36th Oklahoma Legislature explained

36th Oklahoma Legislature
Coa Pic:	Flag of Oklahoma (1941–1988).svg
Leader1 Type:	President of the Senate
Leader1:	George Nigh (D)
Leader2 Type:	President Pro Tem of the Senate
Leader2:	Gene C. Howard (D)
Leader3 Type:	Speaker of the House
Leader3:	William Willis (D)
Leader4 Type:	Term:
Leader4:	January 1977-January 1979
Leader5 Type:	Composition:
Leader5:	Senate 38 10 House 81 20

The Thirty-sixth Oklahoma Legislature was a meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. State legislators met at the Oklahoma State Capitol in session from January 4 to June 8, 1977, from June 13 to June 17, 1977, and from January 3 to March 28, 1978, during the term of Governor David L. Boren.^[1]

Lieutenant Governor George Nigh served as President of the Senate.^[2] Gene C. Howard served as President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate and William Willis served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

The 1978 session was marked by a student protest over rumors that state legislators were planning to close Langston University.^[1]

Dates of sessions

• Organizational day: January 4, 1977
• First regular session: January 4-June 8, 1977^[1]
• Special session: June 13–17, 1977^[1]
• Second regular session: January 3-March 28, 1978^[1]

Previous: 35th Legislature • Next: 37th Legislature

Major events

On March 1, 1978, student protesters upset with rumors that the state legislature would attempt to close Langston University broke past security in the Oklahoma State Capitol and trapped state legislators in the building.^[1] Although, the state legislators eventually escaped, the university was not close and received additional funding.^[1]

Party composition

Senate

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Democratic	Republican
nowrap style="font-size:80%"			38		10	48
Voting share		79.2%		20.8%

House of Representatives

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Democratic	Republican
nowrap style="font-size:80%"			81		20	101
Voting share		80.2%		19.8%

Leadership

Democratic

• President Pro Tempore

Gene C. Howard

• Speaker

William Willis

• Speaker Pro Tempore: Spencer Bernard^[1]

Republican

• Minority leader of the Senate:
• Minority leader of the House: Kent Frates

Members

Senate

District	Name	Party	Towns Represented
	Lt-Gov		George Nigh		Dem		President of Senate
	1		William Schuelein		Dem		Grove, Jay, Miami
	2		Robert Wadley		Dem		Claremore, Pryor
	3		Herb Rozell		Dem		Stilwell, Tahlequah
	4		Joe Johnson		Dem		Poteau, Sallisaw
	5		Jim Lane		Dem		Atoka, Hugo
	6		Roy Boatner		Dem		Durant
	7		Gene Stipe		Dem		McAlester, Wilburton
	8		Kenneth Butler		Dem		Henryetta, Okmulgee
	9		John Luton		Dem		Muskogee
	10		John Dahl		Dem		Fairfax, Pawhuska
	12		John Young		Dem		Sapulpa
	13		James W. McDaniel		Dem		Ada, Atwood
	14		Ernest Martin		Dem		Ardmore
	15		Charles Vann		Dem		Norman
	16		Lee Cate		Dem		Norman, Purcell, Lexington
	17		John Clifton		Dem		Shawnee
	19		Norman Lamb		Rep		Enid
	20		Roy Grantham		Dem		Ponca City, Tonkawa
	21		Robert Murphy		Dem		Stillwater
	22		Gideon Tinsley		Rep		Kingfisher
	23		Ray Giles		Dem		Chickasha, Hinton
	24		Wayne Holden		Dem		Duncan
	25		Herschal Crow		Dem		Altus
	26		Gilmer Capps		Dem		Elk City, Sayre, Mangum
	27		Ed Berrong		Dem		Weatherford
	29		Jerry Pierce		Rep		Bartlesville
	31		Paul Taliaferro		Dem		Lawton
	32		Al Terrill		Dem		Lawton
	33		Rodger Randle		Dem		Tulsa
	34		Bob Shatwell		Dem		Tulsa
	35		Warren Green		Rep		Tulsa
	36		Gene C. Howard		Dem		Tulsa
	37		Finis Smith		Dem		Tulsa
	38		Frank Keating		Rep		Tulsa
	39		Stephen Wolfe		Rep		Tulsa
	40		Phillip Lambert		Dem		Oklahoma City
	41				Rep		Edmond
	42		James Howell		Dem		Midwest City
	43		Don Kilpatrick		Dem		Del City, Oklahoma City
	44		Marvin York		Dem		Oklahoma City
	45		Jimmy Birdsong		Dem		Moore, Oklahoma City
	46		Mary Helm		Rep		Oklahoma City
	47		John R. McCune		Rep		Oklahoma City
	48		E. Melvin Porter		Dem		Oklahoma City
	49		Leon B. Field		Dem		Guymon
	50		Bill Dawson		Dem		Seminole
	52		E. W. Keller		Rep		Bethany, Oklahoma City
	54		Bob Funston		Dem		Tulsa

Table based on 2005 state almanac.^[3]

