Mike Duncan | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| Chairman of theBoard of Governors of the United States Postal Service | |
| In office September 13, 2018 – February 9, 2021 | |
| President | Donald Trump Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Thurgood Marshall Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Ron Bloom |
| Governor of theUnited States Postal Service | |
| In office September 13, 2018 – March 27, 2025 | |
| Appointed by | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Thurgood Marshall Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Chairman of the Board of Directors of theTennessee Valley Authority | |
| In office May 18, 2009 – May 2010 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | William B. Sansom[1] |
| Succeeded by | Dennis C. Bottorff |
| Chair of theRepublican National Committee | |
| In office January 19, 2007 – January 30, 2009 Serving with Mel Martínez (2007)* | |
| Preceded by | Ken Mehlman |
| Succeeded by | Michael Steele |
| Member of the Board of Directors of theTennessee Valley Authority | |
| In office March 2006 – May 18, 2011 | |
| Appointed by | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | Peter Mahurin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Michael Duncan 1951 (age 74–75) |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Joanne Duncan |
| Relatives | Robert(son) |
| Education | University of the Cumberlands (BA) University of Kentucky (JD) |
| *Duncan served as National Chair of the RNC while Martínez served as General Chair from January 19, 2007 – October 19, 2007. | |
Robert Michael Duncan (born 1951) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the chairman of theRepublican National Committee from 2007 to 2009. Throughout his career, he has served on the boards of a variety of public- and private-sector organizations. Duncan was chairman, president, and CEO of Inez Deposit Bank inInez, Kentucky, which merged with First State Bank in February 2021.[2][3] He is a former member of the Board of Governors of theU.S. Postal Service and served as its chairman from 2018 to 2021.[4]
Duncan was born inOneida, Tennessee. He is active in numerous professional andnonprofit organizations. He served as chairman of a state university[5] and serves as chairman of the board of trustees atAlice Lloyd College, a private four-year liberal arts college inPippa Passes, Kentucky.[6] He has served as chairman for theCenter for Rural Development inSomerset, Kentucky, a $30 million state-of-the-art regional center emphasizing telecommunications, training, and development. PresidentGeorge W. Bush appointed him to the President's Commission onWhite House Fellows in 2001.
A lifelong Republican, Duncan was a delegate to the 1972, 1976, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008Republican National Conventions and is one of the few persons ever to serve on the four standing convention committees. Duncan served as treasurer and general counsel of theRepublican National Committee (RNC) from July 10, 2002, until his election as chairman. In January 2007, he was elected Chairman of the RNC, replacingKen Mehlman, and served until January 30, 2009, when he withdrew from renomination to the chairmanship.[7]
Source: CQPolitics,[8] and Poll Pundit[9]
| Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Steele | 46 | 48 | 51 | 60 | 79 | 91 |
| Katon Dawson | 28 | 29 | 34 | 62 | 69 | 77 |
| Saul Anuzis | 22 | 24 | 24 | 31 | 20 | Withdrew |
| Ken Blackwell | 20 | 19 | 15 | 15 | Withdrew | |
| Mike Duncan | 52 | 48 | 44 | Withdrew |
President George W. Bush nominated him to the Tennessee Valley Authority Board; he was unanimously confirmed by theUnited States Senate in March 2006.[10] He was subsequently elected to serve as the 15th chairman of theTennessee Valley Authority in May 2009 and served until May 2010, when he was replaced by bankerDennis C. Bottorff.[11]
On September 13, 2018, he became a member of theBoard of Governors of the United States Postal Service.[12] On December 5, 2019, he was confirmed by theUnited States Senate to serve another full term ending in December 2025.[13] He resigned from the board in March 2025 citing health concerns.[4]
Duncan was involved in the selection ofLouis DeJoy as U.S. postmaster general amid the2020 presidential election.[14] DeJoy did not go through the normal vetting process for postmaster general; two separate search firms were used by the USPS board, and neither firm mentioned DeJoy in their list of candidates.[14] After DeJoy's appointment, postal service leadership implemented measures that led to delays in mail delivery and raised concerns aboutvoting-by-mail in the2020 election amid thecoronavirus pandemic.[14]
Duncan is on the board of theSenate Leadership Fund, which is a super PAC tied toMitch McConnell.[14]
Duncan also served as director of the ClevelandFederal Reserve Bank Cincinnati Branch. From 1989 to 1991, during a sabbatical, he worked in the Bush White House as assistant director of Public Liaison. He also served in the Bush administration as a member of the President's Commission on White House Fellows starting in 2001.
Duncan holds degrees from theUniversity of the Cumberlands and theUniversity of Kentucky College of Law.
Duncan and his wife, Joanne, are 1974 graduates of the University of Kentucky College of Law. Duncan received his undergraduate degree from Cumberland College (now theUniversity of the Cumberlands). They reside inInez inMartin County in eastern Kentucky. They have one child, Rob, an assistant United States attorney inLexington, Kentucky, who is married to Valerie Ridder, originally fromSpringfield, Missouri. The Duncans are the principal owners of two community banks with five offices in eastern Kentucky.[15][16] His son,Robert M. Duncan Jr., has beenUnited States Attorney for theEastern District of Kentucky from 2017.[17]
On September 10, 2012, Duncan became the new president and CEO of theAmerican Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE).[18][19]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chair of theRepublican National Committee 2007–2009 Served alongside:Mel Martínez (2007) | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
