J. Howard Edmondson

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James Howard Edmondson

James Howard Edmondson (born September 27, 1925 in Muskogee , Oklahoma , † November 17, 1971 in Edmond , Oklahoma) was an American politician .

biography

Early life

Edmondson was born the youngest of two sons to Edmond Augustus and Esther Pullen Edmondson in Muskogee, where he also attended school. His brother Ed , who was six years older than him , later went into politics and held a seat in the United States House of Representatives from 1953 to 1973 . After graduating from high school, Edmondson attended the University of Oklahoma for a short time , but was enlisted as a soldier for the United States Army Air Corps in 1942 . Although he received pilot training, he was spared active service in a theater of war . After the war he completed his university education and obtained in 1948 with a degree in law .

Edmondson's career began as secretary to federal judge Eugene Rice in the late 1940s. Through his skill, he became a partner in the law firm of Harold Shoemake and practiced in his native Muskogee. In 1950 Edmondson ran unsuccessfully for a seat in Congress, but his reputation was now so good that he was appointed District Attorney for Tulsa County in 1954 . A re-election attempt in 1956 was successful.

Political career

In December 1957, Edmondson announced his candidacy for governor of Oklahoma, a project the Democrat succeeded in 1958. At 33, Edmondson was Oklahoma's youngest governor to date and, in 1958, the youngest in the United States. Over the next four years, Edmondson served as governor until 1963, he carried out a number of reforms. His most striking step was the introduction of Prohibition in Oklahoma; under his leadership, the state became one of the "driest" in the entire United States.

After the death of US Senator Robert S. Kerr on January 1, 1963, Edmondson resigned and was named Kerr's successor in the Senate by his successor, his previous deputy, George Nigh . So he continued the struggle for reforms at the federal level. In the project of re-election as Senator in 1964, however, he failed in the primary against party colleague Fred R. Harris .

Late life

Edmondson retired into private life from 1964, although he continued to practice as a lawyer in Oklahoma City . He was married to Jeannette Bartleson since May 1946; the couple had three children, son James junior and daughters Jeanne and Patricia. In November 1971, Edmondson suffered an unexpected and sudden heart attack from which he died at the age of only 46.

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personal data
SURNAME Edmondson, J. Howard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Edmondson, James Howard (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH September 27, 1925
PLACE OF BIRTH Muskogee , Oklahoma
DATE OF DEATH 17th November 1971
Place of death Edmond , Oklahoma