Where Are They Now? Joe M. Allbaugh

(This is the first in a series of profiles of prominent Oklahoma political figures.) It's a long way from the Blackwell farm to the White House, but that's the road Joe Allbaugh has traveled. The 54-year-old now heads The Allbaugh Company in Washington. He began his political career as a 12-year-old volunteer in Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign and by the time he enrolled at Oklahoma State University, he was a died-in-the-wool GOP activist. His first paid political job was with Henry Bellmon in 1974, thus beginning a long association with the former governor and U. S. senator. In 1978, Allbaugh was director of organization in Dr. Robert Kamm's U. S. Senate campaign (against winner David Boren). Allbaugh graduated to Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign and worked on the Reagan Transition Team. He returned to Oklahoma and managed Bellmon's successful 1986 campaign for governor. After the election of Democrat David Walters in 1990, Allbaugh became deputy secretary of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation under his friend Delmas Ford. In 1994, Allbaugh was hired by George W. Bush to manage his campaign for governor at the recommendation of Bellmon. After Bush was elected, Allbaugh became his chief of staff. In 1998, he managed Bush's successful reelection campaign. In 1999, he became campaign manager of Bush's successful presidential campaign. When Bush decided to name Dick Cheney as his running mate, Bush asked Allbaugh to "vet" Cheney since it was Cheney himself who was then in charge of vetting possible vice presidential running mates. Allbaugh was named by Bush to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a post he held until FEMA's transfer into the Department of Homeland Security. Allbaugh resigned in March 2003 and formed The Allbaugh Company, a firm that operates globally providing advice and counsel to numerous corporations. The firm has offices in Washington, Austin and Oklahoma City. Allbaugh is a member of the board of directors of the National Rifle Association and lives, with wife Diane, in a Virginia home purchased from Vice President Dick Cheney.

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