Paul Wesselhoft facts for kids

Paul Wesselhöft was born on August 16, 1947, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is an American soldier, a writer, and a politician. He worked as a representative in the Oklahoma House of Representatives for the 54th district (which includes Moore and south Oklahoma City) from 2004 to 2016. He has also served for 17 years as a representative in the national government of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

About Paul Wesselhöft

His Background and Beliefs

Paul Wesselhöft has described his political ideas as being "center right" and "fiscally conservative." This means he generally supports policies that are a bit more traditional and believes in careful spending of government money. In 2022, he thought about running for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Mr. Wesselhöft is a fifth-generation Oklahoman. He was elected as a representative for District 9 in the Citizen Potawatomi Nation's national government on February 2, 2008, when he was 60 years old. He was also chosen to be a delegate for the 65th annual National Congress of American Indians. He was re-elected in 2024 to serve another four years in the Citizen Potawatomi Nation's national government.

His Personal Life

Paul Wesselhöft is a retired chaplain from the U.S. Army. A chaplain is a minister or priest who works with the military. He is also an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist faith. He is married and has two children. His parents are Billy J. Wesselhoft and Virgie Trumbly.

Mr. Wesselhöft is a Native American and is an elected representative for District 9 of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. He helped create the Oklahoma Native American Caucus within the Oklahoma State Legislature. He did this with other representatives, Lisa Johnson-Billy and Shane Jett. This caucus helps bring together Native American lawmakers to work on important issues.

Election Results

How He Was Elected

Paul Wesselhöft was first elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2004. Here is a simple look at the results from that election for District 54.