Frank Keating
Encyclopedia
Francis Anthony "Frank" Keating (born February 10, 1944) is an American
politician
from Oklahoma
. Keating served as the 25th Governor of Oklahoma
. His first term began in 1995 and ended in 1999. Keating won reelection to a second term, which ended in 2003.
, Keating is the second Governor in Oklahoma history to hold consecutive terms and the only Republican to accomplish that feat.
but before Keating was six months old his family moved to Oklahoma
and settled in Tulsa. A devout Roman Catholic, Keating attended Cascia Hall Preparatory School
in Tulsa, graduating in 1962. Keating was accepted to Georgetown University
in Washington, D.C.
where he became a member of the Philodemic Society
. He would go on to receive his Bachelor of Arts
degree in History in 1966. After receiving his degree, Keating returned to Oklahoma to further his education. He received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma
College of Law
in 1969.
Upon receiving his law degree, Keating began his career in law enforcement. The same year he finished law school, Keating was made a Special agent
for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
. Relocated to the West Coast
, Keating was charged with investigating terrorism
incidents in the area and other various duties. After years on the coast, Keating would return to Tulsa to become an Assistant District Attorney.
In 1973, Keating, under the Republican Party banner, was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives
. He would only serve a single term in the House, until 1975, when he was elected to the Oklahoma Senate
. He would serve in the Senate from 1975 until 1981, winning reelection in 1978. While in the Senate, Keating rose to become the highest ranking Republican as the Senate Minority Leader.
prompted newly elected President of the United States
Ronald Reagan
to appoint Keating as the United States Attorney
for the Northern District of Oklahoma
. Keating served as the US Attorney from 1981 until 1984, serving for part of that time as chairman of all US Attorneys. He gave up that post in 1984 to run for Congress in and nearly defeated House Budget Committee chairman Jim Jones
, holding him to only 52 percent of the vote as Reagan handily carried the district in his 49-state landslide.
Shortly after Reagan was sworn in for his second term, he appointed Keating to serve as an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and later elevated him to United States Associate Attorney General
, the third ranking official within the United States Department of Justice
. These appointments made Keating the highest ranking Oklahoman during the Reagan administration. In his positions as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and Associate Attorney General, Keating oversaw both the Justice and Treasury
departments’ law enforcement agencies. These included the United States Customs Service
, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
, the Federal Bureau of Prisons
, the United States Marshals service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service
, all 94 United States Attorneys, the United States role in Interpol
and the United States Secret Service
.
Following the election of George H.W. Bush as President in 1988, Keating continued to serve in the Justice Department in his role as Associate Attorney General. President Bush elevated Keating in 1990 to General Counsel and Acting Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, that Department’s second highest office, under Secretary Jack Kemp
. He would serve as the Deputy Secretary until 1993. As with the case of the Reagan administration, Keating became the highest ranking Oklahoman in the federal government under Bush.
On November 14, 1991, Bush nominated Keating to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, but with Democrats controlling the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Keating's nomination languished, and no hearing was held before Bush's presidency ended. President Bill Clinton
chose not to renominate Keating to the seat.
After over a decade of service to the federal government, Keating returned home to Oklahoma.
. In a three way race
against Democratic nominee
Jack Mildren
and independent Wes Watkins
, Keating received 47% of the vote and defeated the Democratic nominee by 17 points. Keating was sworn in as the 25th Governor of Oklahoma on January 9, 1995.
, the first woman to receive a major party's nomination for Oklahoma Governor, in his 1998 re-election campaign
. Keating won in a landslide victory, becoming only the second Governor in Oklahoma history to win two consecutive terms (after George Nigh
) and (as of 2010) the only Republican to ever do so.
in Oklahoma City
was destroyed in the Oklahoma City bombing
, in which the lives of 168 Oklahomans were lost and over 800 people were injured. The blast destroyed or damaged more than 300 buildings in the surrounding area, leaving several hundred people homeless and shutting down business.
Governor Keating mobilized relief and rescue teams to handle the crisis. Over 12,000 people participated in relief and rescue operations in the days following the blast. The national and worldwide humanitarian response was immediate and overwhelming. Governor Keating declared a state of emergency
, which allowed the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) to activate 11 of its Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces to assist in rescue and recovery operations.
The national focus climaxed on April 23, when President Bill Clinton
, along with Governor Keating and the Reverend Billy Graham
, spoke in Oklahoma City. In the weeks following the bombing, rescue efforts ceased and the building was imploded. Through both his own works and the works of his wife Cathy Keating, Governor Keating gained both national and international attention for his efforts to help the victims and their families. Governor Keating also created a $6 million fund to assist victims and provide for scholarships for children who have lost a parent in the attack.
. Many of Keating’s proposals were polices designed for growth and reform for Oklahoma. These included education reform, environmental protection, tax relief, road building, economic development, public safety, and tougher law enforcement. Keating created a public-private partnership to assure care for the indigent as well as a stronger medical education program.
Keating’s first major success was the passage of the first welfare reform law in the nation in 1995. The law, by 2001, had reduced Oklahoma’s welfare rolls by over 70%. The success of the law served as a model for President Clinton’s welfare reform act of 1996, the first major reform of Social Security
since its institution. Keating even managed to improve road and highway conditions throughout the state without raising taxes through his policies.
