George Nigh | |
---|---|
17th and 22nd Governor of Oklahoma | |
In office January 3, 1979 –January 12, 1987 | |
Lieutenant | Spencer Bernard |
Preceded by | David Boren |
Succeeded by | Henry Bellmon |
In office January 6,1963 –January 14,1963 | |
Lieutenant | Vacant |
Preceded by | J. Howard Edmondson |
Succeeded by | Henry Bellmon |
8th and 10th Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma | |
In office January 9,1967 –January 3,1979 | |
Governor | Dewey F. Bartlett David Hall David Boren |
Preceded by | Leo Winters |
Succeeded by | Spencer Bernard |
In office January 12,1959 –January 6,1963 | |
Governor | J. Howard Edmondson |
Preceded by | Cowboy Pink Williams |
Succeeded by | Leo Winters |
18th President of the University of Central Oklahoma | |
In office July 1,1992 –June 30,1997 | |
Preceded by | Bill Lillard |
Succeeded by | W. Roger Webb |
Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives | |
In office 1951 –1959 | |
Personal details | |
Born | [1] McAlester,Oklahoma,U.S. | June 9,1927
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Donna Nigh |
Residence | Oklahoma City,Oklahoma |
Alma mater | East Central State College |
Profession | Politician |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1945–1946 |
Battles/wars | World War II |
George Patterson Nigh (born June 9,1927) is an American politician and civic leader from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd governor of Oklahoma and as the eighth and tenth lieutenant governor of Oklahoma. He was the first Oklahoma governor to be re-elected and the first to win all 77 counties in the state. Additionally,short term vacancies in the governor's office twice resulted in Nigh assuming gubernatorial duties while serving as lieutenant governor.
Following his service as governor,Nigh served on the board of directors of JCPenney,as president of the University of Central Oklahoma and as director and public relations advisor for International Bank of Commerce. Prior to his election to statewide office,he worked as a teacher and legislator. Since the death of John M. Patterson of Alabama in June 2021,Nigh has been the earliest-serving living former American governor,having first served as governor of Oklahoma in 1963.
As of September 2024,Nigh is one of the last five living American governors born the 1920s,and one of the last two living American governors who assumed office in the 1960s,alongside Kenneth M. Curtis of Maine.
Nigh was born in McAlester,Oklahoma,and was the son of Wilbur R. and Irene Crockett Nigh. He served in the United States Navy from 1945 to 1946 and graduated from East Central State College in Ada,Oklahoma,in 1951. [2] Nigh had remained a bachelor until after he left public office for the first time. He met his future wife,Donna Mashburn,following his initial nine-day term as governor in 1963 and married her on October 19,1963. [3] When they met,Donna had a young son. The Nighs later had a daughter together. [1]
From 1951 to 1959,Nigh alternated between service in the Oklahoma House of Representatives,and as a teacher in the McAlester public schools. During his tenure in the state legislature,he introduced legislation designating "Oklahoma!" as the state song. [4] Nigh ran for Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma in 1958;he finished second in the Democratic primary behind Cowboy Pink Williams with 80,727 votes (18.77%) to Williams' 176,171 votes (40.97%). [5] Nigh defeated Williams in the runoff with 302,050 votes (61.32%) to 190,530 (38.68%). [6] Williams himself had finished second behind incumbent lieutenant governor James E. Berry in the 1954 Democratic primary,before besting him in the runoff. In the general election,Nigh beat Republican George B. Sherritt in a landslide by 384,431 votes (76.86%) to 100,068 (20.01%). [7] Nigh served from January 12,1959,to January 3,1963. [4] Taking office at age 31,he became the youngest lieutenant governor in the United States. [4]
Democratic Governor J. Howard Edmondson did not seek reelection in the 1962 election,so Nigh ran to succeed him. He came fourth in the Democratic primary with 84,404 votes (15.80%),behind National Commander of the American Legion Preston J. Moore,businessman W. P. Atkinson and former governor Raymond Gary. [8] Atkinson went on to win the runoff and lose the general election to Republican Henry Bellmon,but Nigh would get a chance to serve as governor. Democratic U.S. Senator Robert S. Kerr died in office on January 1,1963,and Edmondson resigned his office 5 days later;Nigh succeeded him as governor for the remaining days of the term only to appoint him to the vacant Senate seat. On 14 January,Bellmon took office as governor.
