Don Nickles
Don Nickles | |
---|---|
Chair of the Senate Budget Committee | |
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2005 | |
Preceded by | Kent Conrad |
Succeeded by | Judd Gregg |
Senate Minority Whip | |
In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003 | |
Leader | Trent Lott |
Preceded by | Harry Reid |
Succeeded by | Harry Reid |
In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001 | |
Leader | Trent Lott |
Preceded by | Harry Reid |
Succeeded by | Harry Reid |
Senate Majority Whip | |
In office January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001 | |
Leader | Trent Lott |
Preceded by | Harry Reid |
Succeeded by | Harry Reid |
In office June 12, 1996 – January 3, 2001 | |
Leader | Trent Lott |
Preceded by | Trent Lott |
Succeeded by | Harry Reid |
United States Senator from Oklahoma | |
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 2005 | |
Preceded by | Henry Bellmon |
Succeeded by | Tom Coburn |
Member of the Oklahoma Senate from the 20th district | |
In office January 2, 1979 – January 3, 1981 | |
Preceded by | Roy Grantham[1] |
Succeeded by | William O'Connor[2] |
Personal details | |
Born | Donald Lee Nickles December 6, 1948 Ponca City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Linda Lou Morrison |
Children | 4 |
Education | Oklahoma State University–Stillwater (BA) |
Donald Lee Nickles (born December 6, 1948) is an American politician and lobbyist who was a Republican United States Senator from Oklahoma from 1981 to 2005. He was considered both a fiscal and social conservative. After retiring from the Senate as the longest-serving senator from Oklahoma up until that point, he founded the Nickles Group, a lobbying firm.[3]
Early life
Nickles was born and raised in
After college, he went to work for Nickles Machine Corporation in Ponca City, a business started in 1918 by his grandfather, Clair Nickles. He became the company's vice president and general manager. He also served in the
In 1978, aged 29, his election to the Oklahoma State Senate was the beginning of his career in public office. Two years later, at the age of 31, he became and remains the youngest Republican ever elected to the U.S. Senate.[11][12][13]
U.S. Senate
Tenure
He sponsored legislation to cut taxes, reduce government spending, promote national defense, and reduce what he believed to be official hostility to religion. He sponsored the Defense of Marriage Act which allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other states.
As Republican Whip, Nickles called for the resignation of fellow Republican Trent Lott as majority leader after Lott made remarks praising Strom Thurmond that seemed insensitive to the issue of racial segregation.[14] The National Federation of Independent Business praised Nickles for including in the Senate's 2005 budget a provision that would accelerate by one year a complete repeal of the federal estate tax[15] Nickles was one of many Republican senators who in 1981 called the White House to express his discontent over the nomination of
During a 1986 campaign rally at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, President Reagan accidentally called him Don Rickles, the American comedian. The president was later told about his mistake and found it very amusing.[17]
Nickles was one of three Senators to vote against the confirmation of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and one of nine to vote against the confirmation of Stephen Breyer to the Supreme Court.[18]
Leadership
Nickles quickly rose in the Senate Republican leadership, serving as chairman of the
.In December 2002, Nickles became embroiled in the controversy surrounding Republican Leader
Nickles was re-elected in 1986, 1992 and 1998 and was the senior senator from Oklahoma from 1994 to 2005.
Post-Senate career
On October 7, 2003, he announced that he would not run in the 2004 election.[19] Republican Tom Coburn was elected to succeed Nickles.[20]
Nickles went on to found the Nickles Group, a government consulting group in Washington, D.C. He also serves on the boards of directors of a number of public companies, such as Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy.[21]
Nickles was one of the politicians featured in the film
Family
Nickles and his wife, Linda, have four children.[23]
See also
References
- ^ Kelley, Ed (November 9, 1978). "Helm Race Outcome Pends". The Oklahoman. p. 15. Retrieved March 31, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New Senator". The Oklahoman. January 20, 1981. p. 93. Retrieved March 31, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Nickles plans to launch lobbying, venture group". NewsOK.com. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ "Nickles, Donald Lee | the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture".
