Jim Inhofe

Template:Short description Template:Pp-blp Template:Use mdy dates {{#invoke:infobox|infoboxTemplate | bodyclass = vcard | bodystyle = {{#if:|width: {{{mainwidth}}}}} | child = {{{embed}}}

| abovestyle = font-size: 100%;

| above = {{#if:|

{{{honorific-prefix}}}

}}

{{#if:Jim Inhofe|Jim Inhofe|Template:PAGENAMEBASE}}

{{#if:|

{{{honorific-suffix}}}

}}

| subheaderstyle = font-size:125%; font-weight:bold;

| subheader = {{#ifeq:{{{embed}}}|yes||{{#if:|{{#if:|

}}{{{native_name}}}{{#if:|

}}}}}}

| image = {{#invoke:InfoboxImage|InfoboxImage|image=Jim Inhofe, 2007 official photo (mid-crop).jpg|size=|sizedefault=frameless|upright=1|alt=Inhofe smiling|suppressplaceholder=yes}} | image2 = {{#invoke:InfoboxImage|InfoboxImage|image=|size=|sizedefault=frameless|upright=1|alt=|suppressplaceholder=yes}} | image3 = {{#invoke:InfoboxImage|InfoboxImage|image=|sizedefault=frameless|upright=1|alt=|suppressplaceholder=yes}} | captionstyle = line-height:normal;padding-top:0.2em; | caption{{#if:|3|{{#if:|2}}}} = Official portrait, 2007

| headerstyle = color: #202122; {{#ifeq:{{{embed}}}|yes|background:#eee|background:lavender}}

| data1 = {{#if:| {{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}}}Template:Infobox officeholder/office{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| {{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}

| data2 = | header3 = {{#if:James Mountain InhofeTemplate:NowrapDes Moines, Iowa, U.S.Template:Death date and ageTulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.RepublicanTemplate:Marriage4, including MollyUniversity of Tulsa (BA)|Personal details}} | label4 = Pronunciation | data4 =

| label5 = Born | data5 = {{#invoke:Separated entries|br

|1 = {{#if:James Mountain Inhofe|

James Mountain Inhofe

}}

|2 = Template:Nowrap
|3 = Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
}}

| label6 = Died | data6 = {{#invoke:Separated entries|br|Template:Death date and age|Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.}}

| label7 = {{#ifexpr: Template:Strfind short

   | Manner |{{#if:|Manner|Cause}} }} of death

| data7 = {{#if:||}}

| label8 = Resting place | class8 = label | data8 = {{#invoke:Separated entries|br||}}

| label9 = Citizenship | data9 =

| label10 = Nationality | data10 = {{#switch:{{#invoke:delink|delink|}} | {{#ifeq:Template:Country2nationality|{{#invoke:delink|delink|}}|{{#invoke:delink|delink|}}}} = | {{#ifeq:Template:Find country|England|British}} = | #default = }}

| label11 = Political party | data11 = {{#switch:Republican | = | Democrat | Democratic | Democrat = Democratic | Republican | United States Republican Party | Republican | Republican Party = Republican | Conservative Party | Conservative = Conservative | Labour Party | Labour = Labour | Conservative Party | Conservative = Conservative | Liberal Party | Liberal = Liberal | KMT | Kuomintang | KMT | KMT | Kuomintang | Kuomintang (KMT) | Kuomintang (KMT) = Kuomintang | DPP | DPP | Democratic Progressive Party = Democratic Progressive Party | #default = Republican }}

| label12 = Other political
affiliations | data12 =

| label13 = Height | data13 = {{#if:|Template:Infobox person/height}}

| label14 = Spouse{{#if:|s|{{#invoke:Detect singular|pluralize|Template:Marriage|likely=(s)|plural=s}}}} | data14 = Template:Marriage

| label15 = Domestic partner{{#invoke:Detect singular|pluralize||likely=(s)|plural=s}} | data15 =

| label16 = Relations | data16 =

| label17 = Children | data17 = 4, including Molly

| label18 = Parent{{#if:|{{#invoke:Detect singular|pluralize||likely=(s)|plural=s}}|{{#ifexpr:Template:Count > 1|s}}}} | data18 = {{#if:|{{{parents}}}|{{#invoke:list|unbulleted|{{#if:|{{{father}}} (father)}}|{{#if:|{{{mother}}} (mother)}}}}}}

