Robert J. "Bob" Sullivan Jr. (born September 8, 1945) is an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

and a Republican candidate in the

2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election The 2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Governor Brad Henry won re-election to a second term in a landslide, defeating Republican Party (United States), Republ ...

. Sullivan had previously served as the

Oklahoma Secretary of Energy The Oklahoma Secretary of Energy is a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate, to serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The Secretary serves as the chief advi ...

under

Governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gove ...

Frank Keating from 2002 to 2003. Sullivan lost in the July 25, 2006 primary to U.S. Congressman

Ernest Istook Ernest James "Ernie" Istook Jr. (born February 11, 1950) is a retired American lawyer and politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 5th congressional district. He held his congressi ...

. He currently serves as the director of Unit Corporation in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

Early life and career

Sullivan earned a bachelor's degree in finance from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

and a master's in business administration from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. He runs the independent oil and gas exploration and production company, Sullivan & Company, where he and his father began working in 1976. It operates in three states, primarily in Oklahoma. In 1989, he started an energy-related company of his own, Lumen Energy Corporation,Robert J. Sullivan
Forbes.com (accessed June 1, 2010). a natural gas gathering company that operated in two states. He served as the chief operation officer for the company until its sale in 2004. Sullivan served as Chair of the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board, which focuses on education and environmental clean-up. Along with Michael Brunker, he received the 2002 Sigma Delta Chi national public service award.

Keating administration

Sullivan was appointed Secretary of Energy by Governor Frank Keating in 2002. He continued in that position in an acting position under Governor

Brad Henry Charles Bradford Henry (born July 10, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who was the 26th governor of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002. Henry won re-election for a second term ...

until October 2003.

Campaign for governor

Sullivan filed papers in his run for governor on June 6, 2006, and has positioned himself as the only "non-career politician" in the race. He ran ads featuring

Gailard Sartain Gailard Sartain (born September 18, 1946) is an American retired actor, often playing characters with roots in the South. He was a regular on the country music variety series ''Hee Haw''. He is also known for his roles in three of the Ernest mo ...

that attacked his opponents 'career politician' background. The were seen as over the top and may of hurt his chances. He led an effort to place an initiative petition on the November 2006 ballot that would have required 65 percent of money earmarked for education be spent in the classroom.Allen, Cindy,
Governor, his challengers debate about leadership role
"
Enid News & Eagle
', June 8, 2006 (accessed May 28, 2010). He also suggested eliminating the state income tax and took a strong anti-abortion position. He lost the July 25 primary to U.S. Congressman

. Sullivan received 56,347 votes or 30.94 percent to Istook's 99,650 votes or 54.71 percent.July 25, 2006 primary election results
, Oklahoma State Election Board (accessed May 28, 2010).

Personal life

Sullivan is married to Jeanne Sullivan. They have six children and seven grandchildren. He has served on the board of directors of Catholic Charities and the board of directors of St. John Medical Center.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Robert J. Jr. Living people State cabinet secretaries of Oklahoma 1945 births University of Notre Dame alumni Ross School of Business alumni Oklahoma Republicans