Norman Lamb (U.S. politician)

Last updated
Norman Lamb
3rd Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs
In office
1995–2011
Governor Frank Keating
Brad Henry
Preceded by John Willis
Succeeded by Rita Aragon
Oklahoma State Senator
In office
1971–1988
Personal details
Born(1935-02-27)February 27, 1935
Canute, Oklahoma
Died January 5, 2018(2018-01-05) (aged 82)
Enid, Oklahoma
Political party Republican
Children 3 including Todd Lamb
Residence Enid, Oklahoma
Alma mater University of Oklahoma
Occupation Soldier
Lawyer

Colonel Norman A. Lamb, USA (ret.), (February 27, 1935 – January 5, 2018) was an American soldier and politician from Enid in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Lamb served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 1995 to 2011, having been originally appointed by Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating and retained under Governor Brad Henry.

Colonel (United States) Military rank of the United States

In the United States Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force, colonel is the most senior field grade military officer rank, immediately above the rank of lieutenant colonel and immediately below the rank of brigadier general. It is equivalent to the naval rank of captain in the other uniformed services. The pay grade for colonel is O-6.

United States Army Land warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution. As the oldest and most senior branch of the U.S. military in order of precedence, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which was formed to fight the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)—before the United States of America was established as a country. After the Revolutionary War, the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784 to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The United States Army considers itself descended from the Continental Army, and dates its institutional inception from the origin of that armed force in 1775.

Soldier one who serves as part of an organized armed force

A soldier is one who fights as part of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.

Contents

Lamb was one of three Cabinet Secretaries appointed by former Governor Frank Keating to be held over by Governor Brad Henry, the others being: Human Resources Secretary Oscar B. Jackson Jr. and Health and Human Services Secretary Howard Hendrick.

Frank Keating American politician

Francis Anthony "Frank" Keating II is an American attorney and politician who served as the 25th governor of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2003.

Brad Henry American politician

Charles Bradford "Brad" Henry is an American lawyer and politician who was the 26th Governor of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002. Henry won re-election for a second term on November 7, 2006 with 66% of the vote.

Oscar B. Jackson Jr. is an American civil servant from the state of Oklahoma. Jackson is the current Oklahoma Secretary of Human Resources and Administration, having served in that position since he was appointed by Governor of Oklahoma David Walters in 1991. With almost twenty years of continuous service, Jackson is the longest serving Cabinet Secretary in State history.

Education and early career

Lamb was born in Canute, Oklahoma in 1935, [1] and attended schools in Cordell, Putnam City, Midwest City, Tuttle, Moore, and Enid. He graduated from Cameron State Agricultural College and from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science in Math and Education. After college, Lamb began a career in law. He served as Assistant County Attorney for Chickasha, Oklahoma (1963–1964), as Assistant Municipal Counselor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (1964–1965), and then as Chief Prosecutor and Assistant District Attorney for Garfield County, Oklahoma from 1967 to 1970.

Canute, Oklahoma Town in Oklahoma, United States

Canute is a town in Washita County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 541 at the 2010 census.

University of Oklahoma public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States

The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. In Fall 2018 the university had 31,702 students enrolled, most at its main campus in Norman. Employing nearly 3,000 faculty members, the school offers 152 baccalaureate programs, 160 master's programs, 75 doctorate programs, and 20 majors at the first professional level. David Boren, a former U.S. Senator and Oklahoma Governor, served as the university's president from 1994 to 2018. James L. Gallogly succeeded Boren on July 1, 2018.

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years, or a person holding such a degree.

Lamb served in the United States Army and retired after 33 years active and reserve duty as a Colonel. During his active duty, he served at Ft. Bliss, Texas on Air Defense/Guided Missiles. His interest in serving his country extended to serving as a West Point (USMA) Liaison (Recruiting) to Oklahoma from 1986 to 1990. [2] Lamb represented Enid in the Oklahoma State Senate.

Texas State of the United States of America

Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Geographically located in the South Central region of the country, Texas shares borders with the U.S. states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the southwest, while the Gulf of Mexico is to the southeast.

A Republican, Lamb was first elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 1971, and continued serving until 1988, even serving as the chair of the Republican State Convention in 1976. [3] [4] During his Senate career, he served on the following committees: Agriculture, Economic Development, Education, Human Resources, Judiciary, Retirement, Revenue and Taxation, and Standards and Ethics. In 1976, Lamb was voted one of the Top 10 Most Effective Senators by Peers and one of the Top 10 Most Popular Senators by Peers. In 1982, Lamb was the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma but with 38.5% lost to Democrat incumbent Spencer Bernard. [5]

Oklahoma Senate upper state chamber of a state of the United-States of America

The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.

Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma

The Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the lieutenant governor becomes the new governor of Oklahoma upon the death, resignation, or removal of the governor. The lieutenant governor also serves as the president of the Oklahoma Senate, and may cast a vote to break ties in that chamber.

Spencer Bernard is an American songwriter/record producer/musician. He is a long-time associate of hitmakers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and a part of the Flyte Tyme Productions crew. Throughout his career, he has done session work for Janet Jackson, Cherrelle, Nona Hendryx, New Edition. He also wrote songs for Lisa Keith, his wife, Janet Jackson and many others. First joined Flyte Tyme while the bass player for Minneapolis-based band King's English.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Governor Frank Keating appointed Colonel Lamb as his Secretary of Veterans Affairs in 1995. Lamb would serve as Keating's only VA Secretary. Following the election of Brad Henry in 2002, Lamb was asked to stay on under Henry as his Secretary of Veterans Affairs. [6] As the Secretary, Lamb was charged with ensuring all Oklahoma veterans and their families receive all possible benefits and provide health services and long-term skilled care in a residential environment to all qualified veterans residing in the state by overseeing the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs (ODVA) is a department of the state of Oklahoma under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs charged with providing medical and rehabilitative services for veterans and their families.

Personal life

He was an active member of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid and was a Sunday school teacher and a deacon. He was a long-time member of the Enid Lions Club and the Enid Chamber of Commerce. Lamb's hobbies included after-dinner speaking, high school and college football officiating, and jogging. He participated in a weekly radio show, "Stand Your Ground" on KGWA-960, as the political conservative.

He and his wife, Belva M. Clark Lamb, have three grown children: Kim Akers, Fawn Ingmire, and Todd Lamb. Todd served as an aide to Governor Frank Keating, served as an Oklahoma State Senator and was elected Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma in the 2010 general election.

Lamb died on January 5, 2018 in Enid, Oklahoma. [7]

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References

  1. ↑ "Directory of Oklahoma". State Election Board. 26 May 1985 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ "Governor Henry Appoints Transportation Secretary, Top Administrators" . Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  3. ↑ "Lambs form father-son legacy in the Oklahoma Senate". The Norman Transcript. 2006-06-17. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  4. ↑ "Normal A. Lamb: Department of Veterans Affairs" (PDF). FY-98 Executive Budget. Oklahoma Office of State Finance. pp. 27–8. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  5. ↑ "OK Lt. Governor - Nov 02, 1982". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  6. ↑ "Speaker Bureau". Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  7. ↑ "Former Oklahoma State Sen. Norman Lamb dies at age 82". KFOR-TV. 6 January 2018.
Political offices
Preceded by
 Oklahoma State Senator
1971 - 1988		Succeeded by
Preceded by
John Willis		 Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Under Governors Frank Keating and Brad Henry
1995 - 2011		Succeeded by
Rita Aragon
Party political offices
Preceded by
 Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
1982		Succeeded by
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