J. Howard Edmondson
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James Howard Edmondson (September 27, 1925November 17, 1971) was an American politician from the U.S. state of
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 ...
. He served as the 16th
governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gover ...
from 1959 to 1963, and the appointed
United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
from Oklahoma from 1963 to 1964, losing to
Fred R. Harris Fred Roy Harris (November 13, 1930 – November 23, 2024) was an American politician from Oklahoma who served from 1957 to 1964 as a member of the Oklahoma Senate and from 1964 to 1973 as a member of the United States Senate. Harris was electe ...
in a 1964 Democratic primary election for the U.S. Senate. When he took office as Governor of Oklahoma at the age of 33, Edmondson was, and still is, the youngest governor in the history of the state. Prior to serving as governor, Edmondson practiced law in
Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the 13th-largest city in Oklahoma and is the county seat of Muskogee County, Oklahoma, Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of ...
, worked as the chief prosecutor for the
Tulsa County Tulsa County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in the state, behind only Oklahoma C ...
attorney, and was elected county attorney himself in 1954 and 1956.


Early life and career

Edmondson was born in
Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the 13th-largest city in Oklahoma and is the county seat of Muskogee County, Oklahoma, Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of ...
, attended elementary and secondary schools there and enrolled in the
University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...
after high school graduation.Davis, Billy J
"Edmondson, James Howard (1925-1971)."
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Accessed September 1, 2015.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces in March 1942, and served until December 5, 1945. He returned to the University of Oklahoma, was married to his childhood sweetheart, Jeanette Bartleson, in May 1946, and completed his law degree in August 1948. He had a son, James Jr., and two daughters, Jeanne and Patricia. After practicing law in Muskogee, Edmondson moved to
Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...
to become the chief prosecutor in the office of the county attorney of
Tulsa County Tulsa County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in the state, behind only Oklahoma C ...
. He was elected county attorney in 1954 and was re-elected in 1956. As governor, Edmondson helped to establish a state merit system and central purchasing, but failed in his attempt to transfer control of county road funds to the Oklahoma Department of Highways. He resigned in the final weeks of his gubernatorial term and was appointed to the United States Senate, where he was defeated by
Fred Harris Fred, Fredric, Fredrick, Frederic, or Frederick Harris may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Fred Harris (presenter) (born 1947), British comedian and television presenter * Frederick Harris (conductor) (fl. 2000s–present), American conductor * ...
in his campaign for election to the seat. He later practiced law after leaving elective office and died of a heart attack and is buried in
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
.


Governor of Oklahoma

Edmondson was inaugurated as Governor of Oklahoma on January 12, 1959, after winning the election by the largest majority ever given to a gubernatorial candidate in the state. He ran on a platform of reform, and passed many reforms despite opposition from the legislature during his first two years as governor. He was also committed to a special election to repeal prohibition of the sale of alcohol, and successfully pushed a referendum through the legislature. He was successful in establishing a state merit system and central purchasing, but failed in his attempt to transfer control of county road funds to the Department of Highways.


US Senate

Edmondson resigned from office as governor two weeks before the end of his term, on January 6, 1963, and was appointed to the
US Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
to fill the position left vacant by the death of Robert S. Kerr. He voted in favor of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...
. He served in the Senate until November 1964. He was ousted in that year's special election to finish the last two years of the Senate term by being defeated in the Democratic primary by
Fred R. Harris Fred Roy Harris (November 13, 1930 – November 23, 2024) was an American politician from Oklahoma who served from 1957 to 1964 as a member of the Oklahoma Senate and from 1964 to 1973 as a member of the United States Senate. Harris was electe ...
.


Death

While a practicing attorney in Oklahoma City, Edmondson died November 17, 1971, of a heart attack in his home.


References


External links


Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Edmondson, J. HowardJ. Howard Edmondson Collection
an
Photograph Collection
at the
Carl Albert Center The Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center is a nonpartisan institution devoted to teaching and research related to the United States Congress and, more broadly, to strengthening representative democracy through engaged and informe ...

Oklahoma Governors Since Statehood
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Edmondson, Howard 1925 births 1971 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century Oklahoma politicians Presbyterians from Oklahoma Democratic Party governors of Oklahoma Democratic Party United States senators from Oklahoma District attorneys in Oklahoma Edmondson family Military personnel from Oklahoma Politicians from Muskogee, Oklahoma United States Air Force officers 20th-century United States senators