Henry Bellmon
Encyclopedia
Henry Louis "Harry" Bellmon (September 3, 1921 – September 29, 2009) was an American
Republican
politician
from Oklahoma
. He was a member of the Oklahoma Legislature
, the 18th and 23rd Governor
of Oklahoma
(the first Republican to hold that office), and a two-term United States Senator.
and graduated from Billings High School in Billings, Oklahoma
. He graduated from Oklahoma A & M (now Oklahoma State University) in 1942 with a Bachelors Degree in agriculture
. He was a lieutenant
in the United States Marine Corps
from 1942 to 1946. He was a tank platoon leader in the Pacific Theater
of World War II
. He took part in four amphibious landings on Pacific
island
s, including Iwo Jima
. For his service, he was awarded the Legion of Merit
and a Silver Star
. After the war he returned to farming and took up politics
.
(1946–1948). While in the legislature, in January 1947, he married Shirley Osborn, to whom he remained married until her death in 2000. In 1960 he served as the State Republican Party Chairman
. Elected in 1962 as Oklahoma's first Republican governor since statehood in 1907, he served his first term from 1963 to 1967. While Governor, he served as the chairman of the Interstate Oil Compact Commission and as a member of the executive committee of the National Governor's Association. Under Oklahoma law at the time, a term limit
was in place; he was not able to run for a second term.
In 1968, he was serving as the national chairman for Richard Nixon
's presidential election campaign, but then decided to run for the U.S. Senate, and won, unseating U.S. Senator A.S. Mike Monroney. In the Democratic landslide of 1974, he managed to be reelected over Congressman Ed Edmondson by a very narrow margin. He did not run for a third term in 1980. During his service in the Senate, he sometimes took moderate positions that put him at odds with the largely conservative Oklahoma Republican Party: he supported Gerald Ford
over Ronald Reagan
in the 1976 presidential election
(even though the state delegation was committed to Reagan); he opposed a constitutional amendment to prohibit forced busing for the purpose of racially desegregating public schools; and he supported the Panama Canal treaty.
During his second term he was the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee. He was a co-founder and co-chairman of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
. He chose not to run for re-election in 1980 and was succeeded by Republican Don Nickles
.
Bellmon was appointed the interim director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services
by Governor George Nigh
, a Democrat, in 1982.
for a second term and served from January 12, 1987 to January 14, 1991. During his second tenure as Governor he chaired the Southern States Energy Board.
During his second term, Bellmon worked with Democrats in the Oklahoma legislature to pass an educational reform package, HB 1017, over the opposition of most Republicans. Bellmon chose not to seek reelection to a third term as governor in 1990,which Bellmon was allowed to do so since his two terms in office were nonconsecutive. The Republican candidate to replace him, Bill Price, promised to repeal HB 1017. However, Price was defeated by Democrat
David Walters
, whom Bellmon had defeated four years earlier.
execution (when James French
was electrocuted
in 1966) and its first post-Furman, when Charles Coleman
was put to death by lethal injection
in 1990.
, Central State University
, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Oklahoma
. Shirley Bellmon died in 2000; Bellmon married a longtime friend, Eloise Bollenbach, in 2002. A March 1, 2009 profile in The Oklahoman
reported that he was living with Eloise in Kingfisher, Oklahoma
; the article also reported that, despite suffering from Parkinson's Disease
and a heart ailment, Bellmon was still operating his family farm in Billings.
He was inducted into the Oklahoma CareerTech Hall of Fame
posthumously in 2011.
at the age of 88 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease
.
He is buried at the Union Cemetery in Billings, Oklahoma
.
"Dad loved the land and never tired of teaching us about nature and its beauty and mystery. We hope to honor his legacy by teaching others and continuing to find better ways to live more sustainably with Earth." - Pat Hoerth, Ann McFerron, and Gail Wynne, Henry Bellmon’s daughters
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. He was a member of the Oklahoma Legislature
Oklahoma Legislature
The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the biennial meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma. It is bicameral, comprising the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate, with all members elected directly by the people. The House of Representatives has 101...
, the 18th and 23rd Governor
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
(the first Republican to hold that office), and a two-term United States Senator.