A law and order
politician, Keating used his career in law enforcement to serve Oklahomans. He implemented tough parole
policies and introduced the landmark truth-in-sentencing legislation. Keating also showed little amnesty
when handling death sentence
criminals, allowing many of those sentenced to death to be executed. Keating also raised the salaries of Oklahoma’s state troopers from the lowest in the nation to the 24th highest.
Keating’s greatest success of his first term came in 1998 when he become the first Governor in 50 years to achieve a tax cut in the state’s income tax
. This combined with reduction in the sales tax, estate tax, and unemployment tax formed the largest tax break in the state’s history until that point. Keating’s policies and tax cuts created over 130,000 new jobs for Oklahomans.
Keating focused largely on education. He increased spending for common, vo-tech, and higher education facilities throughout the state and introduced charter school
s to Oklahoma for the first time. His policies and recommendations on education to the Legislature lead to the largest investment, over $100 million, on higher education. Keating, in 2000, also raised teacher pay by over $3000 annually, the largest raise Oklahoma’s teacher had ever experienced. Keating even managed to get higher educational facilities attracted to Tulsa for the first time.
Along with the agenda set forth in his inaugural address, Keating also tackled out-of-wedlock births, substance abuse, and child abuse. Enlisting state government, community groups, and faith organizations, Governor Keating organized the statewide initiative to strengthen marriage. The executive branch agencies that dealt with health issues were reorganized by Keating in 2000 amid a purge of legislative patronage to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
Next on Keating’s list was a reform of Oklahoma’s antiquated worker’s compensation system. Keating, a staunch proponent of right-to-work law
s, struggled to get his reforms passed while the Democratic legislature debated his measures. In reasons, Keating adjusted policies, made new appointments to Oklahoma’s Worker’s Compensation Court, and took other measures to control Oklahoma’s rising worker’s compensation costs. Despite his works, Keating would have to wait two years to see his vision fulfilled. In 2000 when Republicans gained many seats within both the Oklahoma House and Oklahoma Senate
, the Legislature decided to propose right to work laws as a 2001 constitutional amendment. Keating’s six year battle came to an end when, on September 21, 2001, Oklahomans approved the measure into law.
As he had done in first term, Keating sought to grant broad-based tax cuts. To further reduce taxes, Keating won passage of an income tax
break and of the creation of Oklahoma’s earned income credit system to benefit the poor. Also, under Keating’s auspices, both Democratic and Republican leaders in the Legislature launched studies to examine Oklahoma’s tax system, with the purpose of overhauling the entire system. During the study, the complete elimination of Oklahoma’s income tax was proposed.
Also continuing with his tough crime policies, Keating signed a major criminal justice bill that reformed Truth in Sentencing
(TIS) to Oklahoma. This legislation extended TIS of previous administrations to ensure that violent and repeat offenders would remain in jail. To represent this to Oklahomans, Keating issued very few pardons or paroles to individuals sentenced to long detentions or capital punishment.
In other legislative initiatives, Keating signed the repeal of Oklahoma's annual vehicle inspection program. He also granted state correctional officers and highway patrol troopers pay raises. Keating addressed the problems faced in Oklahoma’s Tar Creek Superfund site by appointing a task force on the issue.
Among Keating's other accomplishments; overseeing the largest road construction project in Oklahoma history and leading his state through devastating tornadoes in 1999. As a crowning achievement, Keating raised more than $20 million in private money towards completion of the Oklahoma State Capitol
with a dome. The capitol was originally designed for a dome, but state funding for it had run dry during World War I
.
Term limits, which Keating signed into law, prevented him from running for a third term; he was succeeded by Brad Henry
as governor.
:
, Keating, while still Governor of Oklahoma, was considered a potential candidate for the Republican nomination of Vice President of the United States
under George W. Bush
. After Bush chose Dick Cheney
, and won the Presidential election, Keating was a contender for U.S. Attorney General
in Bush’s administration. However, he was rejected when it was reported that from 1990 through 1997 Keating had accepted gifts of nearly $250,000³ from mutual fund pioneer Jack Dreyfus
. Keating publicly stated that the gifts were fully disclosed and were approved by the Federal Office of Government Ethics.
. Another children's book about Theodore Roosevelt
followed in 2006. Keating's third children's book about the trial of Standing Bear
was published in 2008. Keating also served on the boards of the National Archives
and Mt. Vernon
. He currently lives in McLean, Va.
Keating and his wife Cathy are the parents of three children, Carrie, Kelly, and Chip. In 2001, Cathy Keating was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination to one of Oklahoma's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives
being vacated by Steve Largent
. In 2006, Chip Keating was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination to a seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
On December 2, 2006 columnist Robert Novak
suggested Keating might be a candidate for the 2008 Republican
Presidential nomination.
On December 20, 2006, Keating visited Columbia, South Carolina
, where he spoke to a group of GOP supporters about a possible 2008 Presidential bid. On January 17, 2007, Keating was quoted in the Tulsa World
as declining a possible run for the U.S. Presidency in 2008. His reasons for not running were associated with the relative head starts in preparations of U.S. Senator John McCain
and former Massachusetts
Governor Mitt Romney
. In February 2007 Keating appeared in Spartanburg, South Carolina
and endorsed McCain's bid.
