George Nigh

George Patterson Nigh ( born June 9, 1927 in McAlester, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma ) is a former American politician. He was the 17th and the 22nd Governor of the State of Oklahoma.

Life and early political career

George Nigh, son of Wilbur and Irene Crockett Nigh, served from 1945 to 1946 in the U.S. Navy. In 1951, he graduated from East Central University in Ada. He then worked as a teacher in public schools in his hometown of McAlester; at the same time he was in 1951 for the Democratic Party to the House of Representatives from Oklahoma. During this time he brought a bill, as a result of which the song " Oklahoma ", the title track from the eponymous musical, in 1953 the anthem of the state was.

Governor

1959 Nigh Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma. At the time he took office he was at age 31 the youngest politician, it had until then been in the U.S. on this item. When Senator Robert S. Kerr in January 1963 passed away, Governor J. Howard Edmondson joined the already two weeks before the end of his term standing, whereupon George Nigh succeeded him; this in turn appointed his predecessor immediately to Kerr's successor as Senator of its outstanding term. Nigh meanwhile remained only briefly in the office, replaced him before the previously selected Republican Henry Bellmon.

Under Dewey F. Bartlett Bellmons successor George Nigh was 1967 again Deputy Governor; this he remained under David Hall and David L. Boren. In 1979 he was elected governor himself, taking only five days earlier than planned took this office, as his predecessor Boren was temporarily drafted into the U.S. Senate and he replaced it in his capacity as deputy. In his re-election in 1982 Nigh won a majority in all 77 counties of Oklahoma.

After the policy

From 1992 to 1997 George Nigh was president of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. As early as 1990 he was inducted into the Oklahoma CareerTech Hall of Fame; In 1992, he received the Jim Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award. From November 2005 to 2006, he helped out as interim head of the State Agency for Tourism and Recreation.

Others

During his time as Governor George Nigh and his wife Donna in August 1980 had a guest appearance on the NBC television series Texas. They stood there even is and were greeted by actress Lisby Larson with the Oklahoma song.