Overview
Robert Harlan Henry (born April 3, 1953) is a former United States Circuit Judge and politician from Oklahoma, and was the 17th 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 United States circuit 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. He retired as President of Oklahoma City University in 2018, and has since worked as an attorney specializing in mediation, moot courts, and appellate advocacy.
Education and legal career
Henry was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Henry was named by Senator Barry Goldwater and Ernest "Fritz" Hollings as the national winner of the Elks Leadership Award during his high school years. Oklahoma Senators Fred R. Harris and Henry Bellmon also selected Henry as a William Randolph Hearst Foundation Scholar. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree (with high honors) from the University of Oklahoma in 1974 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1976. While attending law school, he was elected to 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. Oklahoma Governor David Walters appointed Henry's first assistant attorney general, Susan B. Loving, to succeed him as attorney general. Henry continued to serve as Dean until 1993.
Federal judicial service
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