Following his two terms as governor, Keating accepted a position as President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Council of Life Insurers, the trade association for the life insurance
and retirement security industry. Keating's former Secretary of State, Michael J. Hunter
, served alongside his former boss at ACLI where Hunter served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
On January 1, 2011, Keating became president and CEO of the American Bankers Association
, which represents banks of all sizes and charters and is the voice for the nation’s banking industry and employees, following eight years of service as president and CEO at ACLI.
Keating served as a member of the Debt Reduction Task Force at the Bipartisan Policy Center
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Keating served as the 25th Governor of Oklahoma
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
. His first term began in 1995 and ended in 1999. Keating won reelection to a second term, which ended in 2003.
, Keating is the second Governor in Oklahoma history to hold consecutive terms and the only Republican to accomplish that feat.
Early life
Francis Anthony Keating was born on February 10, 1944 in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
but before Keating was six months old his family moved to Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and settled in Tulsa. A devout Roman Catholic, Keating attended Cascia Hall Preparatory School
Cascia Hall Preparatory School
Cascia Hall Preparatory School is an Augustinian Roman Catholic coeducational college-preparatory day school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.-History:Cascia Hall was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1926 at its current location, a campus at 2520 South Yorktown Avenue in midtown Tulsa. The school's...
in Tulsa, graduating in 1962. Keating was accepted to Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
where he became a member of the Philodemic Society
Philodemic Society
The Philodemic Society is a student debating organization at Georgetown University. It was founded in 1830 by Father James Ryder, S.J., in whose honor an award is given every Spring at the Merrick Debate. The Philodemic is among the oldest such societies in the United States and is the oldest...
. He would go on to receive his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in History in 1966. After receiving his degree, Keating returned to Oklahoma to further his education. He received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
College of Law
University of Oklahoma College of Law
The University of Oklahoma College of Law is an ABA-certified law school located on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, Oklahoma. Currently, the College of Law has an enrollment of 527 law students....
in 1969.
Upon receiving his law degree, Keating began his career in law enforcement. The same year he finished law school, Keating was made a Special agent
Special agent
Special agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for a state, county, municipal, federal or tribal government. An agent is a worker for any federal agency, and a secret agent is one who works for an intelligence agency....
for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
. Relocated to the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, Keating was charged with investigating terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
incidents in the area and other various duties. After years on the coast, Keating would return to Tulsa to become an Assistant District Attorney.
In 1973, Keating, under the Republican Party banner, was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives
Oklahoma House of Representatives
The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oklahoma Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members are responsible for introducing and voting on bills and resolutions, providing legislative oversight for state agencies, and helping to craft the...
. He would only serve a single term in the House, until 1975, when he was elected to the Oklahoma Senate
Oklahoma Senate
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of Senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution....
. He would serve in the Senate from 1975 until 1981, winning reelection in 1978. While in the Senate, Keating rose to become the highest ranking Republican as the Senate Minority Leader.
Federal career
Keating’s law enforcement career and prominence in the Oklahoma Republican PartyOklahoma Republican Party
The Oklahoma Republican Party is a political party affiliated with the United States Republican Party . Along with the Oklahoma Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties in Oklahoma politics.-Voter base:...
prompted newly elected President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
to appoint Keating as the United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Northern District of Oklahoma
United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma is the Federal district court for a portion of the state of Oklahoma....
. Keating served as the US Attorney from 1981 until 1984, serving for part of that time as chairman of all US Attorneys. He gave up that post in 1984 to run for Congress in and nearly defeated House Budget Committee chairman Jim Jones
James Robert Jones
James Robert "Jim" Jones is a lawyer, a Democratic politician, a retired U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma, and a former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico....
, holding him to only 52 percent of the vote as Reagan handily carried the district in his 49-state landslide.
Shortly after Reagan was sworn in for his second term, he appointed Keating to serve as an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and later elevated him to United States Associate Attorney General
United States Associate Attorney General
The Associate Attorney General is the third-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. The Associate Attorney General advises and assists the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General in policies relating to civil justice, federal and local law enforcement, and public...
, the third ranking official within the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
. These appointments made Keating the highest ranking Oklahoman during the Reagan administration. In his positions as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and Associate Attorney General, Keating oversaw both the Justice and Treasury
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
departments’ law enforcement agencies. These included the United States Customs Service
United States Customs Service
Until March 2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S. federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other selected border security duties.Before it was rolled into form part of the U.S...
, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center serves as an interagency law enforcement training organization for 90 United States government federal law enforcement agencies.-Location:...
, the Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
, the United States Marshals service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service
Immigration and Naturalization Service
The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service , now referred to as Legacy INS, ceased to exist under that name on March 1, 2003, when most of its functions were transferred from the Department of Justice to three new components within the newly created Department of Homeland Security, as...
, all 94 United States Attorneys, the United States role in Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
and the United States Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
.
Following the election of George H.W. Bush as President in 1988, Keating continued to serve in the Justice Department in his role as Associate Attorney General. President Bush elevated Keating in 1990 to General Counsel and Acting Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, that Department’s second highest office, under Secretary Jack Kemp
Jack Kemp
Jack French Kemp was an American politician and a collegiate and professional football player. A Republican, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, having previously served nine terms as a congressman for Western New York's 31st...
. He would serve as the Deputy Secretary until 1993. As with the case of the Reagan administration, Keating became the highest ranking Oklahoman in the federal government under Bush.
