Colin McMillan, 67; Oilman, Navy Secretary Nominee

Colin R. McMillan, the New Mexico oilman who was nominated by President Bush in May to be secretary of the Navy, has died, the Pentagon confirmed Thursday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Pentagon spokesman in Washington told Associated Press that McMillan was dead, but gave no details on when or where he died or the cause of death. Born on July 27, 1935, McMillan was 67.

A longtime supporter of Bush and his father before him, McMillan lived in Roswell, N.M., where he ran Permian Exploration Corp. He also was chairman of Bush’s New Mexico presidential campaign in 2000.

He was nominated at a time of upheaval in the military’s top ranks. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had just fired Army Secretary Thomas White over disagreements on modernization issues, particularly White’s support for the Crusader artillery program, canceled by Rumsfeld.

Bush nominated Air Force Secretary James Roche for the top Army job on the same day, May 7, that he nominated McMillan. Neither man had yet been confirmed by the Senate.

Bush submitted McMillan’s nomination to the Senate to fill a post left vacant since January, when Gordon England left to become deputy secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security. Hansford T. Johnson has served as acting secretary since Feb. 7.

McMillan previously served in the Pentagon under then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney during the George H.W. Bush administration as assistant secretary of defense for production and logistics from 1990-92. In that capacity, he reportedly was effective in implementing reforms in the area of warehouse and inventory management.

A petroleum geophysicist by training, McMillan was born in Houston and graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in geology. He served as an active duty officer in the Marine Corps from 1957 to 1960 and then in the Marine Corp reserves until 1972, when he was discharged with the rank of major.

He moved to Roswell in 1961, and served as a member of the New Mexico legislature from 1971-82. During that time, he served four years as the minority whip. He ran for lieutenant governor on the ticket headed by John Irick in 1982, but lost. McMillan ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1986.

In 1994, he ran for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Jeff Bingaman, and spent more than $1 million of his own money again in a losing cause.

From 2001-03, he served as president of Sallie Mae Inc., the student loan program.

A trained pilot, McMillan held airline transport, commercial and multi-engine ratings.

McMillan is believed to be survived by his wife, Kay; two sons; two daughters; and seven grandchildren.