in reference to candidates for pre ...

for the Texas governor's race in 2010. Had she won the governorship, Hutchison would have been required to vacate her Senate seat by January 2011. If she were to stay in the Senate and not run for governor, she would have been up for re-election to the Senate in 2012. On December 8, 2008, Sharp became the first Democrat to announce his intention to run for this Senate seat, regardless of Hutchison's decision. Unlike several other candidates for the office, Sharp did not create an exploratory committee but immediately began raising funds and campaigning in 2009. During his campaign for the Senate, he criticized the governor, Rick Perry, for his comments about

secession Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...

. He said in a statement, "During World War II my father was shot in defense of the greatest country on Earth, and I proudly wore the uniform of a United States Army reserve officer. So I'm offended when it becomes acceptable for anybody to talk about Texas leaving the Union. I'm running for the United States Senate because we need mainstream, common-sense leadership to clean up the mess in Washington, D.C., not a bunch of radical, anti-American rhetoric."

Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System

On August 15, 2011, John Sharp was appointed by Governor Rick Perry and the A&M Board of Regents to be chancellor of the

. At the time, Sharp had never worked in academia. All the members of the Board of Regents that voted to hire Sharp were appointed by Perry. In 2012, Sharp announced that A&M was selected to develop one of three

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Im ...

Centers for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing. Sharp outsourced the student dining program, landscaping, maintenance, dining and custodial services to private companies, which prompted protests for university employees who feared losing their jobs. Some 1,600 employees of Texas A&M shifted to be employed by Compass Group USA under their contract. Prior to the contract being awarded to Compass Group USA, the company was providing landscaping, building maintenance, custodial and dining services to

Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi (Texas A&M–Corpus Christi, TAMU–CC, A&M–Corpus Christi, or A&M–CC) is a Public university, public research university on Ward Island (Texas), Ward Island in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States. It i ...

. Sharp also leased land owned by Texas A&M to private developers. He announced a system-wide accountability website known as EmpowerU using software based on the institution-specific accountability website at Texas A&M University. Sharp also added "Texas A&M" to the names of seven agencies and said the names of

Prairie View A&M University Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU or PV) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Prairie View, Texas, United States. Founded in 1876, it is one of Texas's two lan ...

and Tarleton State University could not be changed as it would require legislation to be passed. Sharp announced A&M's complete acquisition of

Texas Wesleyan University Texas Wesleyan University is a private Methodist university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was founded in 1890 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The main campus is located in the Polytechnic Heights neighborhood of Fort Worth. Its mascot is ...

's School of Law and its renaming to Texas A&M University School of Law in August 2013. In February 2018, two months after Jimbo Fisher was appointed as the head coach of

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

football team, Sharp presented him with a plaque commemorating the Aggies' national championship in the year "20--", telling Fisher, "you get to fill in the date". He played a pivotal role in helping the Texas A&M University System receive a 10-year agreement to co-manage the

Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory (often shortened as Los Alamos and LANL) is one of the sixteen research and development Laboratory, laboratories of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, United States Department of Energy ...

with the University of California System. On October 1, 2019, Sharp announced a system-wide ban on

vaping An electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), or vape, is a device that simulates smoking. It consists of an Construction of electronic cigarettes#Atomizer and tank, atomizer, a power source such as a battery, and a container such as a cartridge or ...

, writing in the announcement memo that the "health threat is serious enough that I want to see the ban inside every building, outside space, parking lot, garage and laboratory within the Texas A&M System." His contract as chancellor was extended in 2021 by seven years, and was scheduled to end in 2028. On March 7, 2023, a guest lecture by Texas A&M University professor Joy Alonzo at the

University of Texas Medical Branch The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is a Public university, public Academic health science centre, academic health science center in Galveston, Texas, United States. It is part of the University of Texas System. UTMB includes the olde ...

(UTMB) criticized Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick's role in the

opioid crisis The opioid epidemic, also referred to as the opioid crisis, is the rapid increase in the overuse, misuse or abuse, and Drug overdose, overdose deaths attributed either in part or in whole to the class of drugs called opiates or opioids since th ...

