Barry Thomas Smitherman (born c. 1957) is one of three current members of the Texas Railroad Commission, all of whom are Republicans. He was appointed this position on July 8, 2011 by Governor Rick Perry to fill the position vacated by Republican Michael L. Williams, a candidate for the United States House of Representatives. A fourth generation Texan, Smitherman is a candidate in the Republican runoff election scheduled for July 31, 2012, for the two years remaining in Williams' unexpired term on the panel, which regulates not railroads but the oil and natural gas industries.