Nigh ran for Lieutenant Governor again in 1966. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary in that election and his re-election efforts,winning in 1966 with 328,580 votes (51.50%);in 1970 with 382,249 votes (57.41%) and in 1974 with 545,686 votes (72.36%). [9] [10] [11] In 1970,he beat future district judge Ralph Gordon Thompson. Nigh served as the tenth lieutenant governor from January 9,1967,to January 3,1979,making him the second longest-serving Oklahoma lieutenant governor in state history with 16 years of service. [2] In 1969,during his time serving as lieutenant governor,Nigh assisted a number of college students with the creation and founding of the “Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature”(O.I.L.),which still functions today as a collegiate model government program with delegations at over 20 colleges and universities across the state. [12]
When incumbent governor David Boren chose not to seek reelection,Nigh ran for Governor again in 1978. He came first in the Democratic primary with 276,910 votes (49.94%),narrowly short of avoiding a runoff against Oklahoma Attorney General Larry Derryberry,who took 208,055 votes (37.53%). [13] However,in the runoff,Nigh defeated him easily,with 269,681 votes (57.73%) to Derryberry's 197,457 (42.27%). [14] Nigh defeated Republican Ron Shotts in the general election with 402,240 votes (51.74%) to Shotts' 367,055 (47.22%) [15] and thereby became the first Oklahoma Governor to serve a second term. Nigh took office five days early,as a result of outgoing Governor David Boren's swearing-in as a U.S. Senator. He ran for a second term in 1982 becoming the third governor to do so,and defeated token opposition in the Democratic primary with 379,301 votes (82.63%) [16] as well as Republican State Auditor Tom Daxon in the general election by 548,159 votes (62.07%) to 332,207 (37.62%), [17] carrying all 77 of the state's counties. It was the first reelection of an Oklahoma Governor. At the inaugural address for his second full term,Nigh quoted the Pogo comic strip "We have found the enemy,and he is us."
Nigh appointed the Nigh Commission to recommend changes to state government. [2] During his two consecutive terms of office,Nigh signed the Executive Branch Reform Act of 1986,which regrouped the executive branch into agency function categories,although stopping short of consolidation of the more than 250 agencies,boards,and commissions. [2] Nigh also signed into law the Oklahoma Franchise Tax Code,which established the franchise tax in Oklahoma. [2]
Nigh is also credited with increasing the numbers of minorities serving on state boards and commissions,as well as management of state agencies. He appointed the first two women,Yvonne Kauger and Alma Wilson to serve as Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. [1]
Following his term as governor,Nigh served as president of the University of Central Oklahoma from 1992 to 1997. During his tenure as UCO president,Nigh supervised construction projects that transformed UCO from a mostly commuter institution to much more of a regional university with residential dormitories.
In 1990,he was inducted into the Oklahoma CareerTech Hall of Fame [4] and in 1992,he received the Jim Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award. From November,2005 to April,2006,he served as Interim Director of the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation,during the agency's search for a permanent director. Nigh and his wife Donna appeared in walk-on roles in episode # 19 of the NBC soap opera Texas (playing themselves as Governor and First Lady of Oklahoma). The episode aired in August 1980. Cast member Lisby Larson (Paige Marshall) serenaded the couple with a rendition of "Oklahoma!".
On April 28,2010,Nigh and his wife were robbed at gunpoint in the driveway of their northwest Oklahoma City home. They were uninjured,though Nigh's wallet was taken. It was reported that no suspect was found. [18]
The 1990 United States Senate elections were held on Tuesday,November 6,1990,with the 33 seats of Class 2 contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. The Democratic Party increased its majority with a net gain of one seat from the Republican Party. The election cycle took place in the middle of President George H. W. Bush's term,and as with most other midterm elections,the party not holding the presidency gained seats in Congress. This was the first time since 1980 that any party successfully defended all their own seats,and the first time Democrats did so since 1958.
The 1988 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate. Held on November 8,1988,the 33 seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections. In spite of the Republican victory by George H. W. Bush in the presidential election,the Democrats gained a net of 1 seat in the Senate. 7 seats changed parties,with 4 incumbents being defeated. The Democratic majority in the Senate increased by one to 55–45.
The 1968 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate. Held on November 5,the 34 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections. They coincided with the presidential election of the same year. The Republicans picked up five net seats in the Senate. This saw Republicans win a Senate seat in Florida for the first time since Reconstruction.
The 1964 United States Senate elections were held on November 3. The 33 seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. They coincided with the election of President Lyndon B. Johnson by an overwhelming majority,to a full term. His Democratic Party picked up a net two seats from the Republicans. As of 2023,this was the last time either party has had a two-thirds majority in the Senate,which allowed the Senate Democrats to override a veto,propose constitutional amendments,or convict and expel certain officials without any votes from Senate Republicans. However,internal divisions would have prevented the Democrats from having done so. The Senate election cycle coincided with Democratic gains in the House in the same year.
