Governor Greg Abbott Name Ryan Sitton Party Republican Party Residence Friendswood, Texas Education Texas A&M University | Political party Republican Spouse Jennifer Sitton Preceded by Barry Smitherman Role Politician | |
 | ||
Alma mater Texas A&M University (B.S. in Mechanical Engineering) (1998) Occupation Texas Railroad Commissioner Children Sarah Sitton, Lance Sitton, Luke Sitton People also search for Jennifer Sitton, Sarah Sitton, Lance Sitton, Luke Sitton | ||
Ryan sitton the experienced candidate for railroad commissioner
Ryan Christopher Sitton (born 1975) is a Republican politician and current Texas Railroad Commissioner at the Texas Railroad Commission. A resident of Friendswood outside Houston, Sitton has been serving on the Railroad Commission since November 4, 2014.
Contents
- Ryan sitton the experienced candidate for railroad commissioner
- Ryan sitton for texas railroad commissioner
- Personal life and education
- Business career
- 2012 Texas House of Representatives race
- Texas Railroad Commissioner
- Awards
- References
Ryan sitton for texas railroad commissioner
Personal life and education
Sitton was raised in Irving, Texas with his three siblings by his mother and father, both high school science teachers. Sitton displayed a talent for math and science. Sitton attended Cistercian Academy and went on to study Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University where he met his wife, Jennifer, also a mechanical engineering major.
They now have three children and are active members of St. Andrews Episcopal Church. In his spare time, Sitton is an avid fitness enthusiast, does P90X every day and maintains a collection of over 100,000 Legos.
Business career
Sitton spent his early career working for oil and gas companies, including ALCOA, Oxy, Marathon, and Berwanger Engineering and Consulting, where he created and led the mechanical integrity division. In 2006, the Sittons founded PinnacleART, an engineering and technology company.
2012 Texas House of Representatives race
In 2012, Sitton lost a runoff contest with fellow Republican Greg Bonnen in Galveston County for the District 24 seat in the Texas House of Representatives.
Texas Railroad Commissioner
Then-Commissioner Barry Smitherman decided to retire from office to run, unsuccessfully, for state attorney general. With his business acumen and strong desire to serve the public and state of Texas, Sitton announced his candidacy for the Railroad Commission.
With 358,827 votes (30.5 percent), Sitton finished second in the GOP primary held on March 4, 2014, and hence qualified for the runoff slot. In the second round of balloting, Christian again polled 42.7 percent of the vote, the same as his primary tabulation in a field of four candidates. Sitton, however, increased his total from the primary to the runoff election by nearly 27 percentage points, attributed to strong fundraising from industry professionals.
The Houston Chronicle endorsed Sitton over Christian on May 12, prior to the runoff election. Sitton also carried the backing of outgoing Texas Land Commissioner Jerry E. Patterson, who lost his own bid for lieutenant governor in the March 4 primary.
Sitton polled 398,652 votes (57.3 percent) to Christian's 297,654 (42.7 percent). Sitton outspent Christian by a large amount.
Sitton faced Steve Brown, an African-American Democrat businessman from Houston, Libertarian Party candidate Mark Miller, and Green Party candidate Martina Salinas. Sitton won the general election with 58% of the vote.
Sitton was sworn in on January 5, 2015, succeeding outgoing Commissioner Barry Smitherman. He is the first mechanical engineer to serve on the Commission in 50 years.