Kirk Humphreys (born September 13, 1950) is an American businessman and politician who served as Mayor of Oklahoma City from April 9, 1998, to November 3, 2003.[2] He was considered a favorite candidate of the Republican party establishment for U.S. Senator in 2004,[3][4] losing to former Congressman Tom Coburn, MD in the primary.[5] Humphreys was appointed to The Oklahoma City Public Schools Board as Chairman in 2008, but was unseated in the next election by former state Sen. Angela Monson.
Kirk Humphreys | |
|---|---|
| 35th Mayor of Oklahoma City | |
| In office April 9, 1998 – November 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Ron Norick |
| Succeeded by | Guy Liebmann |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 13, 1950[1] |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Oklahoma |
Humphreys is the Executive Chairman of Humphreys Capital, a real estate investment fund management company based in Oklahoma City.[6]
Education
editHumphreys graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1972 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.[6]
Career
editFrom 1972 until 1989, Humphreys built a distribution business with his brothers that specialized in the distribution of beauty products and other non-food items to leading retailers across the United States.[6] In 1989 he founded The Humphreys Company, a real estate development and investment firm. Among the company's current projects are Carlton Landing, a 1,800-acre new town development on Lake Eufaula in southeastern Oklahoma, and The Wheeler District, the redevelopment of the 150-acre site of the former Downtown Airpark on the Oklahoma River near downtown Oklahoma City.[6]
Humphreys is Executive Chairman of Humphreys Capital, which manage real estate investment funds with more than one billion dollars in assets in 15 states.
Humphreys serves as a trustee of the Oklahoma Industries Authority and on the boards of The Navigators, New Horizons Foundation, the Oklahoma State Fair, Pulse Evangelism, and Search Ministries. He formerly served as a director of OGE Energy and as a trustee of the Urban Land Institute. Humphreys was the founding chairman of the Oklahoma District Council of ULI.
From 2008 until 2019, Humphreys was co-host of "Flash Point," an award-winning locally-produced Sunday morning political talk show on Oklahoma City NBC affiliate KFOR-TV (channel 4), alongside co-host Mike Turpen and moderator Kevin Ogle.
Religious Liberties Controversy
editOn December 10, 2017, in his capacity as a "Flash Point" cohost, Humphreys made comments about his personal beliefs, the "me too" movement, homosexuality, and his belief in the existence of universal truth in a culture of moral relativism. His comments prompted calls for his resignation from the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents by the LGBTQ Alumni Society and Freedom Oklahoma.[7][8][9] In addition, Paula Lewis, the chair of the Oklahoma City Public Schools board of education, issued a statement calling for Humphreys to resign from the board of a school he had co-founded in downtown Oklahoma City, the John Rex Charter Elementary School.[10] A few dozen John Rex parents held a protest December 15, 2017, also demanding Humphreys' resignation from the school's board. In January, 2018, more than 2,000 parents of John Rex students and citizens of Oklahoma City signed a letter of support for Humphreys, demanding that he remain in a role of leadership for John Rex and defending his religious liberties http://m.news9.com/story.aspx?story=37220732&catId=112032 [11][12] On December 21, 2017, at the end of a special meeting of the OU Board of Regents, Humphreys announced he would resign from the board of regents at the beginning of the spring semester in January 2018.[13]
Politics
editHumphreys was elected to the Putnam City School Board in 1987 and served until 1995.[6] In 1998, he was elected mayor of Oklahoma City and served two terms. As mayor, he changed the popular opinion of the downtown revitalization effort, known as Metropolitan Area Projects (or MAPS), to a more favorable view. This resulted in increased economic development and improved quality of living in the downtown Oklahoma City area and a move toward a second project, known as MAPS for Kids, aimed at a revitalization of the area's public schools.[14]
In 2004, Humphreys was a candidate in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate and was considered a favorite for the party's nomination as he was endorsed by incumbent Don Nickles and Oklahoma's other U.S. Senator James Inhofe.[3][4] However, he was defeated by Tom Coburn with a vote of 61% to 25%.[5]
Personal
editIn 1972, Humphreys married the former Danna Kircher of Stroud, Oklahoma. They have three children and fifteen grandchildren.
References
edit- ^ "Kirk Humphreys". City of Oklahoma City. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ "Previous Mayors of Oklahoma City". City of Oklahoma City. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ a b Lois Romano (July 12, 2004). "In Oklahoma, GOP Race Not a Given". Washington Post. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ a b "Watts, Cole endorse Humphreys in Senate race". The Journal Record. November 26, 2003. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ a b John Skorburg (September 1, 2004). "Fiscal Conservative Wins GOP Senate Nod in Oklahoma". Budget & Tax News. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "About Us". Humphreys Real Estate Investments. Archived from the original on May 6, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ Jaschik, Scott (December 12, 2017). "Anger Over Oklahoma Regent's Anti-Gay Comments". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ^ Causey, Adam Kealoha (December 11, 2017). "Former Oklahoma City mayor chided for anti-gay comments". The Oklahoman. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ^ Bauer-Wolf, Jeremy (December 13, 2017). "Calls Escalate for Oklahoma Regent to Quit". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- ^ "OKCPS board chair calls for Humphreys to resign". Oklahoma City Free Press. December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
- ^ "John Rex protesters seek Humphreys' resignation from OKC board". NewsOK.com. December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
- ^ "Home". humphreysresign.wordpress.com.
- ^ Miller, Ken (December 21, 2017). "Oklahoma regents vice chair to resign after anti-gay comment". Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017 – via www.WashingtonPost.com.
- ^ Bill May (January 30, 2002). "Humphreys: Oklahoma City has a competitive edge". The Journal Record. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2007.