Lyle Hagler Boren (May 11, 1909 – July 2, 1992) was a

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

Democratic Party politician and a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

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 ...

, serving from 1937 to 1947 and was defeated for renomination in the 1946 election.Biographical Directory of Congress Profile
/ref> He was known for his independence in the party, opposing labor union strikes on defense plants and attempts to expand the federal government. Boren attracted national attention for his criticism of ''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize ...

''. He was active in state politics long after leaving Congress and was the father of former U.S. Senator and Oklahoma Governor

David Boren David Lyle Boren (April 21, 1941 – February 20, 2025) was an American lawyer and politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 21st governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and thr ...

, and grandfather of former U.S. Congressman

Dan Boren David Daniel Boren (born August 2, 1973) is a Native American businessman and politician who is the Secretary of Commerce for the Chickasaw Nation, based in Oklahoma. He is a retired American politician, who served as the U.S. representative fo ...

, who represented

Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district is one of five United States congressional districts in Oklahoma and covers approximately one-fourth of the state in the east. The district borders Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Texas and includes (in who ...

from 2005 to 2013.

Early life and career

Boren was born near

Waxahachie, Texas Waxahachie ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Texas, United States. Its population was 41,140 in 2020. The city was founded in 1850, and incorporated in 1871. Much of the employment is provided by a number of industries and by ...

, the son of Nannie May (née Weatherall) and Mark Latimer Boren, and moved to

Lawton, Oklahoma Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, Oklahoma, Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Located in western Oklahoma, approximately southwest of Oklahoma City, it is the principal city of the Lawton metropolitan ar ...

in 1917, where he attended public schools. He finished high school in

Choctaw, Oklahoma Choctaw is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, with a population of 12,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 9.3% increase from 2010. It is the oldest chartered town in Oklahoma Territory. The city is located appr ...

graduating from Choctaw High School, where the activities center used to bear his name until it was renamed in 2021. His sister was the "

Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being g ...

" songwriter Mae Axton. Boren was graduated from

East Central College East Central College (ECC) is a public community college with its main campus in Union, Missouri. It also offers classes in Rolla and Washington. Approximately 2,100 students are enrolled in classes each semester. ECC is accredited by the High ...

Ada, Oklahoma Ada is a city in and the county seat of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,481 at the 2020 United States census. The city was named for Ada Reed, the daughter of an early settler, and was in ...

, in 1930. From 1930 to 1935, he was a school teacher in Wolf, Oklahoma, and later served as a deputy procurement officer for the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current United States federal executive departments, U.S. government departments. ...

. Furthermore, he was involved in

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

and

mercantile Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cred ...

business interests. He married the former Christine McKown, an

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

graduate and public school teacher, in 1936, and had two children,

and Susan Boren Dorman, and two grandchildren including

."Ex-Rep. Lyle Boren, Senator's Father, 82" (New York Times obituary)
/ref>

Political career

Boren was first elected to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

in November 1936 as a Democrat, at the age of 26, and was one of the youngest people to ever serve in the House. He was continuously re-elected until 1946 when he lost the Democratic primary election to Glen D. Johnson. Following his tenure in Congress, he resumed his business pursuits, except, in 1948, when he attempted to re-enter politics by running unsuccessfully for his former U.S. House seat. Boren was known as an independent, opposing his party on several occasions.Burke, Bob,
Boren, Lyle Hagler (1909-1992)
,"
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
'' (accessed May 18, 2010). He worked against the growth of the federal government and excessive federal spending. He angered labor unions by backing legislation to ban strikes at defense plants, which did hurt him politically. Boren's legislative efforts included cancer research, old-age pensions, the

Civil Aeronautics Board The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1940 from a split of the Civil Aeronautics Authority and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services (including scheduled passe ...

, newsprint and paper shortages, consumer product labeling, railroad freight rates, and municipal bonds. In 1938, Boren told his fellow Congressmen, "The greatest problem in America today is to erase the question in the minds of men, 'What is the government going to do for me?' and replace it with the question, 'What can I do for my country".Lyle H. Boren and Christina BorenGenealogytrails.com
(accessed May 19, 2010).

Later life and state politics

After leaving Congress, Boren resumed many of his former mercantile business and agricultural pursuits. In 1957, he became a lobbyist for the railroad industry. He retired in 1969 and continued ranching in Oklahoma. He was also a spokesman and successful fund-raiser for 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 ...

and worked tirelessly to help Democratic candidates win election to public office. Most notably, Boren assisted his son,

's campaigns for Governor of Oklahoma in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, and U.S. Senate in

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

Retirement and death

Boren retired from public life in the mid-1980s due to failing health after approximately 50 years of service, first in Congress and later as an advocate for other candidates. He moved to

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 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 ...

, where he remained until his death on July 2, 1992.

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Boren, LyleLyle H. Boren 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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boren, Lyle 1909 births 1992 deaths Boren family Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma East Central University alumni People from Choctaw, Oklahoma People from Lawton, Oklahoma People from Seminole County, Oklahoma People from Waxahachie, Texas Schoolteachers from Oklahoma United States Department of the Treasury officials Methodists from Oklahoma American United Methodists 20th-century Oklahoma politicians 20th-century Methodists 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives