Michael Williams
Michael L. Williams (born May 31, 1953) is the Republican former member and chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the oil and gas industry. He was appointed in 1999 to the commission by Governor George W. Bush and won a special election in 2000 and was reelected in 2002 and 2008 to six-year terms. He resigned from the commission in 2011 and was succeeded by Barry Smitherman, another Perry appointee.
After serving as an assistant district attorney he served as a prosecutor in the Reagan Administration (1984-1988). In 1988, he was awarded the Attorney General's "Special Achievement Award" for the conviction of six Ku Klux Klan members. Williams would go on to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement under President George H.W. Bush and later Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights. In 2012, he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the United States House of Representatives.
Michael Williams is a pro-life conservative and takes a hard stance against illegal immigration. He is a life-long member of the National Rifle Association.[1] In 2004 and 2008, Williams endorsed George W. Bush and John McCain in their presidential bids.