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Executive Branch

Executive Branch

The executive authority of Oklahoma is vest in the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor and Inspector, Attorney General, State Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Commission of Labor, Commissioner of Insurance, and other officers provided by law. Each member of the Executive Branch is responsible for keeping his/her office and public records, books, and papers at the seat of government, and must perform all duties that are designated in the Constitution or prescribed by law.

The Oklahoma Constitution outlines the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, a system of checks and balances, veto and impeachment powers, a bill of rights, and other reforms. The constitution requires officials of the executive branch to be elected on a statewide basis, therefore, reducing the appointive power of the governor. In addition, gubernatorial elections are held in off years, eliminating the possibility of a candidate riding to office on the coat tails of a popular United States presidential candidate. Initially, according to the constitution, the governor was elected for a four-year term and could not succeed himself, reducing a governor's personal power through long tenure and control of state government. Now, according to constitutional amendment and state statute, Oklahoma governors can be re-elected for a second term in succession. Each governor's term begins the second Monday of January following the general election.

Office of the Governor
The Governor of Oklahoma is the head of state for the State of Oklahoma, the chief executive of the government of Oklahoma and the Commander-in-Chief of the Oklahoma National Guard when not called into Federal use. The Governor, according to the Oklahoma Constitution, must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." The Governor handles all relations and business of the State with other states and with the United States and is the "conservator of the peace throughout the State." As Commander-in-Chief the Governor may call out the militia to execute the laws, protect the public health, suppress insurrection, and repel invasion.
Today, many of the duties, responsibilities and privileges of the governor remain the same as originally established by the Oklahoma Constitution. However, the role of governor has also expanded from generation to generation, adapting to the changing needs of the state and Oklahomans. Principal powers and responsibilities are outlined by the state constitution and by statute and include:
  • certain appointive powers
  • the authority to veto or approve bills passed by the legislature
  • the authority to grant pardons and parole
  • the authority summon special sessions of the legislatures, and
  • the authority to call out the militia
Current Office Holder: Brad Henry was sworn in as Oklahoma's twenty-sixth governor on January 13, 2003. Governor Henry was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He attended public schools there and graduated from Shawnee High School. He earned a bachelor degree in economics in 1985 from the University of Oklahoma and was awarded his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oklahoma College of law, where he served as managing editor of the Law Review. Before his election as governor, Henry served ten years in the Oklahoma Senate, chairing the Senate Judiciary Committee and serving as vice chair of the Senate Economic Development Committee.
Qualifications: The Governor must be a citizen of the United States, at least thirty-one years of age and a qualified elector for at least ten years preceding election.
Salary: $110,299 annually
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Current Office Holder: Jari Askins served 12 years in the state legislature before becoming Lieutenant Governor in 2007. The Lieutenant Governor serves as president of the Senate and serves on ten boards and commissions.
Qualifications: The Lieutenant Governor must be a citizen of the United States, at least thirty-one years of age and a qualified elector for at least ten years preceding election.
Salary: $85,500 annually
Office of the Attorney General
Current Office Holder: W. A. Drew Edmondson, Democrat was elected in March 1994. In 1998 he became the second attorney general in Oklahoma history to have been re-elected without opposition. Born in Washington D.C., Edmondson attended public schools in Washington D.C. and Muskogee, Oklahoma. He graduated from Muskogee Central High School in 1964. In 1968 he graduated from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah with a degree in speech education. Following a tour of duty in Vietnam with the United States Navy, Edmondson was elected to the Oklahoma Legislature in 1974 and served two year. In 1976, Edmond entered the University of Tulsa Law School and graduated in December 1978. He served as chief prosecutor with the Muskogee District Attorney's Office in 1982. He was elected, unopposed, district attorney of Muskogee County in 1982, 1986 and 1990.
Qualifications: The Attorney General must be a citizen of the United States, at least thirty-one years of age and a qualified elector for at least ten years preceding election.
Salary: $103,109 annually
Office of State Auditor and Inspector
Current Office Holder: Jeff McMahan, Democrat was elected November 5, 2002 in his first race for public office. A fourteen year veteran of the State Auditor's staff, he served seven years as head of the Investigative Audit Division. As state auditor the duties include auditing of county governments, state agencies, boards and commissions, schools districts, cities and towns, and conducting audits of other public entities and maintaining filed public trust audits.
Qualifications: The Auditor and Inspector must be a citizen of the United States, at least thirty-one years of age and a qualified elector for at least ten years preceding election and at least three years experience as an expert accountant.
Salary: $87,875 annually
Office of the State Treasurer
Current Office Holder: Scott Meacham became the 17th State Treasurer of Oklahoma on June 1st of 2005, appointed by Governor Brad Henry to fill the unexpired term of Robert Butkin. Prior to becoming treasurer, Scott served as Governor Henry's Director of the Office of State Finance. He continues to serve on the governor's cabinet as Secretary of Finance and Revenue and, as such, serves as the governor's negotiator on budget, policy and other matters. Scott is a graduate of Chickasha High School . He has earned a bachelor's degree in finance, a Masters of Business Administration and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma.
Qualifications: The State Treasurer must be a citizen of the United States, at least thirty-one years of age and a qualified elector for at least ten years preceding election.
Salary: $87,875 annually
Office of the Insurance Commissioner
Current Office Holder: Kim Holland was appointed the state's insurance commissioner by Governor Brad Henry in January 2005. A long-time Tulsa resident, Holland has been active in public service working with state policy and regulatory boards.
Qualifications: The individual must have five years experience in insurance business prior to election, be a five year resident of Oklahoma and be at least twenty-five years of age.
Salary: $87,875
Office of the Commissioner of Labor
Current Office Holder: Lloyd Fields was born in Pawhuska. He was a State Representative from McAlester for 10 years before he was elected Labor Commissioner in 2006.
Qualifications: There are no constitutional or statutory requirements.
Salary: $80,750
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
Current Office Holder: Sandy Garrett, Democrat, is the only woman in Oklahoma history to hold the constitutional position of State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Garrett graduated from Stilwell High School. She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Northeastern State University and pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Oklahoma and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. After fifteen years as a classroom teacher and gifted programs coordinator in Muskogee County schools, Garrett joined the State Department of Education as coordinator of Gifted and Talented and executive director of Education Programs. Governor Henry Bellmon appointed Garrett Secretary of Education on July 19, 1988 and on December 27, 1990, Governor David Walters appointed her to serve as Cabinet Secretary of Education in his administration. She was elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1990, and in November 2002 she became the only Oklahoma woman to be elected to a statewide office for a fourth consecutive term.
Qualifications: The State Superintendent of Public Instruction must be a citizen of the United States, at least thirty-one years of age and a qualified elector for at least ten years preceding election.
Salary: $95,898
Office of the Corporation Commission
Current Office Holders: Bob Anthony, Republican, won election to his third consecutive term on the Corporation Commission in 2000, receiving more votes than any candidate for state office in Oklahoma history. Denise Bode, Republican, is only the second woman to serve as a commissioner since statehood. Appointed by Governor Frank Keating in 1997, Bode was elected in 1998 and again in 2004. Jeff Cloud was elected to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in 2002 to fill the seat vacated by the retirement of Commissioner Ed Apple. Commissioner Cloud's term conclude January 2009.
Qualifications: Corporation Commissioners must be a resident of the State for over two years preceding election and not less than thirty years of age. Commissioners may not directly or indirectly have an interest in any business regulated by the Commission.
Salary: $87,875  (Chairman of the Commission also receives an additional $2,000 a year stipend)
Executive Branch Cabinet Members
  • Secretary of State: Susan Savage
  • Secretary of Agriculture: Terry Peach
  • Secretary of Commerce and Tourism: Natalie Shirley
  • Secretary of Energy: David Fleischaker
  • Secretary of the Environment: Miles Tolbert
  • Secretary of Finance and Revenue: Scott Meacham
  • Secretary of Health: Dr. Mike Crutcher
  • Secretary of Human Resources and Administration: Oscar B. Jackson Jr.
  • Secretary of Human Services: Howard Hendrick
  • Secretary of the Military: Gen. Harry "Bud" Wyatt III
  • Secretary of Safety and Security: Kevin Ward
  • Secretary of Science and Technology: Dr. Joe Alexander
  • Secretary of Transportation: Phil Tomlinson
  • Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Norman Lamb
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