John Thomas Steen, Jr. (born c. 1949), is a lawyer from

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, who served as the Texas Secretary of State from 2012 to 2014. Steen was appointed by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republica ...

on November 27, 2012 after Esperanza Andrade resigned four days earlier from the position that she had held for more than four years. Steen is Texas' 108th Secretary of State and one of six officials to have formed the Executive Department of state government. After just over a year in the position, Steen resigned and was succeeded on January 7, 2014, by another Perry appointee, Nandita Berry, an

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n native and naturalized American citizen from

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Background

Steen is one of five children born to John Steen, Sr. (1922-2003), a native of Yoakum in southeast

, who owned insurance companies and also held ranching interests in surrounding counties. His mother was the former Nell Donnell, who predeceased her husband. The senior Steen was the last chairman of the San Antonio Good Government League and was active in the 1976

United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States of America as an independent republic. It was a central event ...

and in the

National Conference of Christians and Jews The National Conference for Community and Justice is an American social justice organization focused on fighting biases and promoting understanding between people of different races and cultures. The organization was founded in 1927 as the Natio ...

. For twenty years, the senior Steen was an elected member of the

Alamo Community College District The Alamo Colleges District (previously the Alamo Community College District, or ACCD, and The Alamo Colleges) is a network of five community colleges in San Antonio and Universal City, Texas, and serving the Greater San Antonio metropolitan are ...

. He served two terms on the San Antonio City Council and was an unsuccessful candidate for

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

in 1981 to succeed

Lila Cockrell Lila May Banks Cockrell (January 19, 1922 – August 29, 2019) was an American politician who served twice as mayor of San Antonio, Texas. During World War II, she served in the WAVES branch of the United States Navy. She served as President of th ...

, but

Henry Cisneros Henry Gabriel Cisneros (born June 11, 1947) is an American politician and businessman. He served as the mayor of San Antonio, Texas, from 1981 to 1989, the second Latino mayor of a major American city and the city's first since 1842 (when Juan ...

was instead elected to the first of four two-year terms in the position. Steen is married to the former Ida Louise Clement, a past member of the Texas State Preservation Board in

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, the panel which oversees the management of the

State Capitol This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...

, the governor's mansion, and the

Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum The Bullock Texas State History Museum (often referred to as the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum or Bullock Museum) is a history museum in Austin, Texas. The museum, located a few blocks north of the Texas State Capitol at 1800 North Congre ...

. She is a former regent of the Texas A&M University System. Mrs. Steen is a descendant of Richard King, the

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

captain who in 1853 established the King Ranch, still owned by her family. Her father, James H. Clement, was the president and chief executive of King Ranch. Her paternal grandfather,

Martin W. Clement Martin Withington Clement (December 5, 1881 – August 30, 1966) was the 11th President of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), from 1935 to 1948. Background Clement was born and raised in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Major General Ch ...

, was the president and chairman of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

. Her maternal grandfather, John A. Larkin, was a founder and the vice chairman of the

Celanese Corporation of America Celanese Corporation, formerly known as Hoechst Celanese, is an American technology and specialty materials company headquartered in Irving, Texas, Irving, Texas. A Fortune 500 corporation, the company is the world’s leading producer of aceti ...

, now based in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. The Steens have three children, John Steen, III, James Higbie Clement "Jamey" Steen, and Ida "Illa" Louise Larkin Steen Gaunt, who is married to William Hartley Gaunt of

, who has roots in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

and

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. The Gaunts were wed at the King Ranch in 2012. John Steen's siblings are the late Nancy Nell Steen Boyce; Susan Margaret Steen Fainter, wife of John Wells Fainter, Jr., of Austin and the 93rd Texas Secretary of State; Rolly Robert Steen, II, M.D., of Dallas and the namesake of his paternal grandfather, and Stewart James Steen of

Kerrville Kerrville is a city in, and the county seat of, Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population of Kerrville was 24,278 at the 2020 census. Kerrville is named after James Kerr, a major in the Texas Revolution, and friend of settler- ...

, Texas.

Career

Steen received his undergraduate degree from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and his doctorate of jurisprudence from the University of Texas School of Law at Austin. Most recently while engaged in the private practice of law in San Antonio, Steen served under appointment of Governor Perry as a commissioner of the

Texas Department of Public Safety The Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas, commonly known as the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), is a department of the state government of Texas. The DPS is responsible for statewide law enforcement and driver license adminis ...

. He is a former gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Commission on Economy and Efficiency in State Government and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, on which he served for ten years, the last six as the chairman.Secretary of State's Biography
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steen, John (Texas politician) Secretaries of State of Texas Texas Republicans Princeton University alumni University of Texas School of Law alumni 1949 births Living people Politicians from San Antonio Texas lawyers American Presbyterians Lawyers from San Antonio