On November 14, 1991, Bush nominated Keating to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, but with Democrats controlling the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Keating's nomination languished, and no hearing was held before Bush's presidency ended. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
chose not to renominate Keating to the seat.
After over a decade of service to the federal government, Keating returned home to Oklahoma.
1994
After two years of private life, in 1994, Keating received the Republican nomination for Governor of OklahomaGovernor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
. In a three way race
Oklahoma gubernatorial election, 1994
The Oklahoma gubernatorial election of 1994 was held on November 7, 1994, and was a race for the Governor of Oklahoma. Republican Frank Keating pulled an upset in the three-way race to become only the third Republican governor in Oklahoma history. Wes Watkins, a former U.S. Congressman as a...
against Democratic nominee
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Jack Mildren
Jack Mildren
Larry Jack Mildren a native Texan, was an All-American quarterback at The University of Oklahoma in his college years, and professional football player with the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots, an oil company owner, was elected as the 13th Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, and enjoyed a...
and independent Wes Watkins
Wes Watkins
Wesley Wade "Wes" Watkins is a politician from the state of Oklahoma. He is a retired member of the United States House of Representatives where Watkins had represented Oklahoma's 3rd Congressional District for 14 years as a Democrat and then for six years as a Republican.-Early life and...
, Keating received 47% of the vote and defeated the Democratic nominee by 17 points. Keating was sworn in as the 25th Governor of Oklahoma on January 9, 1995.
1998
Keating faced Democratic nominee Laura BoydLaura Boyd
Laura Boyd is an American politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, Boyd was elected in 1992 to the Oklahoma House of Representatives to represent District 44, which included Cleveland County. She served in the State House for six year until 1998 when she became the first woman...
, the first woman to receive a major party's nomination for Oklahoma Governor, in his 1998 re-election campaign
Oklahoma gubernatorial election, 1998
The Oklahoma gubernatorial election of 1998 was held on November 7, 1998, and was a race for the Governor of Oklahoma.Incumbent Republican Frank Keating won re-election easily against Democratic State Representative Laura Boyd.-Republican:...
. Keating won in a landslide victory, becoming only the second Governor in Oklahoma history to win two consecutive terms (after George Nigh
George Nigh
George Patterson Nigh , is a popular civic leader in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd Governor of Oklahoma. He was the first Oklahoma Governor to be re-elected and the first to win all 77 counties in the state...
) and (as of 2010) the only Republican to ever do so.
Governor of Oklahoma
| The Cabinet of Governor Frank Keating (1995 - 2003) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Name | Term | |
| Governor Governor of Oklahoma The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma... |
Frank Keating | 1995 - 2003 | |
| Lieutenant Governor Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma The Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the Lieutenant Governor becomes the new Governor of Oklahoma upon the death, resignation, or removal of the Governor... |
Mary Fallin Mary Fallin Mary Fallin is the 27th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. She was a U.S. Representative for from 2007 until 2011.... |
1995 - 2003 | |
| Secretary of State Secretary of State of Oklahoma The Secretary of State of the State of Oklahoma is the chief clerical officer of Oklahoma and a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary of State is only appointed constitutional member of the executive branch of the Oklahoma state government... |
Tom Cole Tom Cole Thomas Jeffery Cole is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a Deputy Minority Whip. The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2006 to 2008, he was, during his tenure, the fourth-ranking Republican leader in the... |
1995 - 1999 | |
| Michael J. Hunter Michael J. Hunter Michael J. "Mike" Hunter is an American Republican politician from the state of Oklahoma. Hunter served as the 29th Secretary of State of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2002, having been appointed by Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating.... |
1999 - 2002 | ||
| Kay Dudley | 2002 - 2003 | ||
| Attorney General Attorney General of Oklahoma The Attorney General of Oklahoma is the State Attorney General for the state of Oklahoma. The Attorney General serves as the chief legal and law enforcement officer of the State of Oklahoma. The Attorney General is responsible for providing legal advise to the various agencies and departments of... |
Drew Edmondson Drew Edmondson William Andrew "Drew" Edmondson , is an American lawyer and politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, Edmondson served as the 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2011... |
1995 - 2003 | |
| State Auditor and Inspector Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector The Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector is the chief financial officer for the U.S. State of Oklahoma. The State Auditor and Inspector is responsible for overseeing and reviewing the financial accounts of all government agencies within Oklahoma.... |
Clifton Scott | 1995 - 2003 | |
| State Treasurer State Treasurer of Oklahoma The State Treasurer of Oklahoma is the chief custodian of Oklahoma’s cash deposits, monies from bond sales, and other securities and collateral and directs the investments of those assets. The Treasurer provides for the safe and efficient operation of state government through effective banking,... |
Robert Butkin Robert Butkin Robert A. Butkin served as State Treasurer of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2005. He then served as dean of The University of Tulsa College of Law from 2005 until2007.... |
1995 - 2003 | |
| Insurance Commissioner Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner The Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner is an elected executive officer of the state of Oklahoma. The Insurance Commissioner serves as the head of the Oklahoma Department of Insurance. The Insurance Department is charged with executing of all laws relating to insurance and insurance companies doing... |
John Crawford | 1995 - 1999 | |
| Carroll Fisher | 1999 - 2003 | ||
| Labor Commissioner Oklahoma Labor Commissioner The Oklahoma Commissioner of Labor is an elective executive officer of the State of Oklahoma. The Labor Commissioner serves as the head of the Oklahoma Department of Labor... |
Brenda Reneau Brenda Reneau Brenda Reneau is a Republican politician from the US state of Oklahoma. Reneau served as the Oklahoma Commissioner of Labor for three consecutive terms. First elected in 1994, she is the only woman to serve as Labor Commissioner. Reelected in 1998 and 2002, she lost her bid for another term in 2006... |
