Tom Cole facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tom Cole
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Official portrait, 2021
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| Chair of the House Appropriations Committee | |
| Assumed office April 10, 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Kay Granger |
| Chair of the House Rules Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2023 – April 10, 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Jim McGovern |
| Succeeded by | Michael C. Burgess |
| Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Jim McGovern |
| Succeeded by | Jim McGovern |
| Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009 |
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| Leader | John Boehner |
| Preceded by | Tom Reynolds |
| Succeeded by | Pete Sessions |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 4th district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | J. C. Watts |
| 26th Secretary of State of Oklahoma | |
| In office January 9, 1995 – March 16, 1999 |
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| Governor | Frank Keating |
| Preceded by | Glo Henley |
| Succeeded by | Mike Hunter |
| Member of the Oklahoma Senate from the 45th district |
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| In office November 1988 – July 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Helen Cole |
| Succeeded by | Helen Cole |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Jeffery Cole
April 28, 1949 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Nationality | American Chickasaw Nation |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Ellen Decker
(m. 1971) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Helen Cole (mother) |
| Education | Grinnell College (BA) Yale University (MA) University of Oklahoma (PhD) |
Thomas Jeffery Cole (born April 28, 1949) is an American politician. He serves as a U.S. representative for the 4th district of Oklahoma. He has held this position since 2003.
Cole is a member of the Republican Party. He is currently the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Before joining the House of Representatives, he was the 26th Secretary of State of Oklahoma from 1995 to 1999.
Tom Cole is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. He is one of five Native Americans in Congress who are officially part of a tribe. In 2022, he became the longest-serving Native American in the history of Congress.
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Tom Cole's Early Life and Education
Cole was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on April 28, 1949. His mother, Helen Te Ata (née Gale), was the first Native American woman elected to the Oklahoma Senate. His family returned to Oklahoma, where his ancestors had lived for many generations. He grew up in Moore, a town between Oklahoma City and Norman.
Cole attended Grinnell College, earning a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in history in 1971. He continued his studies, receiving a Master of Arts (M.A.) from Yale University in 1974. He later earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Oklahoma in 1984. Both of his advanced degrees were in British history. His Ph.D. paper was titled Life and Labor in the Isle of Dogs: The Origins and Evolution of an East London Working-Class Community, 1800–1980. He also studied abroad as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow and a Fulbright Fellow at the University of London. Before entering politics, he worked as a history and politics professor.
Starting His Political Journey
Following in his mother's footsteps, Cole was elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 1988. He served there until 1991. During the 1980s, he also led the Oklahoma Republican Party. He left the state senate early to become the executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee. This group helps Republican candidates running for Congress.
From 1995 to 1999, Cole served as Oklahoma's Secretary of State. He was appointed to this role by Governor Frank Keating. He helped with the recovery efforts after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
Cole later resigned from his state role to become the chief of staff for the Republican National Committee. This is a national organization that supports the Republican Party. In 2006, he was chosen to be the chairman of this committee.
Cole also worked as a political consultant. His company helped many Republican candidates win elections in Oklahoma. This helped the Republican Party become stronger in the state during the "Republican Revolution" of 1994.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Winning Elections
When Tom Cole first ran for the House of Representatives in 2002, he had the support of the popular outgoing congressman, J. C. Watts. This helped him win the election against Darryl Roberts. Cole has won all of his re-election campaigns since then, often by a large margin. In 2010, he ran unopposed.
In 2024, Cole won the Republican primary election. He faced four other candidates and secured his party's nomination.
What Tom Cole Does in Congress
After the 2006 elections, members of the House Republican Conference chose Cole to lead the National Republican Congressional Committee. In this role, he was in charge of helping Republican candidates across the country get elected to Congress.
Cole has a strong conservative voting record in the House. He supports free trade, the military, and veterans. He also works to educate other members of Congress about issues important to American Indian communities. He has supported making immigration rules more flexible and setting stricter limits on money used in political campaigns.
In 2012, he proposed a bill (H.R. 5912) to stop public money from being used for political party conventions. This bill passed in the House but did not become law. Cole has also been a strong supporter of protecting Native American women through the Violence Against Women Act.
In 2013, Cole spoke out when the United States farm bill failed to pass. This bill would have saved money and helped farming communities in his district in Oklahoma.
As the leader of a House committee that handles money for the legislative branch, Cole helped create a bill to fund Congress for 2015. He said the bill was fair and worked well for both political parties.
Cole also introduced the Home School Equity Act for Tax Relief in 2013. This bill would allow some parents who homeschool their children to get tax credits for buying school supplies.
In 2018, Cole wanted to include his Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act in a larger spending bill. This act would make it clear that the National Labor Relations Board does not have power over businesses owned and run by Native American tribes on tribal land.
The Lugar Center, a group that studies how politicians work together, ranked Cole as one of the most bipartisan (meaning he works with both parties) members of the House in 2016.
House Speaker Election
In 2016, when the House Speaker position was open, Cole supported Paul Ryan. He said that anyone who criticized Ryan for not being conservative enough was wrong. Cole believed Ryan was important in helping the Republican Party gain power in the House.
Tom Cole's Views on Important Issues
Cole supported President Donald Trump's 2017 order that temporarily stopped people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.
In January 2021, Cole voted against confirming the results of the 2020 United States presidential election. After this, he voluntarily gave up an honorary degree from Grinnell College. In May 2021, Cole voted against creating a special group to investigate the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In 2021, Cole joined many other Republican representatives in supporting an effort to overturn Roe v. Wade. This was a Supreme Court decision that protected a woman's right to choose. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe in June 2022, Cole celebrated the decision. He said it was a big win for states' rights and for the rights of unborn children.
Cole voted to provide support to Israel after the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
Iraq Policy
In June 2021, Cole was one of 49 House Republicans who voted to end the law that allowed military force against Iraq since 2002.
Big Technology Companies
In 2022, Cole was one of 39 Republicans who voted for a bill called the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022. This bill aims to stop large companies from acting in ways that prevent fair competition.
Committees Cole Serves On
- Committee on Appropriations: Cole is the chairman of this committee. He is the first Native American and the first person from Oklahoma to lead this important committee.
Other Groups Cole Belongs To
- Republican Study Committee
Personal Life
Tom Cole is married to Ellen, and they have one son. He is a member of the United Methodist Church and lives in Moore, Oklahoma.
Cole has always identified as Native American, especially as Chickasaw. He has mentioned that his great-aunt was the famous Native American storyteller Te Ata. He is very proud of his mother, Helen Cole, who was the first Native American woman elected to the state senate in Oklahoma.
Cole serves on the board of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Fulbright Association. He is also featured in a play called Sliver of a Full Moon by Mary Kathryn Nagle. This play highlights his work in renewing the Violence Against Women Act in 2013.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2021
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Cole shaking hands with President Donald Trump in February 2020
