1st Oklahoma Legislature

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1st Oklahoma Legislature
Flag of Oklahoma.svg
Leadership
Composition:
Senate
38   6  
House
93   16  

The First Oklahoma Legislature was the first meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma, composed of the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The meeting took place from December 2, 1907, to May 26, 1908, in the Guthrie City Hall Building during the first year of the only term of Governor Charles Haskell. [1]

Contents

Both houses of the state legislature had large Democratic majorities. William H. Murray, who had served as the president of the state constitutional convention, was elected by his colleagues as the first Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. [2] Henry S. Johnston, who had served as the presiding officer of the state constitutional convention, was elected to serve as the first President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate. [3]

Dates of session

Next: 2nd Legislature

Major legislation

Party composition

Senate

AffiliationParty
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Democratic Republican
38644
Voting share86.4%13.6%

House of Representatives

AffiliationParty
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Democratic Republican
9316109
Voting share85.3%14.7%

Leadership

Senate

With the Democratic caucus controlling the Oklahoma Senate, Henry S. Johnston of Perry, Oklahoma, was selected to serve as the first President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate. [3] Johnston had served as the presiding officer of the state constitutional convention. [3] Lieutenant Governor George W. Bellamy served as the President of the Senate, which gave him a tie-breaking vote and allowed him to serve as a presiding officer.

House

After much deliberation over who would serve as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, the Democratic caucus chose William H. Murray of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, a former Chickasaw Nation representative and the president of the state constitutional convention. [1] Sworn into office on November 16, 1907, Murray pushed for legislation to curb business excesses and support agriculture during his single term as speaker. [2] State Representative Albert H. Ellis, of Garfield County, Oklahoma, was elected by his peers to serve as speaker pro tempore. [1]

Staff

Charles H. Pittman served as the first chief clerk of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. [1]

Members

Senate

State Senator Elmer Thomas would go on to serve as a United States Senator. ElmerThomasOK.jpg
State Senator Elmer Thomas would go on to serve as a United States Senator.
DistrictNameParty
Lt-Gov George W. Bellamy Dem
1Joe S. MorrisDem
2A. E. AgeeDem
2R. E. EcholsDem
3A. G. Updegraff Rep
4Frank MathewsDem
5Tom MooreDem
6J. J. WilliamsDem
6 Richard Billups Dem
7Richard CurdRep
8P. J. GouldingDem
9S. J. SoldaniDem
9Edmund BrazellDem
10 Henry S. Johnston Dem
11Clarence DavisDem
12H. S. CunninghamRep
13Michael EggermanDem
13S. A. CordellDem
14Roy Everett StaffordDem
14W. H. JohnsonDem
15L. K. TaylorDem
15George JohnsonDem
16Emory BrownleeRep
17 Elmer Thomas Dem
17D. M. SmithDem
18J. C. LittleDem
18J.C. GrahamDem
19H. S. BlairDem
19Robert WynneDem
20Jesse HatchettDem
20T. F. MemmingerDem
21Edwin SorrelsDem
22H. H. HolmanDem
23Reuben RoddieDem
24W. P. StewartDem
25William RedwineRep
26William M. FranklinDem
27Eck BrookDem
27Campbell RussellDem
28Petway ConnDem
29J. M. KeyesDem
30Elias LandrumDem
31 P. J. Yeager Dem
32H. E. P. StanfordRep
33Joseph StrainDem

