Leo Winters (November 7, 1922 – March 5, 2005) was the ninth

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, ...

and the 11th

State treasurer In the state and territorial governments of the United States, 54 of the 56 states and territories have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the office of New York State Treasurer in 1926, in which the duties were transfer ...

for 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 ...

. Winters, a member of the Democratic Party, served alongside Oklahoma's first Republican governor,

Henry Bellmon Henry Louis Bellmon (September 3, 1921 – September 29, 2009) was an American Republican politician from the U.S. State of Oklahoma. A member of the Oklahoma Legislature, he went on to become both the 18th and 23rd governor of Oklahoma, mai ...

Early life

Winters was born November 7, 1922, in Hooker, Oklahoma, to David and Gertrude Winter, who were German immigrants from Ukraine.Leo Winters obituary
''The Oklahoman'', March 8, 2005. (accessed July 23, 2013) Winters attended

Panhandle State University Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU, informally Panhandle State or simply Panhandle) is a public college in Goodwell, Oklahoma. OPSU is a baccalaureate degree-granting institution. General governance of the institution is provided by the B ...

, but left college to join the United States Army Air Corps. After serving in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a B-17 and B-29 pilot and a total of 5 years of active duty service, he returned to Panhandle State University and earned a bachelor's degree. He earned a law degree from the University of Oklahoma School of Law in 1957.

Political career

Winters began his political career as Secretary of the

Oklahoma State Election Board The Oklahoma State Election Board is the governing body regarding elections in the state of Oklahoma. The Board is responsible for maintaining uniformly in the application, operation and interpretation of State and Federal election laws. Addition ...

from 1955 through 1963. He served as an alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1956.The Political Graveyard
(accessed July 23, 2013) He was elected lieutenant governor on November 6, 1962, after beating former US Representative

Wilburn Cartwright Wilburn Cartwright (January 12, 1892 – March 14, 1979) was an American lawyer, educator, politician, and United States Army officer in World War II. The town of Cartwright, Oklahoma is named after him. He self-styled himself "the most elected ...

in the primary with 63% and defeating Republican Dale J. Briggs in the general election with 54%. He served alongside Oklahoma's first Republican governor,

.Gibson, Arrell Morgan
Oklahoma: A History of Five Centuries
p. 252. (accessed July 23, 2013) In 1966, Winters successfully campaigned to become state treasurer.

Later life and death

Winters died Saturday, March 5, 2005, in Oklahoma City at the age of 82.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winters, Leo 1922 births 2005 deaths Oklahoma Panhandle State University alumni University of Oklahoma College of Law alumni Oklahoma lawyers State treasurers of Oklahoma Lieutenant governors of Oklahoma United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II 20th-century Oklahoma politicians 20th-century American lawyers