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Former Oklahoma Gov. Henry Bellmon diesOKLAHOMA CITY (AP)--Henry Louis Bellmon, who in 1963 became Oklahoma's first GOP governor since statehood and is known as the father of the state's modern Republican party, died Sept. 29. He was 88. Bellmon, who also served two terms in the U.S. Senate, died shortly before 11 a.m., after a long battle with Parkinson's disease, said Andrew Tevington, Bellmon's former chief of staff and general counsel. Bellmon died at St. Mary's Mercy Hospital in Enid, where he had been hospitalized since Sept. 27, he said. Bellmon served two nonconsecutive terms as governor, one that began in 1963 and one that started in 1987. As the state's first GOP governor, Bellmon was credited with making the party a viable force in state politics. In 1967, he served as national chairman of the Nixon for President campaign. Bellmon then went on to win election to the U.S. Senate in 1968 and again in 1974. "Henry Bellmon was the most outstanding person I have ever known and that Oklahoma has ever seen,'' Tevington said. "I think that he was the sort of politician everybody always says they want, the kind who didn't pay attention to what was going to happen in the next election but was always concerned about what was the right thing to do. "Sometimes that got him in trouble, but I think in the end each time he was proven to be right,'' Tevington said. During his first term as a U.S. senator, Bellmon supported a federal court order that called for crosstown busing to achieve racial balance in Oklahoma City public schools. Many state newspapers criticized him for his stance. At the end of his second term as governor, Bellmon saw passage of the Education Reform and Funding Act of 1990, commonly known as House Bill 1017. The legislation called for an increase in funding for public schools by 27 percent, as well as smaller class sizes, compulsory kindergarten and teacher incentive pay. "He was a man of honor,'' said Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-OK. "Even if you disagreed with some of his positions, you had to respect and love him for his strong character and because he always did what he felt was the right thing to do.'' Democratic Gov. Brad Henry described Bellmon as a mentor and "probably the greatest man that I have ever known.'' "He was a true statesman. He was a statesman's statesman. He always stressed deeds over words, action over discussion,'' Henry said. Henry said he was a student in Bellmon's political science class at the University of Oklahoma in 1984 and described it as "the most fascinating experience of my collegiate career.'' "He always talked about bipartisanship and reaching across the aisle to reach consensus,'' Henry said. "Henry Bellmon was a tremendous inspiration to me.'' Bellmon began his political career at age 25, when he was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. After concluding his second term in the U.S. Senate, then-Gov. George Nigh, a Democrat, called upon Bellmon to be interim director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, which was undergoing restructuring. In a statement, Nigh said that Bellmon "was the most decent and honorable public servant I ever knew.'' "I admire his service to this state and country and know like others this is a great loss for Oklahoma,'' Nigh said. Bellmon continued to speak out on various issues, including his own party's supply-side economic policies, which he told a 1982 U.S. Senate Budget Committee were hurting farmers. "Supply side so far has meant less for the tax collector and more, much more, for the money lenders,'' Bellmon said. In 1985, he was selected as receiver of the financially troubled National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The following year, Bellmon decided to run for governor again at a time when the state was reeling from the effects of a major downturn in the petroleum industry and problems in the agricultural sector. With two of the state's largest industries in trouble, tax revenues declined and state government faced painful layoffs and budget cuts. Bellmon proposed increasing various state taxes and fees to raise $468 million in revenue, which put him at odds with fellow Oklahoma Republicans, who favored tax cuts and deep budget reductions. His second term as governor of Oklahoma ended Jan. 14, 1991. He was born Sept. 3, 1921, in Tonkawa, to George and Edith Caskey Bellmon. After graduating from Billings High School in 1938, Bellmon attended Colorado State University and later transferred to Oklahoma A&M College, which became Oklahoma State University. He received a bachelor of science degree in agriculture in 1942. Bellmon served with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1942 to 1946, receiving the Silver Star for action on Saipan and the Legion of Merit for action on Iwo Jima. Between his political stints, Bellmon taught at Oklahoma State University, where he was a Statesman in Residence, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University. In November 1997, Republican politicians from all over the state honored Bellmon's contributions. "He had absolute integrity. Whatever he said you could rely on. He was a mentor and a guide to me,'' then-Gov. Frank Keating said. "Henry knew that to be a successful Republican meant that you had to begin from a position of integrity. Keating also said Bellmon was a humble leader in the mold of great American statesmen. "Henry was quintessentially a humble human being,'' he said. "To leave the governor's office, to leave the Senate, to head a state cabinet department was total humility.'' Bellmon and his wife, Shirley, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997. The couple raised three daughters while managing a successful farm. "I haven't thought much about giving people advice on marriage, but they should be tolerant of each other, and understanding,'' Bellmon said in 1997 at his 50th wedding anniversary. "You have to have freedom inside a marriage to pursue your own interests. Shirley always was good about letting me do things.'' After retirement, Bellmon spent most of his time farming his 2,500 acres near Billings in north-central Oklahoma and tended a herd of 200 cattle. Shirley Bellmon died on July 24, 2000, while vacationing in Massachusetts. Bellmon is survived by his second wife, Eloise, three daughters and four grandchildren. Henry said he has been in contact with family members about funeral arrangements and that they may include Bellmon's remains lying in state for a day at the state Capitol. "They want it to be a celebration of his great life,'' Henry said. Advertisement
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