House of Representatives

Name	District	Party	Counties
Mike Murphy	1		McCurtain
Bob Parris	2	Dem	Adair, Sequoyah
Mick Thompson	3	Dem	Leflore, McCurtain
William Willis	4	Dem	Cherokee
	5	Dem	Adair, Delaware
George Vaughn	6	Dem	Craig, Mayes, Ottawa, Rogers
Joe Fitzgibbon	7	Dem	Ottawa
J. D. Whorton	8		Delaware, Mayes, Rogers
Bill Crutcher	9	Dem	Nowata, Rogers
A. C. Holden	10	Dem	Osage, Washington
Robert Kane	11	Rep	Nowata, Washington
Bill Lancaster	12	Dem	Muskogee, Wagoner
	13	Dem	Muskogee
John Monks	14	Dem	Muskogee
Charles Peterson	15	Dem	Haskell, McIntosh, Muskogee, Pittsburg
Joseph Bennett	16	Dem	Okmulgee
"Red" Caldwell	17	Dem	Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, Pittsburg
William Ervin	18	Dem	Pittsburg
Hollis Roberts	19	Dem	Choctaw, Pittsburg, Pushmataha
Bob Trent	20	Dem	Atoka, Johnston, Pittsburg
Guy Gaylon Davis	21	Dem	Bryan
Kenneth Converse	22	Dem	Atoka, Coal, Johnston, Murray, Pontotoc
Harold Monlux	23	Dem	Tulsa, Wagoner
Bill Robinson	24	Dem	Coal, Hughes, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Pittsburg
Lonnie Abbott	25	Dem	Pontotoc
	26	Dem	Pottawatomie
James Townsend	27	Dem	Cleveland, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie
Jeff Johnston	28	Dem	Seminole
Oval Cunningham	29	Dem	Creek, Okfuskee, Okmulgee
Don Thompson	30	Dem	Creek
James Cummings	31	Rep	Kingfisher, Logan, Noble
Charlie Morgan	32	Dem	Lincoln, Logan, Okfuskee
Joe Manning	33	Dem	Payne
	34	Dem	Payne
Don Johnson	35	Dem	Creek, Kay, Noble, Osage, Pawnee
Billy Kennedy	36	Dem	Kay, Osage
James Holt	37	Rep	Kay
	38	Rep	Grant, Kay
Robert Milacek	39	Rep	Alfalfa, Blaine, Garfield, Grant, Major
Thomas Rogers	40	Dem	Garfield
Robert Anderson	41	Rep	Garfield
Tom Stephenson	42	Dem	Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Kingfisher
Mark Hammons	43	Dem	Canadian
	44	Dem	Cleveland
	45	Dem	Cleveland
Charles Elder	46	Dem	Garvin, Grady, McClain
Spencer Bernard	47	Dem	Grady, McClain
Don Duke	48	Dem	Carter
	49	Dem	Carter, Cotton, Jefferson
Bob Wilson	50	Dem	Stephens
Vernon Dunn	51	Dem	Carter, Garvin, Stephens
Howard Cotner	52	Dem	Jackson, Kiowa
Bob Harper	53	Dem	Comanche, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa, Tillman
Kenneth Craig	54	Dem	Cleveland
Harvey Weichel	55	Dem	Caddo, Kiowa, Washita
James Kardokus	56	Dem	Caddo, Comanche, Grady
Wayne Winn	57	Dem	Beckham, Custer
	58	Dem	Major, Woods, Woodward
Mark Bradshaw	59	Dem	Beaver, Beckham, Dewey, Ellis, Harper, Roger Mills, Woodward
	60	Dem	Beckham, Greer, Harmon
Marvin McKee	61	Rep	Beaver, Cimarron, Texas
Don Davis	62	Dem	Comanche
Marvin Baughman	63	Dem	Comanche
Butch Hooper	64	Dem	Comanche
Jim Glover	65	Dem	Comanche
Pete Riggs	66	Dem	Tulsa
	67	Rep	Tulsa
Robert Hopkins	68	Dem	Tulsa
William Wiseman	69	Rep	Tulsa
	70	Rep	Tulsa
	71	Rep	Tulsa
	72	Dem	Tulsa
	73	Dem	Tulsa
Robert V. Cullison	74	Dem	Tulsa
Jim Hardesty	75	Dem	Tulsa
	76	Rep	Tulsa
William Poulos	77	Dem	Tulsa
Charles Cleveland	78	Dem	Tulsa
Ted Cowan	79	Rep	Tulsa
	80	Rep	Tulsa
Neal McCaleb	81	Rep	Oklahoma
Bill Holaday	82	Rep	Oklahoma
Kent Frates	83	Rep	Oklahoma
Judy Ann Swinton	84	Dem	Oklahoma
George Camp	85	Rep	Oklahoma
	86	Dem	Oklahoma
Sandy Sanders	87	Dem	Oklahoma
Don Denman	88	Dem	Oklahoma
L. Bengtson	89	Dem	Oklahoma
Mike J. Lawter	90	Dem	Oklahoma
	91	Dem	Oklahoma
Jim Fried	92	Dem	Oklahoma
Jerry Steward	93	Dem	Oklahoma
	94	Dem	Oklahoma
David Craighead	95	Dem	Oklahoma
John MisKelly^[4]	96	Dem	Oklahoma
	97	Dem	Oklahoma
Thomas Duckett	98	Dem	Canadian, Oklahoma
Visanio Johnson	99	Dem	Oklahoma
Terry Campbell	100	Rep	Canadian, Oklahoma
Carl Twidwell Jr.	101	Dem	Oklahoma

• Table based on database.^[5]

References

1. http://www.okhouse.gov/Documents/CenturyToRemember.pdf A Century to Remember
2. http://www.ok.gov/ltgovernor/Office_of_Lieutenant_Governor/History_of_Lieutenant_Governor/ History of Lieutenant Governor
3. http://www.odl.state.ok.us/almanac/2005/14-histry.pdf 2005 Oklahoma Almanac
4. He died in 1977; James Briscoe was elected to the seat in August 1977.
5. http://www.okhouse.gov/Members/Historic.aspx Historic Members