Service in World War II
Bellmon was born in Tonkawa, OklahomaTonkawa, Oklahoma
Tonkawa is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, along the Salt Fork Arkansas River. The population was 3,299 at the 2000 census.-History:...
and graduated from Billings High School in Billings, Oklahoma
Billings, Oklahoma
Billings is a town in Noble County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 436 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Billings is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
. He graduated from Oklahoma A & M (now Oklahoma State University) in 1942 with a Bachelors Degree in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. He was a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
from 1942 to 1946. He was a tank platoon leader in the Pacific Theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He took part in four amphibious landings on Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s, including Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
. For his service, he was awarded the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
and a Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
. After the war he returned to farming and took up politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
.
Entry into Oklahoma politics
Bellmon served a single term in the Oklahoma House of RepresentativesOklahoma House of Representatives
The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oklahoma Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members are responsible for introducing and voting on bills and resolutions, providing legislative oversight for state agencies, and helping to craft the...
(1946–1948). While in the legislature, in January 1947, he married Shirley Osborn, to whom he remained married until her death in 2000. In 1960 he served as the State Republican Party Chairman
Oklahoma Republican Party
The Oklahoma Republican Party is a political party affiliated with the United States Republican Party . Along with the Oklahoma Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties in Oklahoma politics.-Voter base:...
. Elected in 1962 as Oklahoma's first Republican governor since statehood in 1907, he served his first term from 1963 to 1967. While Governor, he served as the chairman of the Interstate Oil Compact Commission and as a member of the executive committee of the National Governor's Association. Under Oklahoma law at the time, a term limit
Term limit
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method to curb the potential for monopoly, where a leader effectively becomes "president for...
was in place; he was not able to run for a second term.
In 1968, he was serving as the national chairman for Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's presidential election campaign, but then decided to run for the U.S. Senate, and won, unseating U.S. Senator A.S. Mike Monroney. In the Democratic landslide of 1974, he managed to be reelected over Congressman Ed Edmondson by a very narrow margin. He did not run for a third term in 1980. During his service in the Senate, he sometimes took moderate positions that put him at odds with the largely conservative Oklahoma Republican Party: he supported Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
over Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
in the 1976 presidential election
United States presidential election, 1976
The United States presidential election of 1976 followed the resignation of President Richard Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal. It pitted incumbent President Gerald Ford, the Republican candidate, against the relatively unknown former governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter, the Democratic...
(even though the state delegation was committed to Reagan); he opposed a constitutional amendment to prohibit forced busing for the purpose of racially desegregating public schools; and he supported the Panama Canal treaty.
During his second term he was the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee. He was a co-founder and co-chairman of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. that addresses federal budget and fiscal issues...
. He chose not to run for re-election in 1980 and was succeeded by Republican Don Nickles
Don Nickles
Donald Lee Nickles is an American businessman and politician who was a Republican United States Senator from Oklahoma from 1981 until 2005. He was a fiscal and social conservative.-Early life:...
.
Bellmon was appointed the interim director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services
Oklahoma Department of Human Services
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services is an agency of the government of Oklahoma responsible for providing help to individuals and families in need through public assistance programs and managing services for seniors and people with disabilities. The Department is governed by the Commission on...
by Governor George Nigh
George Nigh
George Patterson Nigh , is a popular civic leader in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd Governor of Oklahoma. He was the first Oklahoma Governor to be re-elected and the first to win all 77 counties in the state...
, a Democrat, in 1982.
Returning to the Governor's mansion
In 1986, Oklahoma Republican leaders asked Bellmon if he would consider running for governor again (by now the term limit provision had been removed). Bellmon agreed to run, and in November Oklahoma voters returned Bellmon to the Governor's MansionOklahoma Governor's Mansion
The Oklahoma Governor's Mansion is the official residence of the Governor of Oklahoma and is located at 820 NE 23rd Street in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.-Construction:...
for a second term and served from January 12, 1987 to January 14, 1991. During his second tenure as Governor he chaired the Southern States Energy Board.
During his second term, Bellmon worked with Democrats in the Oklahoma legislature to pass an educational reform package, HB 1017, over the opposition of most Republicans. Bellmon chose not to seek reelection to a third term as governor in 1990,which Bellmon was allowed to do so since his two terms in office were nonconsecutive. The Republican candidate to replace him, Bill Price, promised to repeal HB 1017. However, Price was defeated by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
David Walters
David Walters
David Lee Walters was the 24th Governor of Oklahoma from 1991 to 1995.-Biography:Walters was born near Canute, Oklahoma. He graduated as valedictorian from Canute High School in 1969. He later graduated from University of Oklahoma in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering...