. Shortly afterward, Patrick contacted Sharp about Alonzo. Alonzo was placed on administrative leave immediately, and was formally

censure A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. In parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a sp ...

d by UTMB. The investigation by Texas A&M found no evidence of wrongdoing, and Dr. Alonzo's leave was ended two weeks later. The vice chancellor of marketing and communications for Texas A&M later said Alonzo "had no issue with how the University handled the situation." In the summer of 2023 Sharp spoke at the groundbreaking of the first building for Texas A&M University–Fort Worth. After the controversies of the botched attempted hiring of A&M graduate and

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

journalism professor Kathleen McElroy to revitalize the journalism department, and the suspension of pharmacy professor Joy Alonzo at Texas A&M University, Sharp publicly apologized in an op-ed published by the ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is owned by Hearst Communications. The distribution of the following ''The New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', '' ...

''. The Texas A&M University System announced they had been awarded a federal contract to comanage the Pantex Plant on June 14, 2024. In the announcement, Sharp said in a statement, "We take our national security responsibilities seriously, and we will bring the same level of care and expertise to Pantex as we have done for the past several years to Los Alamos." On July 1, 2024, Sharp announced he will depart the position on June 30, 2025.

Personal life

In 1978, he married Charlotte Han. They have a son, Spencer, and a daughter, Victoria. Charlotte died in December 2020. He owns a 1,600-acre ranch 30 minutes from College Station where he raises cattle and goats. After his retirement, he will move to Austin to be close to his children and grandchildren.

Honors & awards

Sharp has received numerous awards. Texas State University presented Sharp with the "Distinguished Alumni Award" in 1996, where he also taught a course on Texas state government for several semesters in the early 2000s. He was awarded the Texas A&M University Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2018. In 2022, the City of Bryan renamed State Highway 47 into John Sharp Parkway, due to his service at A&M, the development of the RELLIS campus, and Texas A&M's expansions into the city.

List of awards

* Best Newcomer in the Texas House of Representatives, ''Texas Monthly'', 1979 * Distinguished Alumni Award, Texas State University, 1996 * Person of the Year, ''Rio Grande Guardian'', 2015 * Distinguished Alumnus Award, Texas A&M University, 2018

Notes

References

External links

Chancellor John Sharp profile

John Sharp's curriculum vitae on the Ryan & Co website

"Country Revival: How the straight-talking, coyote-shooting, tobacco-chewing John Sharp has led a bonanza at Texas A&M." (July 2017)

"McReynolds Endorses Sharp for U.S. Senate" (KTRE Lufkin/Nacogdoches (includes video feed), August 20, 2009)

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20090713044640/http://www.easttexasreview.com/newspaper.htm?ArticleID=468 "Senate Hopeful to Visit Longview" (East Texas Review, 07/08/09)
John Sharp interviewed by Evan Smith on "Texas Monthly Talks" (01/09)

"Working on a Dream: Let's Mark Dr. King's Birthday by Rekindling His Spirit of Public Service" (Written by John Sharp, Burnt Orange Report, 01-19-09)

"Sharp: Stop bailing out Wall Street, start giving Main Street mortgage relief" (Written by John Sharp, Rio Grande Guardian, December 30, 2008)

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081216122952/http://capitolannex.com/2008/12/12/east-south-east-texas-state-legislators-back-sharp-in-senate-race/ "East & South Texas State Legislators Back Sharp in Senate Race" (Capitol Annex, December 12, 2008)]
"John Sharp: Let marketplace govern energy industry" (Written by John Sharp, San Antonio Express-News, June 28, 2008)

* [http://www.evolvingexcellence.com/blog/2006/11/more_welfare_wa.html "More Welfare Waste – And A Lesson for Manufacturers" (John Sharp and creation of the Lone Star Card) (Evolving Excellence, November 13, 2006)]
Text of Governor's Appointment of John Sharp To Lead Tax Reform Panel (November 22, 2005)

"State Comptroller elaborates on `Lone Star Scholars' idea" (Amarillo Global News, January 23, 1998)

* ttp://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:530559 "Sharp Drops Smart Bomb" (Austin Chronicle, 02/09/1996)
"Texas Official Is Model for Gore's Public Parsimony" (New York Times, 09/12/1993)

"The Big Audit" (detailed story of John Sharp's creation of the Texas Performance Review) (State Legislatures, 06/03/1993)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, John 1950 births Living people People from Victoria County, Texas Texas A&M University alumni Businesspeople from Texas Politicians from Austin, Texas Chancellors of Texas A&M University System Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Democratic Party Texas state senators Members of the Railroad Commission of Texas United States Army officers Comptrollers of Texas Military personnel from Texas 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature