Robert Harlan Henry

See also: Robert Henry (disambiguation)

Robert Henry
President of Oklahoma City University
Incumbent
Assumed office July 1, 2010
Preceded by	Tom McDaniel
Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
In office January 25, 2008 – June 30, 2010
Preceded by	Deanell Tacha
Succeeded by	Mary Briscoe
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
In office May 9, 1994 – June 30, 2010
Appointed by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	William Holloway
Succeeded by	Robert Bacharach
14th Attorney General of Oklahoma
In office January 12, 1987 – June 22, 1991
Governor	Henry Bellmon David Walters
Preceded by	Mike Turpen
Succeeded by	Susan Loving
Personal details
Born	(1953-04-03) April 3, 1953 Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	University of Oklahoma

Robert Harlan Henry (born April 3, 1953) is a former U.S. judge and politician from Oklahoma who is the 17th and current President of Oklahoma City University. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Henry formerly served as the Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1986 to 1991, before resigning early in his second term to become the dean of the Oklahoma City University School of Law, where he remained until 1994. President Bill Clinton appointed Henry as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, a position he held until he resigned in 2010 to return to Oklahoma City University as president.

Biography

Born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Henry earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Oklahoma in 1974 and 1976 respectively. Shortly after graduating from law school, he was elected to his uncle's seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, where he served until 1986. In 1986, he was elected Attorney General of Oklahoma, defeating Republican Brian C. Griffin. He was re-elected in November 1990 but resigned in June 1991 to become the dean of Oklahoma City University School of Law. Governor of Oklahoma David Walters appointed Henry's first assistant attorney general, Susan B. Loving, to succeed him. Henry continued to serve as Dean until 1993.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed him as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, which, as all other federal judges appointed under Article III, is a lifetime position. He was confirmed by the Senate on May 6, 1994. Judge Henry is a cousin of former Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry, and administered the oath of office at the governor's inauguration in 2003.

In January 2008, Henry succeeded Deanell Reece Tacha as chief judge of the Tenth Circuit. On December 10, 2009, Judge Henry was named 17th president and CEO of Oklahoma City University, a private Methodist affiliated university with a student body of 3,700 undergraduate and graduate students. He succeeded Tom J. McDaniel, who assumed the new role of chancellor in July, 2010.

References

Party political offices
Preceded by Mike Turpen	Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Oklahoma 1986, 1990	Succeeded by Drew Edmondson
Legal offices
Preceded by Mike Turpen	Attorney General of Oklahoma 1987–1991	Succeeded by Susan Loving
Preceded by William Holloway	Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit 1994–2010	Succeeded by Robert Bacharach
Preceded by Deanell Tacha	Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit 2008–2010	Succeeded by Mary Briscoe
Academic offices
Preceded by Tom McDaniel	President of Oklahoma City University 2010–present	Incumbent