J. Howard Edmondson
Encyclopedia
James Howard Edmondson was the 16th Governor of Oklahoma
from 1959 to 1963. Elected at the age of 33, Edmondson is the youngest governor in the history of the state.
, attending elementary and secondary schools there and enrolling in the University of Oklahoma
after high school graduation. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces in March 1942, and served until December 5, 1945. He returned to the University and completed his law degree in August 1948. After practicing law in Muskogee, he moved to Tulsa
to become the chief prosecutor in the office of the county attorney of Tulsa County. He was elected county attorney in 1954 and was re-elected in 1956. Edmondson was inaugurated Governor of Oklahoma January 8, 1959, after having been elected to that post by the largest majority ever given 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, including the repeal of alcohol prohibition
in the state. He resigned from office as governor two weeks before the end of his term, on January 6, 1963, and was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the position left vacant by the death of Robert S. Kerr
. He served in the Senate until November 1964. He ran in a 1964 special election to finish the last two years of the Senate term, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Fred R. Harris
. At the time of his death of an apparent heart attack on November 17, 1971, he was a practicing attorney in Oklahoma City.
and current Oklahoma Supreme Court
Justice James E. Edmondson
. His niece, Sarah Edmondson, is serving a 35-year sentence for murder, attempted murder, and armed robbery.
Edmondson also appeared in 1959 on the television game show What's My Line?
. The panel was astonished at his young age.
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...
from 1959 to 1963. Elected at the age of 33, Edmondson is the youngest governor in the history of the state.
Biography
Edmondson was born in Muskogee, OklahomaMuskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
, attending elementary and secondary schools there and enrolling in 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...
after high school graduation. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces in March 1942, and served until December 5, 1945. He returned to the University and completed his law degree in August 1948. After practicing law in Muskogee, he moved to Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
to become the chief prosecutor in the office of the county attorney of Tulsa County. He was elected county attorney in 1954 and was re-elected in 1956. Edmondson was inaugurated Governor of Oklahoma January 8, 1959, after having been elected to that post by the largest majority ever given 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, including the repeal of alcohol prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in the state. He resigned from office as governor two weeks before the end of his term, on January 6, 1963, and was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the position left vacant by the death of Robert S. Kerr
Robert S. Kerr
Robert Samuel Kerr was an American businessman from Oklahoma. Kerr formed a petroleum company before turning to politics. He served as the 12th Governor of Oklahoma and was elected three times to the United States Senate...
. He served in the Senate until November 1964. He ran in a 1964 special election to finish the last two years of the Senate term, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Fred R. Harris
Fred R. Harris
Fred Roy Harris is a former Democratic United States Senator from the state of Oklahoma. He served from 1964 until 1973.-Biography:...
. At the time of his death of an apparent heart attack on November 17, 1971, he was a practicing attorney in Oklahoma City.
Trivia
Edmondson was the brother of former U.S. Congressman Ed Edmondson. He was also the uncle of both former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew EdmondsonDrew Edmondson
William Andrew "Drew" Edmondson , is an American lawyer and politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, Edmondson served as the 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2011...
and current Oklahoma Supreme Court
Oklahoma Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma and leads the Oklahoma Court System, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma....
Justice James E. Edmondson
James E. Edmondson
James E. Edmondson , is currently the Chief Justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court. He was elected to this position by the other eight members of the Supreme Court in 2009 after he was appointed to the Court's District 7 seat by Governor Brad Henry in 2003.James Edmondson was born in Kansas City,...
. His niece, Sarah Edmondson, is serving a 35-year sentence for murder, attempted murder, and armed robbery.
Edmondson also appeared in 1959 on the television game show What's My Line?
What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
. The panel was astonished at his young age.