Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – The state of Oklahoma lost a powerful and influential leader as former Senator Jim Inhofe passed away at the age of 89. Inhofe, known for his conservative values and strong support for defense spending, left a lasting impact on the state’s political landscape for over six decades. His family announced his passing on Tuesday morning, stating that he suffered a stroke during the July Fourth holiday.
A Republican, Inhofe had undergone quadruple bypass heart surgery in 2013 but still went on to be elected for a fifth term in the Senate in 2020. He was set to step down in early 2023. Throughout his political career, Inhofe was a vocal advocate for conservative ideals and gained attention for his denial of human activity being the main cause of climate change.
He famously referred to climate change as “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people” and brought a snowball onto the Senate floor in February 2015, claiming that environmentalists were exaggerating global warming as temperatures in the nation’s capital were below freezing.
As Oklahoma’s senior U.S. senator, Inhofe was a strong supporter of the state’s five military installations and a defender of congressional earmarks. Despite criticism from fellow Republicans, he secured federal funding for local road and bridge projects, arguing that cutting earmarks did not actually save any money and just gave more power to government bureaucracy.
Inhofe’s staunch support for President Donald Trump earned him praise from the former president, who endorsed Inhofe’s 2020 reelection bid and commended his unwavering support for the “Make America Great Again” agenda. In the Trump administration, Inhofe served as chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee following the death of Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona.
In addition to his national political activities, Inhofe also worked tirelessly to improve his home state of Oklahoma. He helped secure millions of dollars for the cleanup of a former mining hub in northeast Oklahoma, which was on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund list for decades. The area, known as Tar Creek, saw federal intervention in buying out homes and businesses due to dangerous levels of lead in the soil.
Inhofe’s dedication to public service and commitment to bettering Oklahoma did not go unnoticed. Republican U.S. Representative Frank Lucas, the senior member of the Oklahoma congressional delegation, described him as a true public servant and praised his strong moral compass and desire to improve the state.
In a rare move for a Republican senator, Inhofe voted to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, saying that to do otherwise would go against his oath to support and defend the Constitution. He also voted against convicting Trump in both of his impeachment trials.
Born James Mountain Inhofe on November 17, 1934 in Des Moines, Iowa, Inhofe grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Tulsa in 1959. He served in the Army between 1956 and 1958 and had a successful career as a businessman before entering politics.
Inhofe’s political career started in the state legislature, where he served in both the House and Senate. He then went on to become Tulsa’s mayor for three terms before being elected to the U.S. House in the 1980s. In 1994, he won a special election for the Senate seat left vacant by the resignation of David Boren, who went on to become president of the University of Oklahoma. Inhofe was reelected five times.
Despite being political opponents in the past, Boren, a Democrat, spoke fondly of Inhofe and their work together in a bipartisan manner while in the state legislature. He expressed hope for a more respectful and cooperative political environment in the future.
Apart from being a skilled politician, Inhofe was also an experienced pilot with over 50 years of flying experience. He often flew himself to and from Washington and was a commercial-rated pilot and flight instructor.
Inhofe’s passion for flying was tested on multiple occasions, including an emergency landing in 1999 and a plane crash in 2013, which took the life of his son. Despite these incidents, Inhofe continued to fly and even sponsored legislation to expand the rights of pilots when dealing with Federal Aviation Administration disciplinary proceedings.
Inhofe is survived by his wife Kay, three children, and several