1995 - 2003 | |
| Superintendent of Public Instruction Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction The Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes called the Oklahoma State School Superintendent, is the chief executive officer for the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the President of the Oklahoma State Board of Education... |
Sandy Garrett Sandy Garrett Sandy Garrett is a retired American Democratic politician from the US state of Oklahoma. Garrett is the former Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction.... |
1995 - 2003 | |
| Secretary of Administration Oklahoma Department of Central Services The Oklahoma Department of Central Services is an ageny of the state of Oklahoma. DCS is responsible for providing services to help manage and support the basic functioning of all state agencies. DCS provides government-wide purchasing, supplying, operation, and maintenance of state property,... |
Tom Brennan Tom Brennan Tom Brennan is a radio and television sportscaster and former men's basketball head coach, most notably at the University of Vermont from 1986 to 2005.- Coaching career :... |
1995 - 1997 | |
| Pam Warren Pam Warren Pamela M. "Pam" Warren is an American civil servant who served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Administration under Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating. Warren served as Secretary from January 1, 1997, until her retirment from state service in January 2004... |
1997 - 2003 | ||
| Secretary of Agriculture | Dennis Howard Dennis Howard Dennis Howard is an American politician from Oklahoma that served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture under former Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating. Concurrent with his service as Secretary, Howard served as the Oklahoma Commissioner of Agriculture... |
1995 - 2003 | |
| Secretary of Commerce Oklahoma Department of Commerce The Oklahoma Department of Commerce is a department of the government of Oklahoma under the Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism. The Department is responsible for the supporting local communities, stimulating growth of the existing businesses, attracting new business, and promoting the... |
Dean Werries Dean Werries E. Dean Werries is an American business from Oklahoma. Werries is currently serving as a Director Emeritus for Sonic Drive-In. Werries previously served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce under Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating from 1995 to 1997... |
1995 - 1997 | |
| Ron Rosenfeld Ron Rosenfeld Ronald A. "Ron" Rosenfeld is an American politician and housing expert. Rosenfeld has previously served in numerous U.S. federal and Oklahoma state government positions relating to housing. He served as Chairman of the Federal Housing Finance Board and President of the Government National Mortgage... |
1997 - 1998 | ||
| Howard Barnett, Jr. Howard Barnett, Jr. Howard G. Barnett, Jr. is an American businessman and politician from Oklahoma who is currently serving as the President of Oklahoma State University-Tulsa.... |
1998 - 1999 | ||
| Russell M. Perry Russell M. Perry Russell M. Perry is an American businessman, banker, publisher and broadcast from Oklahoma. Perry served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce from 1999 to 2000, having been appointed by Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating. Perry was the first African American to hold that position. After being... |
1999 - 2000 | ||
| Vacant | 2000 - 2003 | ||
| Secretary of Education | Floyd Coppedge | 1995 - 2003 | |
| Secretary of Energy Oklahoma Corporation Commission The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is the public utilities commission of the state of Oklahoma run by three state-wide elected Commissioners, assisted by over 400 employees... |
Carl Michael Smith Carl Michael Smith Carl Michael "Mike" Smith is an American businessman, energy expert, and politician from Oklahoma. Smith is currently serving as the Executive Director of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission... |
1995 - 2002 | |
| Robert J. Sullivan, Jr. Robert J. Sullivan, Jr. Robert J. "Bob" Sullivan, Jr. is an American politician from Oklahoma and a Republican candidate in the 2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election. Sullivan had previously served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Energy under Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating from 2002 to 2003.Sullivan lost in the July 25,... |
2002 - 2003 | ||
| Secretary of the Environment Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is a department of the government of Oklahoma under the Governor of Oklahoma. It is responsible for protecting human health and for safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land. DEQ is chiefly responsible for the environmental policy... |
Gary Sherrer Gary Sherrer Gary Sherrer is an American Democratic politician from Oklahoma. Sherrer serves as Oklahoma Secretary of the Environment under Republican Governor Mary Fallin... |
1995 - 1997 | |
| Brian C. Griffin Brian C. Griffin Brian C. Griffin is an American businessman from the Oklahoma who currently serves as the chairman of the board of directors for Clean Energy Systems, a private Rancho Cordova, California based energy technology innovations firm.... |
1997 - 2003 | ||
| Secretary of Finance and Revenue Oklahoma Office of State Finance The Oklahoma Office of State Finance is the Oklahoma state government agency that prepares the Governor of Oklahoma’s annual budget, analyzes the effectiveness of state management, manages the state’s budget system and makes appropriate allotments and transfers throughout the state government... |
Tom Daxon Tom Daxon Thomas E. "Tom" Daxon is an American businessman and politician from Oklahoma. Daxon has held numerous positions with the Oklahoma state government, including being elected Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector in 1978 and serving as the Oklahoma Secretary of Finance and Revenue under Governor of... |
1995 - 2003 | |
| Secretary of Health and Human Services Oklahoma State Department of Health The Oklahoma State Department of Health is a department of the government of Oklahoma under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Health. The Department is responsible for protecting the health of all Oklahomans and providing other essential human services... |
Ken Lackey Ken Lackey Kenneth "Ken" Lackey is an American businessman and politician from Oklahoma who formerly served as the President of the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa.... |
1995 - 1997 | |
| Jerry Regier Jerry Regier Gerald P. "Jerry" Regier is an American businessman and politician from Oklahoma who is best known as first President of the Family Research Council.... |
1997 - 2002 | ||
| Howard Hendrick Howard Hendrick Howard Hendrick is a Republican politician from the US state of Oklahoma. Hendrick was serving as the Oklahoma Secretary of Human Services, having been appointed by Democratic Governor of Oklahoma Brad Henry in 2003.... |
2002 - 2003 | ||
| Secretary of Human Resources Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management The Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management is an agency of the state of Oklahoma that manages the civil service of the state government. OPM provides comprehensive human resource services to all state agencies and employees , as well as information for individuals interested in state service... |
Oscar B. Jackson Jr. Oscar B. Jackson Jr. Oscar B. Jackson Jr. is an American civil servant from the state of Oklahoma. Jackson is the current Oklahoma Secretary of Human Resources and Administration, having served in that position since he was appointed by Governor of Oklahoma David Walters in 1991... |
1995 - 2003 | |
| Secretary of the Military Oklahoma Department of the Military The Oklahoma Military Department is an agency of the state of Oklahoma that serves as the administrative agency for all matters concerning the Oklahoma National Guard and other state military organizations... |
Stephen Cortright Stephen Cortright Major General Stephen Phelps Cortright USAF , is an American military officer and attorney from Oklahoma who served as the Adjutant General of Oklahoma under Governor Frank Keating from 1995 to 2003... |
1995 - 2003 | |
| Secretary of Safety and Security Oklahoma Department of Public Safety The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety is a department of the government of Oklahoma. Under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Safety and Security, DPS provides for the safety of Oklahomans and the administration of justice in the state... |
Robert Ricks | 1995 - 2003 | |
| Secretary of Science and Technology Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology is the agency of the government of Oklahoma that is responsible for technology-based economic development. Under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Technology, OCAST is responsible for fostering innovation in... |
W. Arthur Porter W. Arthur Porter W. Arthur "Skip" Porter, Ph.D., is an American educator and businessman from Texas. He is previously served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Technology under Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating, having serving in that position from 1999 to 2003.... |
1999 - 2003 | |
| Secretary of Tourism and Recreation Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation The Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation is a department of the government of Oklahoma under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism... |
Edward H. Cook Edward H. Cook Edward H. "Ed" Cook is an American businessman from Oklahoma. Cook has held numerous positions with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, that City's chamber of commerce, serving as that organization's president. After a return to the private sector, Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating appointed him... |
1995 - 1999 | |
| Jane Jayroe | 1999 - 2003 | ||
| Secretary of Transportation Oklahoma Department of Transportation The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is an agency of the government of Oklahoma responsible for the construction, maintenance, and regulation the use of the state's transportation infrastructure... |
Neal A. McCaleb | 1995 - 2001 | |
| Herschal Crow | 2001 - 2003 | ||
| Secretary of Veterans Affairs Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs The Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs is a department of the state of Oklahoma under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs charged with providing medical and rehabilitative services for veterans and their families.... |
Norman Lamb Norman Lamb (politician) Colonel Norman Lamb, USA , is an American soldier and politician from Enid in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Lamb served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 1995 to 2011, having been originally appointed by Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating and retained under Governor Brad Henry.Lamb... |
1995 - 2003 | |
Oklahoma City bombing
Governor Keating had little time to relax upon taking office. Within three months of taking office, on April 19, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal BuildingAlfred P. Murrah Federal Building
The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was a United States Federal Government complex located at 200 N.W. 5th Street in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. The building was the target of the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, which killed 168 people, including 19 children...
in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
was destroyed in the Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
, in which the lives of 168 Oklahomans were lost and over 800 people were injured. The blast destroyed or damaged more than 300 buildings in the surrounding area, leaving several hundred people homeless and shutting down business.
Governor Keating mobilized relief and rescue teams to handle the crisis. Over 12,000 people participated in relief and rescue operations in the days following the blast. The national and worldwide humanitarian response was immediate and overwhelming. Governor Keating declared a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
, which allowed the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) to activate 11 of its Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces to assist in rescue and recovery operations.
The national focus climaxed on April 23, when President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, along with Governor Keating and the Reverend Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
, spoke in Oklahoma City. In the weeks following the bombing, rescue efforts ceased and the building was imploded. Through both his own works and the works of his wife Cathy Keating, Governor Keating gained both national and international attention for his efforts to help the victims and their families. Governor Keating also created a $6 million fund to assist victims and provide for scholarships for children who have lost a parent in the attack.
First term
Governor Keating set out with an agenda for the state under his administration, with many of his initiatives passed, despite an often hostile Democrat controlled LegislatureOklahoma Legislature
The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the biennial meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma. It is bicameral, comprising the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate, with all members elected directly by the people. The House of Representatives has 101...
. Many of Keating’s proposals were polices designed for growth and reform for Oklahoma. These included education reform, environmental protection, tax relief, road building, economic development, public safety, and tougher law enforcement. Keating created a public-private partnership to assure care for the indigent as well as a stronger medical education program.
