George Strake Jr. (June 10, 1935 – February 9, 2024) was an American politician. He served as

secretary of state of Texas The secretary of state of Texas is one of the six members of the executive department of the State of Texas in the United States. Under the Constitution of Texas, the appointment is made by the governor of Texas, with confirmation by the Texa ...

from 1979 to 1981.

Life and career

Strake was born in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas. His parents were oil tycoon George W. Strake and Susan E. Kehoe. He attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

and Harvard Graduate School of Business. Strake was an oilman. Strake served as

from 1979 to 1981. He was also

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

Texas Republican Party The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) is the Texas affiliate of the Republican Party in the United States. It is currently chaired by Abraham George, who succeeded Matt Rinaldi in 2024. The party is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and is legall ...

from 1983 to 1988. In 1981, Strake ran 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 ...

, losing to incumbent

Bill Hobby William Pettus Hobby Jr. (born January 19, 1932) is an American politician who served a record eighteen years as the 37th lieutenant governor of Texas, from 1973 to 1991. He was the last lieutenant governor to serve a two-year term and the firs ...

. Strake died on February 9, 2024, at the age of 88.

References

1935 births 2024 deaths Politicians from Houston Secretaries of state of Texas Texas Republicans University of Notre Dame alumni Harvard Business School alumni Texas Republican state chairmen 20th-century Texas politicians Catholics from Texas {{Texas-politician-stub