Alan S. Armstrong
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Alan Armstrong | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2026 | |
| United States Senator from Oklahoma | |
| Assumed office March 24, 2026 | |
| Appointed by | Kevin Stitt |
| Preceded by | Markwayne Mullin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alan Stuart Armstrong July 11, 1962 McLennan County, Texas, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Shelly Armstrong |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of Oklahoma (BS) |
| Website | Senate website |
Alan Stuart Armstrong (born July 11, 1962) is an American businessman and politician serving since 2026 as the junior United States senator from Oklahoma. A member of the Republican Party, he was the CEO of the oil and gas company Williams from 2011 to 2025.
Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Armstrong to the Senate after Markwayne Mullin resigned to become secretary of homeland security. Armstrong had never held office before his appointment. Under Oklahoma law, he is ineligible to run for reelection in 2026.[1]
Early life
[edit]Alan Stuart Armstrong was born on July 11, 1962, in McLennan County, Texas.[2] He was raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where he graduated from Sooner High School.[3] Both of his grandfathers, one grandmother, an uncle, and his parents worked for Phillips Petroleum.[4]
Career
[edit]Armstrong graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1985 and in 1986 started working as an engineer for the Williams Companies, an oil and gas company.[5] He served as CEO and executive board chairman of Williams from 2011 to 2025.[6] Armstrong also served as vice president of gathering and processing from 1999 to 2002; vice president of commercial development from 1998 to 1999; vice president of retail energy services from 1997 to 1998; and director of commercial operations for the company's Gulf Coast midstream operations from 1995 to 1997.[7] Since January 2026, he has served as a director of Constellation Energy.[8]
After the January 6 United States Capitol attack, Armstrong donated $5,800 to U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger, a Republican who voted to impeach President Donald Trump in the attack's aftermath.[9] Armstrong has also donated to the campaigns of senators John Barrasso, Tim Sheehy, Shelley Moore Capito, Mike Crapo, Josh Hawley, James Lankford, Joe Manchin, and Heidi Heitkamp.[10]
In August 2022, President Joe Biden appointed Armstrong to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council.[11]
U.S. Senate
[edit]
Appointment
[edit]On March 21, 2026, NOTUS reported that Governor Kevin Stitt would appoint Armstrong to the U.S. Senate after President Trump nominated incumbent senator Markwayne Mullin for secretary of homeland security.[12] On March 24, Armstrong was formally announced as Stitt's choice for the appointment.[13]
Tenure
[edit]Armstrong was sworn in on March 24, 2026, by Senate president pro tempore Chuck Grassley.[14] Per Oklahoma law, Armstrong is ineligible to run for reelection.[1]
Armstrong has leaned on his background as an energy executive to draw attention to federal permitting reform.[15] In June 2026, he joined a bipartisan Senate delegation to Ukraine.[16]
On June 24, 2026, Armstrong introduced energy project permitting reform aimed to make it faster and easier to approve energy, pipeline, and mining projects by streamlining federal permitting and environmental reviews.[17]
Personal life
[edit]Armstrong lives in Tulsa with his wife, Shelly, and their four children.[18]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Svirnovskiy, Gregory (March 24, 2026). "Stitt picks energy executive Alan Armstrong as next Oklahoma senator". POLITICO. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ↑ "Sen. Alan Armstrong - R Oklahoma". LegiStorm.
- ↑ United States Congress. "Armstrong, Alan". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Williams: an American success story" (PDF). Williams Companies. 2018. p. 9. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
- ↑ Stancavage, John (June 12, 2009). "5 questions with Alan Armstrong". Tulsa World. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
- ↑ Kalia, Katha; Srivastava, Vallari (May 5, 2025). "Williams CEO Alan Armstrong to step down after 14 years at the helm". Reuters. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Williams announces executive management changes". sec.gov. May 5, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Constellation appoints Alan Armstrong to board of directors". sec.gov. September 29, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
- ↑ Mitchell, Scott (March 22, 2026). "Alan Armstrong is Stitt's U.S. Senate pick: what led to the decision and what's next?". news9.com. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
- ↑ Meyer, Theodoric; Alfaro, Mariana (March 24, 2026). "Oklahoma energy executive Alan Armstrong sworn in as U.S. senator". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
- ↑ "President Biden announces appointments to the President's National Infrastructure Advisory Council". whitehouse.gov. August 31, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
- ↑ Gorman, Reese (March 22, 2026). "Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and his likely Senate appointee to meet with Trump on Sunday". NOTUS. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
- ↑ Svirnovskiy, Gregory (March 24, 2026). "Stitt picks energy executive Alan Armstrong as next Oklahoma senator". Politico. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
- ↑ Carney, Jordan (March 24, 2026). "Introducing Sen. Alan Armstrong". Politico. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
- ↑ Armstrong, Sen. Alan (June 16, 2026). "Op-Ed: Sen. Alan Armstrong: The same permit snare that stops pipelines will stop the grid buildout too". Washington Reporter. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ "Bipartisan US Senate delegation arrives in Ukraine". Interfax-Ukraine. June 30, 2026. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ Miller, Alex (June 25, 2026). "Senate Republican pushes overhaul to cut red tape and speed up American energy projects". Fox News. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
- ↑ "2014 distinguished graduates". ou.edu. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Senator Alan Armstrong official U.S. Senate website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- 1962 births
- 21st-century American businesspeople
- 21st-century Oklahoma politicians
- 21st-century United States senators
- American chief executives in the energy industry
- Businesspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Living people
- People from Bartlesville, Oklahoma
- People from McLennan County, Texas
- Politicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Republican Party United States senators from Oklahoma
- University of Oklahoma alumni