Pontotoc County is in the south central part of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census,the population was 38,065. Its county seat is Ada. The county was created at statehood from part of the Chickasaw Nation in Indian Territory. It was named for a historic Chickasaw tribal area in Mississippi. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture,Pontotoc is usually translated "cattail prairie" or "land of hanging grapes."
Ada is a city in and the county seat of 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 incorporated in 1901. Ada is home to East Central University,and is the capital of the Chickasaw Nation. Ada is an Oklahoma Main Street City,an Oklahoma Certified City,and a Tree City USA member.
Jeanne Hopkins Lucas was the first African-American woman elected to serve in North Carolina's state Senate.
East Central University is a public university in Ada,Oklahoma. It is part of Oklahoma's Regional University System. Beyond its flagship campus in Ada,the university has courses available in McAlester,Shawnee,and Durant,as well as online courses. Founded as East Central State Normal School in 1909,its present name was adopted in 1985. Some of its more prominent alumni include former Microsoft COO B. Kevin Turner,Modernist painter Leon Polk Smith,former NFL player Mark Gastineau,past governors Robert S. Kerr and George Nigh,former U.S. Representative Lyle Boren,Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Tom Colbert,and U.S. Army General James D. Thurman.
The Chickasaw Nation is a federally recognized Native American tribe with headquarters in Ada,Oklahoma,in the United States. They are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands,originally from northern Mississippi,northwestern Alabama,southwestern Kentucky,and western Tennessee. Today,the Chickasaw Nation is the 13th largest tribe in the United States.
David Lyle Boren is a retired American lawyer and politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party,he served as 21st governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and three terms in the United States Senate from 1979 to 1994. A conservative Democrat,to date,he is the last in his party to have served as U.S. Senator from Oklahoma. He was the 13th and second-longest serving president of the University of Oklahoma from 1994 to 2018. He was the longest serving chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. On September 20,2017,Boren officially announced his retirement as president of the University of Oklahoma,effective June 30,2018.
Mary L. Easley is the Oklahoma Senator representing District 18,which includes Mayes,Tulsa and Wagoner counties,since she won a special election in 2004. She previously served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1996 through 2004,representing District 78.
Elections in California are held to fill various local,state and federal seats. In California,regular elections are held every even year;however,some seats have terms of office that are longer than two years,so not every seat is on the ballot in every election. Special elections may be held to fill vacancies at other points in time. Recall elections can also be held. Additionally,statewide initiatives,legislative referrals and referendums may be on the ballot.
Geraldine Fortenberry Thompson is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party,who currently serves as a member of the Florida State Senate from the 15th district. She served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 44th District from 2018 to 2022. The district included Windermere,Winter Garden,Gotha,Lake Buena Vista,Oakland,parts of Ocoee,and the Dr. Phillips,Horizon West,and Williamsburg communities in Southwest Orange County,FL. The district contains Walt Disney World,Universal Studios Florida,SeaWorld,International Drive,and the Orange County Convention Center.
Karen Mayne is an American politician who served as a member of the Utah Senate from the 5th District. She assumed office on January 2,2008,succeeding her husband,Ed Mayne. She won re-election for the 12th senate district after redistricting. On January 4,2023 Karen Mayne announced her plan to resign office due to unexpected changes in her health. The Utah Democratic Party held a special election on January 15,2023,in which at the time Representative Karen Kwan was elected to fill her seat.
Susan Paddack is a Democratic politician and former educator in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. She served in the Oklahoma State Senate representing District 13,which includes Pontotoc and Hughes counties and parts of Garvin and Coal counties,since 2004. As of 2013,she served as Minority Whip and Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee.
Constance Nevlin Johnson is an American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. She served in the Oklahoma Senate,representing District 48,which encompasses portions of northeastern and northwestern Oklahoma County until 2014. She was first elected to the state senate in a special election in September 2005.
Lisa Johnson Billy is a Chickasaw and American politician who has served in the legislatures of Oklahoma and the Chickasaw Nation. She has served as a tribal councillor for the Chickasaw Nation since 2016 and previously served on the council between 1996 and 2002. She represented Oklahoma House of Representatives district 42 from 2004 to 2016 and was appointed by President of the United States Donald Trump to the board of trustees of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation in 2017.
Mary Bernice Shedrick is a politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Shedrick represented Oklahoma State Senate District 21 from 1980 to 1996. In 1994 she was a candidate for Governor of Oklahoma. Shedrick is now a part-time Administrative Law Judge in Payne and Logan counties and is a member of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.
The 2010 Oklahoma elections were held on November 2,2010. The primary election was held on July 27. The runoff primary election was held August 24.
Penny Baldwin Williams was an American Democratic Party politician from Oklahoma. Williams served as a legislator in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1981 to 1988,representing District 70. She later was elected to the Oklahoma Senate,representing District 33,from 1989 to 2004. Senator Williams authored important bills on education during her time in the legislature,including the historic education reform act. Williams also authored a series of bills to strengthen math and science,and the bill creating the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics. A supporter of the arts,Williams influenced art education in public schools,and was instrumental in the creation of the Art in Public Places Act.
Daisy Lawler is a former politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Lawler was elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 2002 and served until 2006,representing District 24. Lawler was an educator for 28 years before running for political office. Her dedication to education continued through her time in the legislature,as she was a tireless advocate for children,education,and improved care for the elderly.
Patricia Weedn is an American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Elected in 1989,Weedn served in the Oklahoma Senate,representing District 15,until 2000. Prior to her public office,Weedn worked as the McClain County Assessor for ten years. She was the first woman to be elected Senator in Cleveland and McClain counties. Weedn remains active in her community outside of the legislature and has two children.
Carolyn Rexroat Warner was an American politician who served as the 15th Superintendent of Public Instruction for the state of Arizona,elected as a Democrat,from 1975 to 1987. Warner was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Arizona in 1986,but was defeated by former state senator Evan Mecham,who would go on to be impeached and removed from office by the Arizona legislature.
Ronny Johns is an American politician who has served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 25th district since 2018.