House of Representatives

Speaker of the Oklahoma House William H. Murray Murray 3820618984 5cb0d9555b o.jpg
Speaker of the Oklahoma House William H. Murray
NamePartyCounty
T. L. RiderDemAdair
Dan G. MurleyDemAlfalfa
John R. EvansRepAlfalfa, Grant
Robert M. Rainey DemAtoka
William A. Durant DemAtoka, Bryan
Abel J. SandsRepBeaver
George WhitehurstDemBeckham
William H. BowdreRepBlaine
J. H. BaldwinDemBryan
A. F. RossDemBryan
Charles C. FisherDemCaddo
Frank StevensDemCaddo
Ben Wilson DemCaddo, Canadian, Cleveland
Milton B. CopeDemCanadian
Leo HarrisDemCarter
J. F. McCantsDemCarter
Joseph L. ManusDemCherokee
William H. ArmstrongDemChoctaw
Frank L. CasteelDemCimarron
J. VandaveerDemCleveland
George W. O'NealDemCoal
C. A. SkeenDemCoal, Johnston
Roy J. WilliamsDemComanche
Amil H. JappDemComanche, Stephens
E. J. HobdyDemCraig
John T. EzzardDemCraig, Rogers
W. B. StoneDemCreek
Woodson Norvell DemCreek, Tulsa
Howell SmithDemCuster
L. L. ReevesDemCuster, Washita
Lee B. SmithDemDelaware
W. G. SmithRepDewey
Elmer V. JesseDemEllis
Albert H. Ellis DemGarfield
Joseph M. PorterRepGarfield
Eugene WatrousRepGarfield, Kingfisher
W. M. LindsayDemGarvin
William TaborDemGarvin
Robert M. JohnsonDemGrady
Albert S. RiddleDemGrady
Joseph W. SmithDemGrant
George W. BriggsDemGreer
W. C. PendegraftDemGreer
John W. DurstDemHarper
Ed Boyle DemHaskell
J. B. CrouchDemHaskell, Muskogee
Edward SwengalDemHughes
Ben F. Harrison DemHughes, Pittsburg
William A. BanksDemJackson
Charles M. LondonDemJefferson
William H. Murray DemJohnston
Q. T. BrownDemKay
Logan HawkinsDemKay
Harvey UtterbackRepKingfisher
Jesse T. ArmstrongDemKiowa
J. V. FaulknerDemKiowa
James E. StiversDemLatimer
Charles W. BroomeDemLeFlore
E. A. MooreDemLeFlore, Sequoyah
H. M. JarrettDemLincoln
James H. LockwoodRepLincoln
H. G. StettmundDemLincoln, Pottawatomie
Will H. ChappellRepLogan
John S. ShearerRepLogan
George H. StagnerRepLogan
John McCallaDemLove
Joe R. ShermanRepMajor
H.S.P. AshbyDemMarshall
Henry N. ButlerDemMayes
Thomas C. WhitsonDemMcClain
William H. HarrisonDemMcCurtain
William B. BeckDemMcIntosh
M. TurnerDemMurray
Fred P. Branson DemMuskogee
A. J. SnelsonDemMuskogee
Charles A. FraserRepNoble
J. A. TillotsonDemNowata
Thomas B. WortmanDemOkfuskee
Curtis R. DayRepOklahoma
A. T. EarleyDemOklahoma
Charles G. Jones RepOklahoma
I. M. PutnamDemOklahoma
William C. McAdooDemOkmulgee
John D. DeyerleDemOsage
A. G. MartinDemOttawa
William MurdockDemPawnee
George D. HudsonDemPawnee, Payne
P. A. Ballard DemPayne
J. L. HendricksonDemPittsburg
Henry M. McElhaneyDemPittsburg
Frank HuddlestonDemPontotoc
Edgar S. RatliffDemPontotoc, Seminole
Milton BryanDemPottawatomie
William S. CarsonDemPottawatomie
William F. DurhamDemPottawatomie
Ben T. WilliamsDemPushmataha
Joseph PaschalDemRoger Mills
John F. TandyDemRogers
Jesse ChastainDemSeminole
George Winchester AllenDemSequoyah
W. B. AnthonyDemStephens
E. J. EarleDemTexas
Henry R. KingDemTillman
Cicero L. HollandDemTulsa
A. D. OrcuttRepWagoner
A. F. Vandeventer DemWashington
David L. SmithDemWashita
William T. AbbottDemWoods
Irving W. HartDemWoodward

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References

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  2. 1 2 Bryant, Keith L. MURRAY, WILLIAM HENRY DAVID (1869-1956), Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. (accessed July 1, 2013). Archived 2013-07-05.
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  8. "FOURTH DAY. Thursday, 10 o'clock, a. m., Dec. 5, 1907, CITY HALL, GUTIHRIE" (PDF). JOURNAL OF THE House of Representatives OF THE REGULAR SESSION OF THE First Legislature of Oklahoma. GUTHRIE, OKLAHOMA: LEADER PRINTIG AND MANUFACTURIG HOUSE. 1. Page 14, Page 16 of PDF. 1908.
  9. 1 2 "FIFTH DAY, Senate Chamber, Friday, December 6th, 1907" (PDF). JOURNAL, Proceedings of the Senate, FIRST LEGISLATURE OF THE SENATE OF OKLAHOMA. Muskogee, Oklahoma: Muskogee Printing Company. 1. Page 17, Page 26 of PDF. 1909.
  10. "Oklahoma's first Legislature moved to enact Jim Crow laws". Oklahoman.com. 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  11. Oklahoma; Curtis, William L; Elder, Benedict (1908). Written at University of Michigan. General statutes of Oklahoma, 1908: a compilation of all the laws of a general nature including the session laws of 1907, annotated to volume 18 Oklahoma reports, 96 Pacific reporter, 76 Kansas reports and 150 California reports. Kansas City, Mo.: Pipes-Reed Book Co. Pages 1222-1224, Images #1238-1240. hdl:2027/mdp.35112105486858.
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