Chris Benge (born September 9, 1962) is an American Republican

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, who served as the 33rd Oklahoma Secretary of State from 2013 to 2016. Benge was appointed to serve as Secretary of State by Oklahoma Governor

Mary Fallin Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 Oklahoma gub ...

on November 8, 2013. Benge served as the

Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's ...

as the

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

, a position he took over after Lance Cargill resigned in January 2008. Benge was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1998. His term ended due to term limits in 2010.

Early life and career

Benge was born and raised in southwest Tulsa. He graduated from Webster High School in 1980 and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in business. Benge has managed a business, Benge Painting Company from 1981 to 1997. Benge received his associate degree from Tulsa Community College.

Political career

Benge was first elected to the

in 1998, narrowly defeating Shelby Satterfield, an incumbent Democratic candidate. The first piece of legislation authored by the Tulsa lawmaker and signed into law was the "Prisoners Public Work Act". The legislation allows public agencies to enter into a contract with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to utilize offender labor. Prior to becoming Speaker of the House, Benge served as a House appropriations chairman and on one occasion criticized Gov.

Brad Henry Charles Bradford Henry (born July 10, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 26th governor of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2011. A Democrat, he previously served in the Oklahoma Senate from 1992 to 2003. As of 2025, he is the last ...

for proposing $18.8 million in bonds for common education ad valorem reimbursement. As Speaker of the House, Benge presided over the 52nd Oklahoma Legislature. During this time, he pushed for energy reform in Oklahoma, stressing the need for the U.S. to wean itself from foreign oil rather than any concern about climate change. Benge announced in January 2010 that his agenda for the upcoming session included reforming the workers' compensation system, promoting the use of natural gas as a vehicle fuel, modernizing state government through the use of more technology and creating a plan to deal with an expected shortfall. Benge authored six bills signed into law by Governor Brad Henry from the 2009 legislative session.

District

House District 68 encompassed southwest Tulsa and a portion of Tulsa County outside of the city. It also included a small portion of Creek County. The district is a mix of urban Tulsa neighborhoods and Tulsa suburbs."House Districts, Congressional and Other Maps"

Oklahoma House of Representatives
. 10-14-09

Election history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benge, Chris 1962 births Living people Republican Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Oklahoma Legislature Oklahoma State University alumni Politicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma Secretaries of state of Oklahoma Webster High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma) alumni Speakers of the Oklahoma House of Representatives