Biography
Tom Cole became the Representative for Oklahoma's Fourth Congressional
District on November 6th, 2002. During his tenure in the House
Cole has established himself as a strong voice for the conservative
views and values of the Fourth District. He is an advocate
for a strong national defense, a defender of the interests
of small business and taxpayers, a proponent of education
at all levels and a leader on issues dealing with Native Americans
and tribal governments. Cole was named as one of "Five
Freshmen to Watch" by Roll Call at the outset of his
congressional career.
Speaker Dennis Hastert appointed Cole to the powerful House
Rules Committee in January of 2005. The Rules Committee serves
as the body through which all significant legislation must
pass before being considered by the House, giving Cole a voice
in virtually every issue that comes before Congress. In addition
to the Rules Committee, Cole serves on the House Committee
on Standards of Official Conduct, also known as the Ethics
Committee. He retains his membership and seniority on the
House Armed Services Committee to which he was appointed in
2002. Cole also serves as a Deputy Majority Whip. In this
role he helps line up the votes needed to pass the legislative
agenda of the President and the House Republican Conference.
Cole has a significant background of service to his home
state of Oklahoma. He has served as a District Director for
former Congressman Mickey Edwards, a member of the Oklahoma
State Senate, and as Oklahoma's Secretary of State. In this
capacity he served as former Governor Frank Keating's chief
legislative strategist and liaison to the state's federal
delegation. Keating tapped Cole to lead Oklahoma's successful
effort to secure federal funds to assist in the rebuilding
of Oklahoma City in the wake of the bombing of the Alfred
P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19th, 1995.
Cole is a founding partner and past president of CHS &
Associates, a nationally recognized consulting and survey
research firm based in Oklahoma City. The firm has been named
one of the top twenty in its field in America and has literally
dozens of past and current clients scattered across the country.
A former college instructor in history and politics, Cole
holds a B.A. from Grinnell College, an M.A. from Yale University,
and a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma. Cole has been
a Thomas Watson Fellow and a Fulbright Fellow at the University
of London. He currently serves on the national Board of the
Fulbright Association.
Tom Cole is a fifth generation Oklahoman and an enrolled
member of the Chickasaw Nation. He is currently the only Native
American serving in Congress and was inducted in the Chickasaw
Hall of Fame in 2004. Cole's late mother, Helen, is also a
member of the Chickasaw Hall of Fame and served as a state
representative, state senator and mayor in her native state
of Oklahoma. Cole's late father, John, served twenty years
in the United States Air Force and worked an additional two
decades as a civilian federal employee at Tinker Air Force
Base. Tom and his wife Ellen, have one son, Mason, and reside
in Moore, Oklahoma.
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