| label19 = Relatives | data19 =

| label20 = Residence{{#invoke:Detect singular|pluralize||likely=(s)|plural=s}} | class20 = {{#if:Template:Death date and ageTulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.||label}} | data20 =

| label21 = Education | data21 = University of Tulsa (BA)

| label22 = Alma mater | data22 =

| label23 = Occupation | data23 =

| label24 = Profession | data24 =

| label25 = Known for | data25 =

| label26 = Salary | data26 =

| label27 = Cabinet | data27 =

| label28 = Committees | data28 =

| label29 = Portfolio | data29 =

| label30 = {{#if:|Civilian awards|Awards}} | data30 =

| label31 = {{{blank1}}} | data31 =

| label32 = {{{blank2}}} | data32 =

| label33 = {{{blank3}}} | data33 =

| label34 = {{{blank4}}} | data34 =

| label35 = {{{blank5}}} | data35 =

| label36 = Signature | data36 = {{#if:|[[File:{{{signature}}}|{{#if:|{{{signature_size}}}|128x80px}}|class=skin-invert|alt=|Jim Inhofe's signature]]}}

| label37 = Website | data37 =

| label38 = Nickname{{#invoke:Detect singular|pluralize||likely=(s)|plural=s}} | data38 =

| header39 = {{#if:United StatesUnited States Army1957–1958Specialist 4|Military service}}

| label40 = Allegiance | data40 = United States

| label41 = {{#if:||Branch/service}} | data41 = United States Army

| label42 = {{#if:||Years of service}} | data42 = 1957–1958

| label43 = {{#if:||Rank}} | data43 = Specialist 4

| label44 = {{#if:||Unit}} | data44 =

| label45 = Commands | data45 =

| label46 = {{#if:||Battles/wars}} | data46 =

| label47 = {{#if:|Military awards|Awards}} | data47 =

| label48 = {{{military_blank1}}} | data48 =

| label49 = {{{military_blank2}}} | data49 =

| label50 = {{{military_blank3}}} | data50 =

| label51 = {{{military_blank4}}} | data51 =

| label52 = {{{military_blank5}}} | data52 =

| data53 = {{#invoke:Listen|main}} | data54 = | data55 = | data56 = | data57 = | data58 = | belowstyle = border-top: 1px solid right;