Keating’s first major success was the passage of the first welfare reform law in the nation in 1995. The law, by 2001, had reduced Oklahoma’s welfare rolls by over 70%. The success of the law served as a model for President Clinton’s welfare reform act of 1996, the first major reform of Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
since its institution. Keating even managed to improve road and highway conditions throughout the state without raising taxes through his policies.
A law and order
Law and order (politics)
In politics, law and order refers to demands for a strict criminal justice system, especially in relation to violent and property crime, through harsher criminal penalties...
politician, Keating used his career in law enforcement to serve Oklahomans. He implemented tough parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
policies and introduced the landmark truth-in-sentencing legislation. Keating also showed little amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
when handling death sentence
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
criminals, allowing many of those sentenced to death to be executed. Keating also raised the salaries of Oklahoma’s state troopers from the lowest in the nation to the 24th highest.
Keating’s greatest success of his first term came in 1998 when he become the first Governor in 50 years to achieve a tax cut in the state’s income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
. This combined with reduction in the sales tax, estate tax, and unemployment tax formed the largest tax break in the state’s history until that point. Keating’s policies and tax cuts created over 130,000 new jobs for Oklahomans.
Second term
Sworn in on January 11, 1999, Keating’s second term began with a progressive agenda, based primarily on education. In his 1999 inaugural address, Keating set four goals for Oklahoma for his second term:- Raising Oklahoma’s ACTACT (examination)The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
to the national average by 2005, - Decreasing Oklahoma’s divorce rate by 50% before 2010,
- Ensure one out of every three Oklahomans has a college degree by 2010, and
- Raising Oklahoma’s per capita incomePer capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
to reach the national average by 2025
Keating focused largely on education. He increased spending for common, vo-tech, and higher education facilities throughout the state and introduced charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
s to Oklahoma for the first time. His policies and recommendations on education to the Legislature lead to the largest investment, over $100 million, on higher education. Keating, in 2000, also raised teacher pay by over $3000 annually, the largest raise Oklahoma’s teacher had ever experienced. Keating even managed to get higher educational facilities attracted to Tulsa for the first time.
Along with the agenda set forth in his inaugural address, Keating also tackled out-of-wedlock births, substance abuse, and child abuse. Enlisting state government, community groups, and faith organizations, Governor Keating organized the statewide initiative to strengthen marriage. The executive branch agencies that dealt with health issues were reorganized by Keating in 2000 amid a purge of legislative patronage to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
Next on Keating’s list was a reform of Oklahoma’s antiquated worker’s compensation system. Keating, a staunch proponent of right-to-work law
Right-to-work law
Right-to-work laws are statutes enforced in twenty-two U.S. states, mostly in the southern or western U.S., allowed under provisions of the federal Taft–Hartley Act, which prohibit agreements between labor unions and employers that make membership, payment of union dues, or fees a condition of...
s, struggled to get his reforms passed while the Democratic legislature debated his measures. In reasons, Keating adjusted policies, made new appointments to Oklahoma’s Worker’s Compensation Court, and took other measures to control Oklahoma’s rising worker’s compensation costs. Despite his works, Keating would have to wait two years to see his vision fulfilled. In 2000 when Republicans gained many seats within both the Oklahoma House and Oklahoma Senate
Oklahoma Senate
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of Senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution....
, the Legislature decided to propose right to work laws as a 2001 constitutional amendment. Keating’s six year battle came to an end when, on September 21, 2001, Oklahomans approved the measure into law.
As he had done in first term, Keating sought to grant broad-based tax cuts. To further reduce taxes, Keating won passage of an income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
break and of the creation of Oklahoma’s earned income credit system to benefit the poor. Also, under Keating’s auspices, both Democratic and Republican leaders in the Legislature launched studies to examine Oklahoma’s tax system, with the purpose of overhauling the entire system. During the study, the complete elimination of Oklahoma’s income tax was proposed.
Also continuing with his tough crime policies, Keating signed a major criminal justice bill that reformed Truth in Sentencing
Truth in Sentencing
Truth in sentencing is a collection of different but related public policy stances on sentencing of those convicted of crimes in the justice system. In most contexts truth in sentencing refers to policies and legislation that aim to abolish or curb parole, so that convicts serve the period that...
(TIS) to Oklahoma. This legislation extended TIS of previous administrations to ensure that violent and repeat offenders would remain in jail. To represent this to Oklahomans, Keating issued very few pardons or paroles to individuals sentenced to long detentions or capital punishment.
In other legislative initiatives, Keating signed the repeal of Oklahoma's annual vehicle inspection program. He also granted state correctional officers and highway patrol troopers pay raises. Keating addressed the problems faced in Oklahoma’s Tar Creek Superfund site by appointing a task force on the issue.
Among Keating's other accomplishments; overseeing the largest road construction project in Oklahoma history and leading his state through devastating tornadoes in 1999. As a crowning achievement, Keating raised more than $20 million in private money towards completion of the Oklahoma State Capitol
Oklahoma State Capitol
The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature, and the meeting place of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City. The present structure includes a dome that was...
with a dome. The capitol was originally designed for a dome, but state funding for it had run dry during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Term limits, which Keating signed into law, prevented him from running for a third term; he was succeeded by Brad Henry
Brad Henry
Charles Bradford "Brad" Henry was the 26th Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002...
as governor.
