Kirk Humphreys

Kirk Humphreys
35th Mayor of Oklahoma City
In office
April 9, 1998 – November 3, 2003
Preceded byRon Norick
Succeeded byGuy Liebmann
Personal details
Born (1950-09-13) September 13, 1950 (age 74)[1]
Political partyRepublican
Alma materUniversity of Oklahoma

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.

Humphreys is the Executive Chairman of Humphreys Capital, a real estate investment fund management company based in Oklahoma City.[6]

Education

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Humphreys graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1972 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.[6]

Career

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From 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

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On 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

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Humphreys 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

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In 1972, Humphreys married the former Danna Kircher of Stroud, Oklahoma. They have three children and fifteen grandchildren.

References

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  1. ^ "Kirk Humphreys". City of Oklahoma City. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  2. ^ "Previous Mayors of Oklahoma City". City of Oklahoma City. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Lois Romano (July 12, 2004). "In Oklahoma, GOP Race Not a Given". Washington Post. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  4. ^ a b "Watts, Cole endorse Humphreys in Senate race". The Journal Record. November 26, 2003. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  5. ^ a b John Skorburg (September 1, 2004). "Fiscal Conservative Wins GOP Senate Nod in Oklahoma". Budget & Tax News. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  6. ^ a b c d e "About Us". Humphreys Real Estate Investments. Archived from the original on May 6, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  7. ^ Jaschik, Scott (December 12, 2017). "Anger Over Oklahoma Regent's Anti-Gay Comments". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  8. ^ Causey, Adam Kealoha (December 11, 2017). "Former Oklahoma City mayor chided for anti-gay comments". The Oklahoman. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  9. ^ Bauer-Wolf, Jeremy (December 13, 2017). "Calls Escalate for Oklahoma Regent to Quit". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  10. ^ "OKCPS board chair calls for Humphreys to resign". Oklahoma City Free Press. December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  11. ^ "John Rex protesters seek Humphreys' resignation from OKC board". NewsOK.com. December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  12. ^ "Home". humphreysresign.wordpress.com.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
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