John Frank Bookout Jr.

Last updated

John Frank Bookout, Jr. (born December 31, 1922 Shreveport, Louisiana), an oil industry executive, was nominated to be the American Ambassador to Saudi Arabia on June 3, 1992. At the time of his nomination, Bookout was supervisory director of Royal Dutch Shell in The Hague, Netherlands. He was president and chief executive officer of Shell Oil Company in Houston, Texas (1976 to 1988). From 1950 to 1976, other positions included executive vice president for exploration and production in Houston, TX; president of Shell Canada, Ltd. in Toronto, Canada; and as vice president of New Orleans exploration and production. [1]

On October 8, 1992, his nomination was returned to the President under the provisions of Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing Rules of the Senate. [2] That rule states: [3]

Nominations neither confirmed nor rejected during the session at which they are made shall not be acted upon at any succeeding session without being again made to the Senate by the President; and if the Senate shall adjourn or take a recess for more than thirty days, all nominations pending and not finally acted upon at the time of taking such adjournment or recess shall be returned by the Secretary to the President, and shall not again be considered unless they shall again be made to the Senate by the President.

Bookout graduated from the University of Texas at Austin (B.S. and M.A., 1950). [1]

Business career

When he announced his retirement as President and CEO, effective June 30, 1988, it was signaled as possibly the end of an era. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Article Two of the United States Constitution</span> Portion of the U.S. Constitution regarding the executive branch

Article Two of the United States Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government, which carries out and enforces federal laws. Article Two vests the power of the executive branch in the office of the President of the United States, lays out the procedures for electing and removing the President, and establishes the President's powers and responsibilities.

A pocket veto is a legislative maneuver that allows a president or other official with veto power to exercise that power over a bill by taking no action, thus effectively killing the bill without affirmatively vetoing it. This depends on the laws of each country; the common alternative is that if the president takes no action a bill automatically becomes law.

In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the president is empowered to nominate, and with the advice and consent (confirmation) of the Senate, make appointments to high-level policy-making positions in federal departments, agencies, boards, and commissions, as well as to the federal judiciary. A recess appointment under Article II, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution is an alternative method of appointing officials that allows the temporary filling of offices during periods when the Senate is not in session. It was anticipated that the Senate would be away for months at a time, so the ability to fill vacancies in important positions when the Senate is in recess and unavailable to provide advice and consent was deemed essential to maintain government function, as described by Alexander Hamilton in No. 67 of The Federalist Papers.

Prorogation in the Westminster system of government is the action of proroguing, or interrupting, a parliament, or the discontinuance of meetings for a given period of time, without a dissolution of parliament. The term is also used for the period of such a discontinuance between two legislative sessions of a legislative body.

A concurrent resolution is a resolution adopted by both houses of a bicameral legislature that lacks the force of law and does not require the approval of the chief executive (president). Concurrent resolutions are typically adopted to regulate the internal affairs of the legislature that adopted them, or for other purposes, if authority of law is not necessary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commission on Appointments</span> Constitutional body of the Congress of the Philippines

The Commission on Appointments is a constitutional body which confirms or rejects certain political appointments made by the President of the Philippines. The current commission was created by the 1987 Constitution.

The Standing Rules of the Senate are the parliamentary procedures adopted by the United States Senate that govern its procedure. The Senate's power to establish rules derives from Article One, Section 5 of the United States Constitution: "Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings ..."

The Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution empowers the President of the United States to nominate and, with the advice and consent (confirmation) of the United States Senate, appoint public officials. Although the Senate must confirm certain principal officers, Congress may by law invest the appointment of "inferior" officers to the President alone, or to courts of law or heads of departments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saudi Arabia–United States relations</span>

Bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States began in 1933 when full diplomatic relations were established. These relations were formalized under the 1951 Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement. Despite the differences between the two countries—an Islamic absolute monarchy versus a secular constitutional republic—the two countries have been allies ever since. The U.S. provides military protection to the Kingdom in exchange for a reliable oil supply, pricing of oil in U.S. dollars, and support for American foreign policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalid A. Al-Falih</span> Saudi businessman and manager

Khalid A. Al-Falih is Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia since 25 February 2020. He served as Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia and chairman of Saudi Aramco. He also has previously served as the Saudi Arabian Health Minister and Aramco's CEO.

A lame-duck session of Congress in the United States occurs whenever one Congress meets after its successor is elected, but before the successor's term begins. The expression is now used not only for a special session called after a sine die adjournment, but also for any portion of a regular session that falls after an election. In current practice, any meeting of Congress after election day, but before the next Congress convenes the following January, is a lame-duck session. Prior to 1933, when the 20th Amendment changed the dates of the congressional term, the last regular session of Congress was always a lame-duck session.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nomination and confirmation to the Supreme Court of the United States</span> Political process

The nomination and confirmation of justices to the Supreme Court of the United States involves several steps, the framework for which is set forth in the United States Constitution. Specifically, Article II, Section 2, Clause 2, provides that the president of the United States nominates a justice and that the United States Senate provides advice and consent before the person is formally appointed to the Court. It also empowers a president to temporarily, under certain circumstances, fill a Supreme Court vacancy by means of a recess appointment. The Constitution does not set any qualifications for service as a justice, thus the president may nominate any individual to serve on the Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Senate</span> Upper house of the US Congress

The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress. The Senate and the United States House of Representatives comprise the federal bicameral legislature of the United States. Together, the Senate and the House have the authority under Article One of the U.S. Constitution to pass or defeat federal legislation. The Senate has exclusive power to confirm U.S. presidential appointments to high offices, and approve or reject treaties, and try cases of impeachment brought by the House. The Senate and the House provide a check and balance on the powers of the executive and judicial branches of government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard M. Mills Jr.</span> American diplomat (born 1959)

Richard Merrill Mills Jr. is an American diplomat serving as the United States ambassador to Nigeria since July 2024. He served as the United States deputy ambassador to the United Nations from 2020 to 2024 and, in that capacity, served as the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires and Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations between January 20, 2021, and February 25, 2021, when Linda Thomas-Greenfield became ambassador. He previously served as the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires for Canada.

The following is a timeline of the presidency of George H. W. Bush, from January 1, 1992 to January 20, 1993.

The following is a timeline of the presidency of Ronald Reagan from January 1, 1987, to December 31, 1987.

References

  1. 1 2 "Nomination of John Frank Bookout, Jr., To Be United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia" (PDF). Administration of George Bush, 1992. Govinfo.gov. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  2. "PN1202 — John Frank Bookout Jr. — Department of State". Congress.gov. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  3. "RULES OF THE SENATE". U.S. Senate Committee on Rules & Administration. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  4. Wald, Matthew L. (March 3, 1988). "BUSINESS PEOPLE; Shell Chief to Retire; Successor Is Named". New York Times. Retrieved 15 February 2020.