Mary Fallin is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party,she was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She is the first and so far only woman to be elected governor of Oklahoma. She was the first woman to represent Oklahoma in Congress since Alice Mary Robertson left office in 1923.
Martin Edwin Trapp was an American state auditor,governor and lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma's third lieutenant governor,he was the first to become governor not through an election but instead due to the previous governor's impeachment and removal from office.
Todd Hiett is an American rancher and politician who has served on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission since 2015.
Jari Askins is an American judge,lawyer,and Democratic politician from the state of Oklahoma. She was the 15th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma,being the second woman and the first female Democrat to hold that position.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 2,2010,in 37 states and two territories. These elections coincided with the elections for the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives as well as other state and local elections. As in most midterm elections,the party controlling the White House lost ground. Democrats took five governorships from the Republicans,while Republicans took 12 governorships from the Democrats. An independent won one governorship previously held by a Republican,while a Republican won one governorship previously held by an independent. Republicans held a majority of governorships for the first time since before the 2006 elections. One state,Louisiana,had no election for governor,but it did feature a special election for lieutenant governor.
The 1970 Florida gubernatorial election took place on November 3,1970,to determine the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Florida,concurrent with the election to the United States Senate,elections to the United States House of Representatives,and various state and local elections.
The 1990 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 6,1990. Lieutenant Governor Zell Miller ran for governor after incumbent Joe Frank Harris was term-limited,defeating Andrew Young,Roy Barnes,and Lester Maddox for the Democratic nomination,and defeated Johnny Isakson,a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. As of 2022,this is the last time that Dade,Walker,Whitfield,Murray,Gilmer,Fannin,Floyd,Gordon,Pickens,Dawson,Forsyth,Hall,Barrow,Jackson,Madison,White,Walton,Paulding,Carroll,Coweta,Troup,Spalding,Pike,Harris,Glynn,Camden,Bryan,and Effingham counties voted for the Democratic candidate for governor.
Todd Lamb is an American politician and university administrator who is the current president of the University of Central Oklahoma. He previously served as the 16th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019 and as a member of the Oklahoma state senate from 2005 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Andrew Pickens Miller was an American attorney,politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the Attorney General of Virginia from 1970 to 1977.
Cowboy Pink Williams,born James Pinckney Williams,was an American politician who was the seventh lieutenant governor of Oklahoma from 1955 to 1959 and Oklahoma State Treasurer from 1963 to 1967.
Spencer Thomas Bernard was an American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Bernard served as the 11th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma from 1979 to 1987. He also served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
The 2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 6,2018,to elect the next governor of Oklahoma. Incumbent Republican Governor Mary Fallin was term-limited,and was prohibited by the Constitution of Oklahoma from seeking another gubernatorial term. Republican Businessman Kevin Stitt was elected elected with 54.3% of the vote,defeating Democratic nominee and former Oklahoma attorney general Drew Edmondson.
The 1978 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 7,1978,to elect the next Governor of Oklahoma. Incumbent Democratic Governor David Boren chose not to run for re-election to a second term in office. Instead,Boren decided to run for the United States Senate. Former governor,and sitting lieutenant governor George Nigh was elected,defeating Republican nominee Ron Shotts.
The 1964 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma took place on November 3,1964. Democratic senator Robert S. Kerr,who won re-election to his third term in 1960,died in office on January 1,1963. Governor J. Howard Edmondson resigned from office so that his lieutenant governor,George Nigh,could appoint him to the U.S. Senate. Edmondson ran for election in the ensuing special election,and faced strong competition from former governor Raymond D. Gary and State Senator Fred R. Harris. Edmondson placed first in the primary,but failed to win a majority,with Harris narrowly beating out Gary for second place. In the runoff,Harris defeated Edmondson in a landslide. In the general election,Harris faced former Oklahoma Sooners football coach Bud Wilkinson,the Republican nominee. Even though President Lyndon B. Johnson won Oklahoma by a wide margin over Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater,the Senate race was much closer. Ultimately,Harris only narrowly defeated Wilkinson by just 2% of the vote.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Oklahoma took place on November 7,1978. Incumbent Republican Senator Dewey F. Bartlett retired,leaving the seat vacant. He was succeeded by popular Democratic Governor David Boren.
The 2020 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election took place on November 3,2020,to elect the Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina,concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election,as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Primary elections were held on March 3,2020.