Pat Choate

Patrick Jeffrey Choate was born in Maypearl, Texas, the son of Betty Lee (Simpson) and Frank William Choate farmers in Ellis County, Texas.

He attended public schools in Red Oak, Texas. Choate earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Texas at Arlington, followed by a Master of Arts and a PhD in Economics from the University of Oklahoma.

He was commissioned into the United States Army in 1963 and transferred to the Retired Reserves in 1967.

In 1994, the University of Oklahoma named him the Arthur Barto Adams Alumni Fellow in recognition of his continuing scholarship.

State Economic Development

Choate became Director of Research and Planning for the newly established Oklahoma Department of Industrial Development and Parks in 1965. He served as an economic advisor to Oklahoma Governors Henry Bellmon and Dewey Bartlett, representing them on the Ozarks Regional Commission. His doctoral dissertation, An Economic Development Program for Oklahoma, was adopted as the state’s long-term economic development plan.

Choate later served as the first Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic Development, appointed by Governor Winfield Dunn. In this role, he developed Tennessee’s state economic development plan and represented the state on the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Federal Service

Choate joined the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), holding positions including Director of the Appalachian Regional Office in Huntington, West Virginia; Director of the Southeastern Regional Office in Atlanta, Georgia (1970-1972); and Director of the Office of Economic Research in Washington, D.C. (1975-1978). He served as a senior economist for the Carter Administration’s trade agency reorganization project. Between 1979 and 1980, he was a visiting Federal Fellow at the Academy for Contemporary Problems.

Choate has served on several Presidential and Congressional commissions on education, infrastructure and national security. He has been a frequent witness before the U.S. Congress for over four decades. His testimony typically focuses on infrastructure, U.S. economic competitiveness, the U.S. manufacturing base, intellectual property rights, and the influence of foreign lobbying.

Corporate Policy

In 1981, Choate joined TRW, Inc., a Cleveland-based international conglomerate, as one of two senior policy analysts in the Office of the CEO. In 1985, he was promoted to Vice President of Policy, advising corporate leadership on economic trends and strategic planning.

During this period, Choate also served on multiple advisory panels, including the U.S. Senate Advisory Committee on Infrastructure, the Department of Labor's Commission on the American Workforce, Vice-Chair of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Foreign Ownership and Control of U.S. Industry, and the National Science Council's Committee on Vocational Education and Economic Development in Depressed Areas. He was invited by the Reagan White House to participate in the Committee for the Next Agenda, preparing policy recommendations for the administration’s second term.

Policy Advocacy and Research

He is known for his work on development economics, including infrastructure and intellectual property rights, worker training, and his opposition to unrestricted globalization. Choate argued that a heavy reliance on foreign supply chains undermines U.S. national security, the U.S. manufacturing base, and the stability of the domestic labor market.

In 1990, Choate founded the Manufacturing Policy Project, a private nonprofit institute focused on U.S. manufacturing. He co-founded the Congressional Economic Leadership Institute (CELI) and served as chair or vice-chair from 1987 to 2012, supporting the Congressional Economic Competitiveness Caucus.

He has taught a course called Advanced Issues Management at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management. Choate advised Ross Perot in establishing the Reform Party. In the 1996 U.S. presidential election, Perot selected Choate as his vice-presidential running mate.

He hosted a weekly radio show The Week Ahead, on the United Broadcasting Network from 1995 to 1996, and The Pat Choate Show from 1997 to 2000.

1996 United States presidential election

• Bill Clinton/Al Gore (Democratic) (Inc.) , 47,402,357 (49.2%) and 379 electoral votes (31 states and D.C. carried)
• Bob Dole/Jack Kemp (Republican) - 39,198,755 (40.7%) and 159 electoral votes (19 states carried)
• Ross Perot/Pat Choate (Reform) - 8,085,402 (8.4%) and 0 electoral votes

Choate is married to Glenda Kay Casey. He resides in Tucson, Arizona, with his wife.