Drew Edmondson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Drew Edmondson
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma | |
| In office January 9, 1995 – January 10, 2011 |
|
| Governor | Frank Keating Brad Henry |
| Preceded by | Susan B. Loving |
| Succeeded by | Scott Pruitt |
| District Attorney of Muskogee County | |
| In office January 1983 – April 1, 1992 |
|
| Preceded by | Mike Turpen |
| Succeeded by | John Luton |
| Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 13th district |
|
| In office January 7, 1975 – January 4, 1977 |
|
| Preceded by | George Miller |
| Succeeded by | Jim Barker |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Andrew Edmondson
October 12, 1946 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Linda Larason
(m. 1967) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Ed Edmondson (father) James E. Edmondson (brother) J. Howard Edmondson (uncle) |
| Education | Northeastern State University (BA) University of Tulsa (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1968–1972 |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Drew Edmondson, born William Andrew Edmondson on October 12, 1946, is an American lawyer and politician from Oklahoma. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Edmondson served as the 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2011. An Attorney General is the chief legal officer of a state. They act as the main lawyer for the state government.
Before becoming the state's Attorney General, he was the District Attorney for Muskogee County, Oklahoma. A District Attorney is a lawyer who represents the government in legal cases against people accused of crimes. He held this role from 1983 to 1992. Edmondson also ran for U.S. Congress twice but was not elected. His father, Ed Edmondson, served in that same congressional district from 1953 to 1973. Drew Edmondson also ran for Governor of Oklahoma twice but was not elected. After his time as Attorney General, he joined a law firm in Oklahoma City.
Contents
Drew Edmondson's Early Life and Education
Drew Edmondson was born in Washington, D.C. on October 12, 1946. His father was former U.S. Congressman Ed Edmondson. His mother was June Edmondson. He is also the nephew of former Governor J. Howard Edmondson. His brother, James E. Edmondson, is a Justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
As a child, Drew grew up in both Muskogee, Oklahoma and Washington, D.C. He graduated from Muskogee High School in 1964. In 1968, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in speech education from Northeastern State University. While there, he was a member of the Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity.
Drew Edmondson's Career in Public Service
From 1968 to 1972, Edmondson served in the United States Navy. This included one year of duty during the Vietnam War. After his military service, he served one term in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1975 to 1977. He then went on to graduate from the University of Tulsa Law School in 1978.
That same year, he started working as an intern in the Muskogee County District Attorney's Office. He became an assistant district attorney the following year. In 1982, Edmondson was elected as the Muskogee County District Attorney. He was reelected two more times without anyone running against him. He left this role during his third term to run for Congress in 1992.
Running for Congress
After an earlier attempt in 1980, Edmondson ran for the second congressional district seat again in the 1992 election. He had support from groups like the NRA Political Victory Fund. However, he was not elected.
Serving as Attorney General
Edmondson was elected as Oklahoma Attorney General in 1994. During his first term, he worked with other state attorneys general to take legal action against the tobacco industry. He also helped improve the process for death penalty appeals. He created a special unit to help victims of crimes. In 1998, he was reelected without anyone running against him.
He was elected to a third term in 2002, defeating Denise Bode. From 2002 to 2003, he was the president of the National Association of Attorneys General. During his time as Attorney General, he investigated important cases. For example, he looked into charges against WorldCom and its former CEO Bernard Ebbers. He also investigated State Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher for political corruption. This investigation led to Fisher being removed from office and facing charges.
In 2001, Edmondson was involved in a legal disagreement with then-Governor Frank Keating. This was about the Governor changing his Cabinet. Edmondson won a ruling from the state Supreme Court. The court said Governor Keating could not change his Cabinet without approval from the state legislature.
In 2007, Edmondson charged activist Paul Jacob and two others. He said they had illegally used people from outside the state to collect signatures for a ballot initiative. However, in 2008, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the Oklahoma law banning out-of-state petition circulators was unconstitutional. This meant the law went against the First Amendment. Because of this, the charges against Jacob and the others were dropped in 2009.
Edmondson was elected to a fourth term in 2006. He did not run for a fifth term in 2010. Instead, he chose to run for governor. Due to new term limits, his record of 16 years as Oklahoma State Attorney General is likely to remain the longest.
Running for Governor in 2010
On June 10, 2009, Edmondson announced he would run for Governor of Oklahoma. In the Democratic primary election on July 27, 2010, Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins won by a very small margin. Edmondson gave a speech supporting Askins after the close election.
Running for Governor in 2018
On May 1, 2017, Edmondson announced his second run for Governor of Oklahoma. In the Democratic primary, he faced Connie Johnson. On June 26, 2018, Edmondson won the Democratic nomination. However, on November 6, 2018, he lost to Republican nominee Kevin Stitt in the general election.
Drew Edmondson's Personal Life
While he was a college student, Drew Edmondson married Linda Larason. She is from Fargo, Oklahoma. The couple has two children.
Awards and Honors
On March 6, 2009, Drew Edmondson was honored by his college, Northeastern State University. He received a "100 Centurion award." This award was given to 100 people who had a positive impact on the university community over the last 100 years.
Edmondson Family in Politics
The Edmondson family is well known in Oklahoma for their involvement in politics. Drew Edmondson's father, Ed Edmondson, was a U.S. congressman. His uncle, J. Howard Edmondson, was a former Oklahoma governor and U.S. Senator. His brother, James E. Edmondson, is currently a Justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Images for kids
-
Drew Edmondson
