Steve Burrage

{{Short description|American politician (1952–2025)}} {{Infobox officeholder | order1 =11th | office1 = Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector | appointer1 = Brad Henry |predecessor1= Jeff McMahan |successor1= Gary Jones |term_start1= July 10, 2008 |term_end1= January 10, 2011 | party = Democratic |office2 = Oklahoma Tax Commissioner |term_start2 = February 1, 2015 |term_end2 = April 22, 2016 |predecessor2 = Jerry Johnson |successor2 = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1952|07|07}} | birth_place = Durant, Oklahoma, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|06|08|1952|07|07}} | death_place = | relations = {{Plainlist| * Michael Burrage (brother) * Sean Burrage (nephew) }} | alma_mater = University of Oklahoma }}

'''Steve Burrage''' (July 7, 1952 – June 8, 2025) was an American politician from Oklahoma and the Chairman of the Oklahoma Tax Commission. Burrage served as Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector upon his appointment to that post by Governor Brad Henry on July 10, 2008, filling the vacancy created by the resignation of former state auditor Jeff McMahan. Burrage served until his defeat in the 2010 general election by Republican Gary Jones.

==Background== Steve Burrage was born in Durant, Oklahoma. A member of the Choctaw Nation, he is the brother of former U.S. District Court judge, Michael Burrage, and the uncle of former Oklahoma state senator, Sean Burrage. In 1975, he earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Oklahoma.<ref>[http://www.sai.state.ok.us/Pages/biography.html "Steve Burrage, CPA."] Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector. Retrieved 10-13-09 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615041637/http://www.sai.state.ok.us/Pages/biography.html |date=June 15, 2009 }}</ref> Following his graduation from college, he attained licensure as a certified public accountant in Oklahoma. He began his professional career as a partner in the C.P.A. firm of Burgess and Burrage from 1977 to 1982. In 1982, he joined FirstBank of Antlers, Oklahoma, serving as president and CEO from then until 1984, when he assumed additional duties as chairman of the board. He served as president until 1990, as CEO until 2005, and as chairman of the board until 2008.<ref name="mcnutt"/>

Burrage died on June 8, 2025, at the age of 72.<ref>{{cite web |title=Steve Burrage |url=https://www.brownsfuneralserviceatokaok.com/obituary/bobby-burrage |website=Brown's Funeral Service |access-date=29 July 2025}}</ref>

==Political career== Upon accepting his appointment as state auditor and inspector, Burrage announced that he would seek a full term in the 2010 election if he felt he had had success.<ref name="mcnutt">McNutt, Michael. [http://newsok.com/antlers-banker-named-state-auditor/article/3268260/?tm=1215711334 "Antlers banker named state auditor."] NewsOk.com, July 10, 2008. (accessed October 13, 2009).</ref> In that election, he was defeated by Republican Gary Jones.

Burrage's office audited the Wagoner, Oklahoma school district and identified $270,000 missing from the district's child nutrition program from 2005 to 2009.<ref name="phoenix">McMahan, Liz, "[http://muskogeephoenix.com/local/x334290792/Audit-270K-gone-from-Wagoner-schools Audit: $270K gone from Wagoner schools]," ''Muskogee Phoenix'', May 12, 2010.</ref>

Following completion of his service as state auditor and inspector in January, 2011, he re-joined FirstBank as chairman of the board,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstbank-ok.com/History-Bio-Steve-Burrage.aspx|title=Steve Burrage Bio - History|website=www.firstbank-ok.com|access-date=2017-07-13}}</ref> and was a former board member of the Oklahoma Policy Institute.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://okpolicy.org/who-we-are/board|title=Board » Oklahoma Policy Institute|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101140036/http://okpolicy.org/who-we-are/board|archive-date=2013-11-01|url-status=dead|access-date=2017-07-13|df=}}</ref> In June, 2012, he was appointed to the Oklahoma Board of Corrections by Governor Mary Fallin.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://newsok.com/former-state-auditor-named-to-oklahomas-corrections-board/article/3684546|title=Former state auditor named to Oklahoma's corrections board|last=McNutt|first=Michael|date=2012-06-15|work=NewsOK.com|access-date=2017-07-13|language=en-US}}</ref>

In January 2015, Governor Mary Fallin named Burrage to serve on the Oklahoma Tax Commission to succeed Jerry Johnson, who was retiring. Fallin also named Burrage as the Chairman of the Commission in July 2015. He resigned in April 2016.

==References== <references/>

{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Jeff McMahan}} {{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Auditor of Oklahoma|years=2010}} {{s-inc|recent}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Jeff McMahan}} {{s-ttl|title=Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector|years=July 10, 2008 - January, 2011}} {{s-aft|after=Gary Jones}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burrage, Steve}} Category:1952 births Category:2025 deaths Category:State auditors of Oklahoma Category:Oklahoma Democrats Category:People from Durant, Oklahoma Category:People from Antlers, Oklahoma Category:Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma politicians Category:University of Oklahoma alumni Category:20th-century Native American people Category:20th-century American businesspeople Category:21st-century Native American politicians Category:21st-century Oklahoma politicians