| below =

{{#if:| As of {{{date}}}{{#if:|, {{{year}}}}}}}

{{#if:|Source: [{{{source}}}]}}

}}{{#if:|{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}} }}{{#if:|{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}} }}{{#if:|{{#if:||{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}}}} }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox officeholder with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| regexp1 = 1blankname[%d]* | regexp2 = 1namedata[%d]* | regexp3 = 2blankname[%d]* | regexp4 = 2namedata[%d]* | regexp5 = 3blankname[%d]* | regexp6 = 3namedata[%d]* | regexp7 = 4blankname[%d]* | regexp8 = 4namedata[%d]* | regexp9 = 5blankname[%d]* | regexp10 = 5namedata[%d]* | allegiance | alma_mater | regexp11 = alongside[%d]* | alt | regexp12 = ambassador_from[%d]* | regexp13 = appointed[%d]* | regexp14 = appointer[%d]* | regexp15 = assembly[%d]* | awards | battles | battles_label | birth_date | birth_name | birth_place | birthname | regexp16 = blank[%d]* | bodyclass | branch | branch_label | cabinet | candidate | caption | categories | regexp17 = chancellor[%d]* | children | citizenship | regexp18 = co%-leader[%d]* | commands | committees | regexp19 = constituency[%d]* | regexp20 = constituency_AM[%d]* | regexp21 = constituency_MP[%d]* | regexp22 = convocation[%d]* | regexp23 = country[%d]* | regexp24 = data[%d]* | date | death_cause | death_date | death_manner | death_place | demo | regexp25 = deputy[%d]* | regexp26 = district[%d]* | education | election_date | embed | father | regexp28 = firstminister[%d]* | footnotes | regexp29 = governor[%d]* | regexp30 = governor_general[%d]* | regexp31 = governor%-general[%d]* | height | honorific_prefix | honorific-prefix | honorific_suffix | honorific-suffix | image | image name | image_name_alt | image_size | imagesize | image_upright | incumbent | regexp32 = jr/sr[%d]* | regexp33 = jr/sr and state[%d]* | known_for | regexp34 = leader[%d]* | regexp35 = legislature[%d]* | regexp36 = lieutenant[%d]* | regexp37 = lieutenant_governor[%d]* | mainwidth | regexp38 = majority[%d]* | regexp39 = majority_floor_leader[%d]* | regexp40 = majority_leader[%d]* | regexp41 = majorityleader[%d]* | mawards | regexp42 = military_blank[%d]* | regexp43 = military_data[%d]* | regexp44 = minister[%d]* | regexp45 = minister_from[%d]* | regexp46 = minority_floor_leader[%d]* | regexp47 = minority_leader[%d]* | regexp48 = minorityleader[%d]* | regexp49 = module[%d]* | regexp50 = monarch[%d]* | mother | name | nationality | native_name | native_name_lang | nickname | nocat | regexp51 = nominator[%d]* | nominee | occupation | regexp52 = office[%d]* | opponent | regexp53 = order[%d]* | otherparty | parents | regexp54 = parliament[%d]* | regexp55 = parliamentarygroup[%d]* | partner | party | party_election | portfolio | regexp56 = preceded[%d]* | regexp57 = preceding[%d]* | regexp58 = predecessor[%d]* | regexp59 = premier[%d]* | regexp60 = president[%d]* | regexp61 = primeminister[%d]* | regexp62 = prior_term[%d]* | profession | pronunciation | rank | rank_label | relations | relatives | residence | resting_place | resting_place_coordinates | restingplace | restingplacecoordinates | regexp63 = riding[%d]* | runningmate | salary | serviceyears | serviceyears_label | signature | signature_alt | signature_size | smallimage | smallimage_alt | source | speaker | speaker_office | spouse | spouses | regexp64 = state[%d]* | regexp65 = state_assembly[%d]* | regexp66 = state_delegate[%d]* | regexp67 = state_house[%d]* | regexp68 = state_legislature[%d]* | regexp69 = state_senate[%d]* | regexp70 = status[%d]* | regexp71 = suboffice[%d]* | regexp72 = subterm[%d]* | regexp73 = succeeded[%d]* | regexp74 = succeeding[%d]* | regexp75 = successor[%d]* | regexp76 = taoiseach[%d]* | regexp77 = term[%d]* | regexp78 = term_end[%d]* | regexp79 = term_label[%d]* | regexp80 = term_start[%d]* | regexp81 = termend[%d]* | regexp82 = termlabel[%d]* | regexp83 = termstart[%d]* | regexp84 = title[%d]* | unit | unit_label | regexp85 = vicegovernor[%d]* | regexp86 = vicepremier[%d]* | regexp87 = vicepresident[%d]* | regexp88 = viceprimeminister[%d]* | regexp89 = assuming[%d]* | website | width | year }}

James Mountain Inhofe (Template:IPAc-en; Template:Respell; November 17, 1934 – July 9, 2024) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Oklahoma from 1994 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was the longest serving U.S. senator from Oklahoma. He served in various elected offices in the state of Oklahoma for nearly 60 years, between 1966 and 2023.

Born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1934, Inhofe moved with his parents to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1942. His father, Perry Inhofe, was an owner of insurance companies and his mother, Blanche Inhofe (née Mountain), was a Tulsa socialite. Jim was a high school track star and graduated from Central High School. He went on to briefly attend the University of Colorado before finishing his college degree at the University of Tulsa. He was drafted to the United States Army in 1956 and served between 1957 and 1958. He became vice-president of his father's insurance company in 1961 and president after his father's death in 1970.

Inhofe was an elected official representing the Tulsa area for nearly three decades. He represented parts of Tulsa in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1966 to 1969 and the Oklahoma Senate from 1969 to 1977. During his time in the state legislature he was known for feuding with the Democratic Party's state leadership, particularly Governor David Hall and state treasurer Leo Winters, and spearheading the movement to bring the USS Batfish to Oklahoma. While a state senator, he unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Oklahoma in the 1974 election and the U.S. House in 1976. He was elected to three terms as the Mayor of Tulsa, serving between 1978 and 1984. He served in the United States House of Representatives representing Template:Ushr from 1987 to 1994; he resigned after his election to the United States Senate.

During his Senate career, Inhofe was known for his rejection of climate science; on one prominent occasion, he displayed a snowball in winter on the U.S. Senate floor as evidence that Earth was not warming. He was also known for his support of constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage, and the Inhofe Amendment to make English the national language of the United States. Inhofe chaired the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) and the Armed Services Committee.