, whom Bellmon had defeated four years earlier.
Death penalty
Bellmon is notable for overseeing as Governor both Oklahoma's last pre-FurmanFurman v. Georgia
Furman v. Georgia, was a United States Supreme Court decision that ruled on the requirement for a degree of consistency in the application of the death penalty. The case led to a de facto moratorium on capital punishment throughout the United States, which came to an end when Gregg v. Georgia was...
execution (when James French
James French (murderer)
James D. French was an American criminal who was the last person executed under Oklahoma's death penalty laws prior to Furman v. Georgia. He was also the only prisoner executed in the United States that year...
was electrocuted
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
in 1966) and its first post-Furman, when Charles Coleman
Charles Coleman (murderer)
Charles Troy Coleman was convicted of the murder of John Seward. He was executed in 1990 by the State of Oklahoma by lethal injection at the age of 32. Charles Troy Coleman (c. 1958 – September 10, 1990) was convicted of the murder of John Seward. He was executed in 1990 by the State of...
was put to death by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
in 1990.
Later years
Bellmon returned to his agriculture business interests. Bellmon also taught at Oklahoma City UniversityOklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University, often referred to as OCU, is a coeducational, urban, private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church...
, Central State University
University of Central Oklahoma
The University of Central Oklahoma, often referred to as UCO, is a coeducational public university located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The university is the third largest in Oklahoma, with almost 18,000 students and approximately 434 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty...
, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
. Shirley Bellmon died in 2000; Bellmon married a longtime friend, Eloise Bollenbach, in 2002. A March 1, 2009 profile in The Oklahoman
The Oklahoman
The Oklahoman is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma and is the only daily newspaper that covers the entire Oklahoma City area.-Ownership:...
reported that he was living with Eloise in Kingfisher, Oklahoma
Kingfisher, Oklahoma
Kingfisher is a city in and the county seat of Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,380 at the 2000 census. It is the former home and namesake of Kingfisher College.-History:...
; the article also reported that, despite suffering from Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
and a heart ailment, Bellmon was still operating his family farm in Billings.
He was inducted into the Oklahoma CareerTech Hall of Fame
Oklahoma CareerTech Hall of Fame
The Oklahoma CareerTech Hall of Fame is an award given to individuals who, through their outstanding professional and personal achievements, have brought honor and distinction to career and technology education in Oklahoma....
posthumously in 2011.
Death
Bellmon died September 29, 2009 in Enid, OklahomaEnid, Oklahoma
Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...
at the age of 88 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
.
He is buried at the Union Cemetery in Billings, Oklahoma
Billings, Oklahoma
Billings is a town in Noble County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 436 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Billings is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
.
Henry Bellmon Sustainability Awards
In 2009 Tulsa Southside Rotary Club and Sustainable Tulsa received permission from Bellmon's daughters to name the Henry Bellmon Sustainability Awards after Henry Bellmon."Dad loved the land and never tired of teaching us about nature and its beauty and mystery. We hope to honor his legacy by teaching others and continuing to find better ways to live more sustainably with Earth." - Pat Hoerth, Ann McFerron, and Gail Wynne, Henry Bellmon’s daughters
See also
- Governor of OklahomaGovernor of OklahomaThe governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
- Government of OklahomaGovernment of OklahomaThe government of the US State of Oklahoma, established by the Oklahoma Constitution, is a republican democracy modeled after the Federal government of the United States. The state government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial...
- Oklahoma Republican PartyOklahoma Republican PartyThe Oklahoma Republican Party is a political party affiliated with the United States Republican Party . Along with the Oklahoma Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties in Oklahoma politics.-Voter base:...
- Politics of OklahomaPolitics of OklahomaPolitics of Oklahoma takes place in a framework of a presidential republic modeled after the United States, whereby the Governor of Oklahoma is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform two-party system. Executive power is exercised by the Governor and the government...
- List of United States Senators from Oklahoma
External links
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Bellmon, Henry
- O-State Stories Oral History Interview with Henry Bellmon, Oklahoma Oral History Research Program
- Voices of Oklahoma interview with Henry Bellmon. First person interview conducted on April 14, 2009 with Henry Bellmon. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.