33 Facts About Brad Henry

Charles Bradford Henry was born on July 10,1963 and is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 26th governor of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2011.

Brad Henry was the third governor and second Democrat in Oklahoma history to serve two consecutive terms, along with Democrat George Nigh and Republican Frank Keating.

Brad Henry was unable to seek a third term in the 2010 election due to term limits set by the Oklahoma Constitution.

Brad Henry was succeeded as governor by Republican former Lieutenant Governor and former US Representative Mary Fallin on January 10,2011.

Brad Henry had been mentioned as a possible candidate for the US Senate, but declined to run in the 2014 special election to replace Tom Coburn.

Brad Henry was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, the son of Charles Henry, a prominent judge and former state representative.

Brad Henry was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

Brad Henry practiced law in Shawnee, Oklahoma before running for the Oklahoma State Senate.

Brad Henry served as a state senator from 1992 until he became governor.

Brad Henry received 448,143 votes to Largent's 441,277 votes.

Brad Henry ran a campaign of "barnstorming" rural areas, and stopping at Wal-Mart stores in an RV with supporters.

Brad Henry was endorsed by football coach Barry Switzer, who has widespread popularity in Oklahoma and accompanied Brad Henry to many campaign events.

Brad Henry won with a higher total than any gubernatorial candidate in almost fifty years.

Brad Henry only lost the three counties of the Panhandle, and won by large margins in a number of counties that normally vote Republican.

Brad Henry was sworn in as Oklahoma's 26th governor on January 13,2003, with the oath of office being administered by his cousin, federal appeals court judge Robert Harlan Brad Henry.

Brad Henry was the president of the Council of State Governments in 2007.

Brad Henry is pro-choice and has vetoed legislation to mandate ultrasound viewings prior to abortion procedures.

Brad Henry has a mixed view of racial affirmative action, supporting it in college and graduate schools, but not in hiring for the bureaucracy.

Brad Henry supports expanding public healthcare and holding HMOs accountable for poor care; however, he is in favor of upholding the death penalty and is against gun control.

Brad Henry made national headlines by giving sanctuary from the controversial redistricting warrant to Texas Democrats in that state's legislature by allowing them to travel across state lines into Oklahoma en masse to deny a quorum for voting on a redistricting plan.

Brad Henry was a strong supporter of a ballot proposal to establish a statewide lottery to benefit schools.

Brad Henry signed legislation to limit the sale of pseudoephedrine used to make crystal meth.

That law was struck down by a state district court, but passed again in April 2010, whereupon Brad Henry again vetoed it.

However, that same year, Brad Henry signed legislation that would prevent women from getting abortions based on the gender of the fetus, require that only qualified physicians administer mifepristone and protect employees who refuse to participate in abortions.

Governor Brad Henry appointed the following Justices to the Oklahoma Supreme Court:.

Governor Brad Henry submitted the following budgets to the Oklahoma Legislature: 2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010, and 2011.

Brad Henry was seen as a candidate for President of the University of Central Oklahoma.

Brad Henry was considered a likely choice to be Dean of the Oklahoma City University School of Law.

In 2013, supporters had asked Brad Henry to run in the 2014 elections against incumbent Republican governor Mary Fallin, but he declined.

However, Brad Henry said the term limit initiative voters passed didn't apply to him as he had already been term limited by the State Constitution before the proposition was approved.

Brad Henry was considered a contender for the 2014 US Senate Special Election, but ultimately did not run.

Brad Henry would be sought out for the election for a full term 2 years later, but again, was not a candidate.

On June 8,2016, Brad Henry joined the law firm Spencer Fane.