Perry, Rick (1950-…), is an American politician. Perry, a Republican, served as governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. He briefly campaigned for his party’s 2012 and 2016 nominations for president. From 2017 to 2019, Perry served as secretary of energy in the Cabinet of President Donald J. Trump.
James Richard Perry was born on March 4, 1950, in Paint Creek, Texas. In 1972, he graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in animal science. Perry then joined the United States Air Force. He achieved the rank of captain before leaving the military in 1977. He then worked as a rancher and cotton farmer on his family’s ranch in Paint Creek.
In 1984, Perry ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. He won the seat and was reelected in 1986 and 1988. In 1990, Perry campaigned as a Republican to become Texas agriculture commissioner. He won the election and was reelected in 1994. In 1998, Perry won election as the state’s lieutenant governor. He assumed the governor’s office in December 2000, after Texas Governor George W. Bush resigned to become president of the United States.
Perry won a full four-year term as governor in 2002. He was reelected in 2006 and 2010. As governor, Perry worked to limit taxes and government spending. He won praise for the job growth in his state during the 2000’s. He also became known for his conservative stances on such issues as abortion, same-sex marriage, and environmental regulation. In July 2013, Perry announced that he would not seek another term as governor in the 2014 election.
In 2011, Perry began a campaign for his party’s 2012 nomination for president. He dropped out of the race in January 2012, however, after finishing poorly in early nominating contests. In June 2015, Perry began another campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. He suspended the campaign in September, however, while trailing other candidates in fundraising and poll numbers.
After Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, he nominated Perry to serve as United States secretary of energy, a Cabinet position. The U.S. Senate confirmed Perry’s nomination in March 2017. In October 2019, Perry announced that he would resign his position by the end of the year. Dan Brouillette replaced Perry in the position that December.
Perry’s written works include On My Honor: Why the American Values of the Boy Scouts Are Worth Fighting For (2008) and Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington (2010).