Oklahoma Supreme Court appointments
Governor Keating appointed the following Justices to the Oklahoma Supreme CourtOklahoma Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma and leads the Oklahoma Court System, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma....
:
- James R. WinchesterJames R. WinchesterJames Winchester is an American lawyer and judge who is current serving as Justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court.-Early life:Born in Clinton, Oklahoma in 1953, Winchester received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oklahoma and his Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University...
– 2000
2000 Presidential election
During the 2000 presidential electionUnited States presidential election, 2000
The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
, Keating, while still Governor of Oklahoma, was considered a potential candidate for the Republican nomination of Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
under George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. After Bush chose Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
, and won the Presidential election, Keating was a contender for U.S. Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
in Bush’s administration. However, he was rejected when it was reported that from 1990 through 1997 Keating had accepted gifts of nearly $250,000³ from mutual fund pioneer Jack Dreyfus
Jack Dreyfus
John J. "Jack" Dreyfus, Sr. was an American financial expert and the founder of the Dreyfus Funds.Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Dreyfus was a graduate of Lehigh University in Pennsylvania...
. Keating publicly stated that the gifts were fully disclosed and were approved by the Federal Office of Government Ethics.
Post-governorship
In 2002 he authored a children's book about Oklahoma humorist Will RogersWill Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
. Another children's book about Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
followed in 2006. Keating's third children's book about the trial of Standing Bear
Standing Bear
Standing Bear was a Ponca Native American chief who successfully argued in U.S...
was published in 2008. Keating also served on the boards of the National Archives
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
and Mt. Vernon
Mount Vernon (plantation)
Mount Vernon, located near Alexandria, Virginia, was the plantation home of the first President of the United States, George Washington. The mansion is built of wood in neoclassical Georgian architectural style, and the estate is located on the banks of the Potomac River.Mount Vernon was designated...
. He currently lives in McLean, Va.
Keating and his wife Cathy are the parents of three children, Carrie, Kelly, and Chip. In 2001, Cathy Keating was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination to one of Oklahoma's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
being vacated by Steve Largent
Steve Largent
Steven Michael "Steve" Largent is a retired American football player, enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a former U.S. Congressman, having served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Oklahoma from 1994 until 2002...
. In 2006, Chip Keating was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination to a seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
On December 2, 2006 columnist Robert Novak
Robert Novak
Robert David Sanders "Bob" Novak was an American syndicated columnist, journalist, television personality, author, and conservative political commentator. After working for two newspapers before serving for the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he became a reporter for the Associated Press and then for...
suggested Keating might be a candidate for the 2008 Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Presidential nomination.
On December 20, 2006, Keating visited Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, where he spoke to a group of GOP supporters about a possible 2008 Presidential bid. On January 17, 2007, Keating was quoted in the Tulsa World
Tulsa World
Tulsa World is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma, and is the second-most widely circulated newspaper in the state, after The Oklahoman. It was founded in 1905 and remains an independent newspaper,...
as declining a possible run for the U.S. Presidency in 2008. His reasons for not running were associated with the relative head starts in preparations of U.S. Senator John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
and former Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
Governor Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
. In February 2007 Keating appeared in Spartanburg, South Carolina
Spartanburg, South Carolina
thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...
and endorsed McCain's bid.
Following his two terms as governor, Keating accepted a position as President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Council of Life Insurers, the trade association for the life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
and retirement security industry. Keating's former Secretary of State, Michael J. Hunter
Michael J. Hunter
Michael J. "Mike" Hunter is an American Republican politician from the state of Oklahoma. Hunter served as the 29th Secretary of State of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2002, having been appointed by Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating....
, served alongside his former boss at ACLI where Hunter served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
On January 1, 2011, Keating became president and CEO of the American Bankers Association
American Bankers Association
The American Bankers Association is an industry trade group and professional association representing the United States' banking industry...
, which represents banks of all sizes and charters and is the voice for the nation’s banking industry and employees, following eight years of service as president and CEO at ACLI.
Keating served as a member of the Debt Reduction Task Force at the Bipartisan Policy Center
Bipartisan Policy Center
The is a non-profit organization that "drives principled solutions through rigorous analysis, reasoned negotiation, and respectful dialogue." Founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell, "BPC combines politically-balanced policymaking...
.
Events
- April 19, 1995: Three months after he was sworn in as Oklahoma governor, a fertilizer bomb exploded in front of a federal buildingFederal BuildingA federal building refers to government building built to host the regional offices of various government departments and agencies in countries with a federal system, especially when the central government is referred to as the "federal government".- Canada :...
in the capital killing 168 people. - June, 2002: Keating, a practicing Roman Catholic, was named Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic BishopsUnited States Conference of Catholic BishopsThe United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
' National Review Board examining sex abuse by Catholic Priests. - June 16, 2003: After months of working with the Catholic Church, Keating stepped down as head of the Catholic review board. The resignation came days after Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony criticized Keating for comparing some church leaders to the MafiaMafiaThe Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
. In his resignation letter, Keating said, "My remarks, which some BishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s found offensive, were deadly accurate. I make no apology.... To resist Grand JuryGrand juryA grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
subpoenaSubpoenaA subpoena is a writ by a government agency, most often a court, that has authority to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of subpoena:...
s, to suppress the names of offending clerics, to deny, to obfuscate, to explain away; that is the model of a criminal organization, not my church."