Samuel Bodman obit

 

Samuel W. Bodman, 11th Secretary of Energy, Passes Away

He was not on the list.

Statement from Secretary Perry on the passing of Samuel W. Bodman

"I am saddened to learn of the passing of former Secretary of Energy Sam Bodman.  Sam was a real life success story with an impressive career in the private sector before turning his attention to public service, serving in senior appointments across the government.  He led the Department of Energy during the passage of landmark energy legislation that became the foundation for much of America’s energy successes. His legacy and impact will continue to be felt, long after the years he served in the Forrestal Building. My thoughts and prayers are with his family."

Former Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, who served under President George W. Bush, has died.

Bodman, a chemical engineer and businessman, also was deputy secretary of both Treasury and Commerce in the Bush administration. He was energy chief in Bush’s second term, from 2005 to 2009.

Bush said in a statement that he and former First Lady Laura Bush were saddened by Bodman’s death, adding: “Sam had a brilliant mind, and we are fortunate that he put his intellect to work for our country as secretary of energy.”

Bodman, 79, of El Paso, Texas, was trained as a chemical engineer. He was president of Fidelity Investments before becoming CEO of Cabot Corp., a Boston-based company that makes specialty chemicals. He later chaired an energy advisory board at the University of Texas.

In December 2004, Bodman was nominated to replace Spencer Abraham as the Energy Secretary and was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate on January 31, 2005. During his tenure, he oversaw the security problems at Los Alamos National Laboratory and a budget in excess of $23 billion and over 100,000 federal and contractor employees.

Bodman was born on November 26, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Lina (Lindsay) and Samuel Wright Bodman. Bodman spent his early years in the Chicago suburbs before he graduated in 1961 with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Cornell University. He was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity and the Sphinx Head Society.

In 1965, he completed his Doctor of Science in chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.