Kenneth Corn (born October 8, 1976) is a former member of the

Oklahoma Senate The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.Sequoyah Sequoyah ( ; , , or , , ; 1770 – August 1843), also known as George Gist or George Guess, was a Native American polymath and Constructed script, neographer of the Cherokee Nation. In 1821, Sequoyah completed his Cherokee syllabary, enabl ...

and LeFlore counties. He served as caucus chair for the Democratic caucus in the Oklahoma Senate. He previously served in 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 ...

from 1998 to 2002 and served as the Democratic caucus secretary. He ran unsuccessfully for

Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the lieutenant governor becomes the new governor of Oklahoma upon the death, ...

losing to Republican Todd Lamb on November 2, 2010. He served as City Manager of

Anadarko, Oklahoma Anadarko is a city in and the county seat of Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States. The city is 50 miles (80.5 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. The population was 5,745 at the 2020 census. History Anadarko got its name when its post offic ...

, from 2015 to 2022 when he accepted an appointment to serve as the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

(USDA) State Director for Rural Development in Oklahoma by President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

Early life

Corn was born October 8, 1976, to Elester and Katy Corn in

Poteau, Oklahoma Poteau ( ) is a city in, and county seat of, LeFlore County, Oklahoma, United States. Its population was 8,520 as of the 2010 census. History In 1719, Bernard de la Harpe led a group of French explorers through this area, and gave the river it ...

. A Howe High School graduate, he earned his bachelor of arts in 2005 from 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 ...

.Oklahoma State Senate Biography
10-14-09 Corn served in a number of national civic organizations and on the National School-to-Work Advisory Council for the U.S. departments of education and labor. Corn was the State President of Future Business Leaders of America and served as National President during his senior year in high school. He worked as a legislative intern for James E. Hamilton, the appropriations chairman of the

and former

President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate The president ''pro tempore'' of the Oklahoma Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the Oklahoma Senate and the highest-ranking state senator. The Oklahoma Constitution designates the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma as the highest-rank ...

Career

Oklahoma legislature

Corn served in the

from 1998 to 2002. He was 22 at the time of his election and one of the youngest Oklahomans elected to serve in the State House in the state's history. During his tenure, he was appointed the first freshmen lawmaker in thirty years to serve as vice chair of a major committee, Revenue and Taxation. Corn later served as chair of the committee on Tourism and Recreation. In 2002, he was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate at the age of 25, making him the second youngest state senator elected in the state's history. Corn served in the Oklahoma Senate until 2010. As a Senator, Corn was tapped as Chair of the Retirement and Insurance Committee and served six years on the State Pension Commission. With these responsibilities, he had oversight over billions of dollars in assets. Corn was also appointed as Chair of the Senate Approriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Judiciary. Historic investments were made to improve law enforcement pay and benefits as well as infrastructure during his committee leadership. In the legislature, Corn worked for major changes to the state's retirement system for public employees. He also authored a resolution to put a state question on the ballot that would create an emergency road fund. In addition, in 2004 he was the primary author to the bill that funded health insurance costs for all Oklahoma teachers working in the public schools and authored legislation that raised teacher pay, moving it closer to the regional average. In 2005, Corn was the principal architect in the Senate for the largest investment in roads and bridges in state history at the time. Oklahoma's Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training was reformed under Senate Bill 920 authored by Corn as well. Corn was appointed to serve as City Manager of Anadarko, Oklahoma, on March 31, 2005.

Campaign for lieutenant governor

Corn announced on January 21, 2009, he would seek the

Oklahoma Democratic Party The Oklahoma Democratic Party (ODP) is an Oklahoma political party affiliated with the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. It and the Oklahoma Republican Party, are the state's two major parties. The party dominated local politics ...

's nomination for

as part of the 2010 state elections. Corn was the only Democrat to file for office and received the Democratic nomination without opposition. On November 2, 2010, Corn lost the election to Todd Lamb, nominee of the

Oklahoma Republican Party The Oklahoma Republican Party is an Oklahoma political party affiliated with the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. Along with the Oklahoma Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties in the state. It is currently the ...

.2010 General Election Results
, Oklahoma State Election Board (accessed April 30, 2013)

State Director for United States Department of Agriculture

On February 24, 2022, Corn was appointed to serve as the

(USDA) State Director for Rural Development in Oklahoma by President

Personal life

Corn is an Eagle Scout and a member of the National Association of Eagle Scouts. Corn also is a member of the American Council of Young Political Leaders where he has represented the United States on exchanges to Vietnam and the Euro-Asia Conference on Democracy. He has worked as an adjunct professor with Carl Albert State College.

References

External links

Senator Kenneth Corn - District 4
''official State Senate website''
Project Vote Smart - Kenneth Corn (OK)
profile #''Follow the Money'' - Kenneth Corn
2008200620042002
State Senate campaign contributions
2000
State House campaign contributions 1976 births Living people People from Poteau, Oklahoma University of Oklahoma alumni Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Oklahoma Legislature Democratic Party Oklahoma state senators Candidates in the 2010 United States elections 20th-century members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives {{Oklahoma-politician-stub