Ed Edmondson (U.S. politician)

Edmond "Ed" Augustus Edmondson (April 7, 1919-December 8, 1990), was a U.S. politician from Oklahoma.

Early life

He was born and raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he attended the public schools, including Muskogee High School before going on to attend Muskogee Junior College. Upon graduation from the University of Oklahoma in 1940, he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving as a special agent until 1943. From 1943 to 1946, he served in the United States Navy, and continued in the reserves until 1970. He earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1947.

Political career

He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1953 to 1973. In 1972, he was a candidate for the U.S. Senate, but narrowly lost the general election to former Governor Dewey F. Bartlett. In 1974, he ran for the state's other U.S. Senate seat, losing to incumbent Henry Bellmon by 49.4% to 48.9%. In 1978, he made his third and final bid for the U.S. Senate, losing the Democratic primary to popular Governor David L. Boren by a wide margin. After his last bid for the U.S. Senate, he refused to run for any office: he even rejected a nomination to run for an office in his own church. Fact|date=February 2007

Family

He and his wife June had five children, including their sons, Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice James E. Edmondson, and Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson. His brother was J. Howard Edmondson, a former Governor of Oklahoma and U.S. Senator. He died in Muskogee, Oklahoma on December 8, 1990. In 2003 the local courthouse was renamed the Ed Edmondson United States Courthouse in his honour [ [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/09/20030917-8.html White House news release] ] .

References