- ISBN 9780837908199.
- ^ Everett, Dianna. "Nickles, Donald Lee". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
- ^ Nickles, Don (November 18, 2004). "(speech at) 2004 Annual Dinner Awards" (PDF). Tax Foundation. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
But we were self-employed and we had a little janitor service. Somebody found this in the phonebook and they circled it and it said Don Nickles Professional Cleaning Service. But we had that when we were going to school and we did quarterly estimated taxes and we were paying 40-some percent with this little janitor service. It was just my wife and I. She quit and it was a real small business. And the government was taking so much. Why should we keep growing that business if you're working half the time for government?
- ^ "Don Nickles" (Fee). Biography Resource Center Online. Gale Group. April 27, 2004. Retrieved July 3, 2008. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale, 2008. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC Document Number: K1650002027
- ^ a b "OSU Achieving Greatness: Annual Report 2003-2004" (PDF). OSU Foundation. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 10, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
- ^ "Beta Theta Pi Quick Facts" (PDF). Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
Senator Donald L. Nickles, Oklahoma State '71
- ^ Holzinger, Albert G.; Alison A. Knocke (March 1989). "Business people in Congress". Nation's Business. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
The impact of inheritance taxes on a family business played the decisive role in Don Nickles' decision to run for the Senate in 1980. In 1918, Nickles' grandfather founded Nickles Machine Corp. in Oklahoma. The business remained family-owned until 1961, when Nickles' father died and his mother had to sell part of the firm to pay inheritance taxes. This perceived inequity reinforced Nickles' already unfavorable opinion of the tax code, he says.
- )
- Kyl, John (November 18, 2004). "(speech at) 2004 Annual Dinner Awards"(PDF). Tax Foundation. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
Don's family had to sell off part of the Nickles Machine to pay the death tax. And because of his efforts countless other families have avoided similar heart-wrenching decisions.
- ^ "Republican leader's deputy calls on him to resign". The Guardian. December 16, 2002. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "Nickles' death tax fight hailed". The Oklahoman. March 6, 2004. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
- ^ Greenburg, Jan Crawford. Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court.2007. Penguin Books, pg. 222.
- ^ Jim Kuhn (2004). Ronald Reagan in Private. New York: Penguin Group. p. 146. 1-59523-008-4.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 103rd Congress - 1st Session".
- ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (October 8, 2003). "Oklahoma Republican Is Retiring From Senate". The New York Times. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
- ^ Morrison, Sara (January 17, 2014). "Tom Coburn Is Retiring From the Senate". theatlantic.com. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- Valero Energy Corporation. In 2005, after his retirement from the United States Senate, Nickles founded and is currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Nickles Group, LLC, a consulting and business venture firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.[dead link]
- ^ Richardson, Lisa (January 7, 2001). "Left, Right--the Cameos Come From All Sides in 'Traffic'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ "NICKLES, DONALD LEE (1948– )". okhistory.org. Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
Other sources
- "Nickles, McCaleb Try to Sabotage Oklahoma Amtrak Service, Opt for Yugo Rather Than Cadillac." Oklahoma State Senate. Communications Division, State Capitol. May 24, 1999.
- Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774–1996. Alexandria, Va.: CQ Staff Directories, 1997.
- "Donald Nickles." Research Division, Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City, Okla.
- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–1989. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1989.
- Congressional Directory, 106th Congress, 1999–2000. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1999.
- Congressional Quarterly's Politics in America 2000, The 106th Congress. Philip D. Duncan and Brian Nutting, eds. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, Inc., 1999.
- Who's Who in American Politics, 1997–1998. Marquis Who's Who, 1997.
External links
- United States Congress. "Don Nickles (id: N000102)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Don Nickles at IMDb
- The Nickles Group