Robert J. Smullen (born July 29, 1968) is an American politician from the state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. A Republican, Smullen has represented the 118th district of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

, covering parts of the

North Country North Country may refer to: Places * North Country, Cornwall, England * North Country, the northern third of New Hampshire, U.S. **Great North Woods Region (New Hampshire) *North Country (New York), a region of Upstate New York ** North Country Co ...

and

Mohawk Valley The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains, northwest of the Capital District. As of the 2010 United States Census, ...

, since 2019.

Career

Smullen served 24 years with the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

, retiring in 2015 at the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. He was a

White House Fellow The White House Fellows program is a non-partisan fellowship established via Executive Order 11183 by President Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964. The fellowship is one of the United States' most prestigious programs for leadership and public se ...

in the Office of the

Secretary of Energy The United States secretary of energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the Cabinet of the United States and fifteenth in the presidential line of succession. The position was created on October 1, 1977, when P ...

in 2003 and 2004, and more recently worked as the executive director of the

Hudson River–Black River Regulating District The Hudson River–Black River Regulating District (HRBRRD) is a New York state public-benefit corporations, New York state public-benefit corporation that traces its formation to the creation of the Black River Regulating District in 1919, and th ...

New York State Assembly

In April 2018, after longtime Republican Assemblyman Marc W. Butler announced his retirement, Smullen launched his campaign for the 118th Assembly district. Smullen defeated businessman Patrick Vincent in the Republican primary, and bested

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Keith Rubino in the November general election with 63% of the vote.

Personal life

Smullen lives on a farm in Johnstown with his wife, Megan, and their children. His son, AJ, died in March 2024 after being struck by a car.

Legal issues

In July 2018, while running for the Assembly, Smullen was arrested after he accepted a tax exemption for veterans on two residences at once, a felony. Maintaining that the double filing had been a mistake, Smullen pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in May 2019 after he paid back the town of

Niskayuna Niskayuna is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 23,278 at the 2020 census. The town is located in the southeast part of the county, east of the city of Schenectady, and is the easternmost town in the county. ...

for the missing property tax.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smullen, Robert Living people People from Johnstown, New York Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly The Citadel alumni Georgetown University alumni Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy alumni 1968 births 21st-century members of the New York State Legislature