Family, early life, and education

James Mountain Inhofe was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on November 17, 1934, the son of Blanche (née Mountain) and Perry Dyson Inhofe.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He moved with his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma, after his father became president of the National Mutual Casualty company in August 1942.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His father, Perry Inhofe, was educated at Duke University and worked as a lawyer, president of multiple insurance companies, and banker.<ref name="Father">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1949, his company, Tri-State, was ordered by the National Labor Relations Board to cease discouraging union membership.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His father was also active in the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce and YMCA;<ref name="Father" /> and he was the official sponsor of Miss Tulsa and Miss Oklahoma winner Louise O'Brien in 1950.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His mother was a Tulsa socialite and hosted guests such as Johnston Murray.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Inhofe's family had been involved in Oklahoma politics since the 1950s. His father, Perry Inhofe, had served on the executive committee for Democratic governor Raymond D. Gary's successful 1954 campaign.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1958, his brother, Perry Jr., ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Oklahoma House of Representatives as a Democrat.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Education, military and business careers

Inhofe started kindergarten in Des Moines, Iowa, but moved halfway through the year to Hazel Dell in Springfield, Illinois. He skipped first grade after the schoolhouse burned down and started second grade after his family moved to Tulsa at Barnard Elementary School. As a teenager, he would "hire Indians to pick wild blackberries" and then sell them in his neighborhood. He went on to attend Woodrow Wilson Junior High and Tulsa Central High School, where he was a member of his high school's track team.<ref name="Voice of Oklahoma Interview">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1952, his mile relay quartet team broke a school record with a 3:32.6 time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 1953, he was elected treasurer of the Brones social club;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> he graduated from Central High School later that year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He attended the University of Colorado for three months and worked as a bartender.<ref name="Voice of Oklahoma Interview" />

In 1956, he received a draft letter from the United States Army and he served from 1957 to 1958.<ref name="Voice of Oklahoma Interview" /><ref name="Congressional Bio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He attained the rank of Specialist 4 and spent most of his service performing quartermaster duties at Fort Lee, Virginia.<ref name="Voice of Oklahoma Interview" /> In 1961, his father formed a new life insurance company, Quaker Insurance, and Inhofe was appointed vice president.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On June 17, 1970, Perry Inhofe died of a heart attack;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Inhofe became president of Quaker Life Insurance and vice president of Mid-Continental Casualty Co. and Oklahoma Surety Co., while his brother Perry Jr. became president of Mid-Continental and Surety and vice president of Quaker Life.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Inhofe and his brother eventually ended up in litigation over the companies that ended in 1990 with Perry paying $3 million to his brother.<ref name="NYT Obit" />

College graduation scandal

Inhofe received a B.A. in economics from the University of Tulsa in 1973.<ref name="degree">Template:Cite news</ref> Until his 1994 campaign for the U.S. Senate, his official biographies and news articles about him indicated that he had graduated in 1959.<ref name="degree"/> Inhofe initially denied the stories that uncovered the discrepancy,<ref name="degree"/> but later acknowledged them.<ref name="degree2">Template:Cite news</ref> After admitting that the stories were true, Inhofe explained that he had been allowed to take part in graduation ceremonies in 1959 though he was a few credits short of completing his degree, and did not finish his coursework until 1973.<ref name="degree2"/>

State legislative career

Oklahoma House of Representatives

In February 1966, Inhofe launched his first campaign for office as a Republican; he ran for the Oklahoma House of Representatives's 71st district against incumbent representative Warren Green.<ref name="Inhofe Announce 1966">Template:Cite news</ref> He lost the May primary election and then worked on J. Robert Wooten's 1966 lieutenant gubernatorial campaign as the Tulsa County campaign chair.<ref name="1966 Primary election">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In November 1966, Joseph McGraw resigned from the Oklahoma House of Representatives 70th district to run for newly elected governor Dewey Bartlett's former state senate seat, triggering a special election. Inhofe was the first to announced his campaign for McGraw's former house seat.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He won the Republican primary and the general election.<ref name="1966 special primary">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="1966 special general">Template:Cite news</ref> He was sworn in December 29, 1966.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During his time in the State House, Inhofe formed a close friendship with Democratic Representative David Boren.<ref name="Voice of Oklahoma Interview" />

In the Oklahoma House, Inhofe's first successful measure was a bill to allow for personalized license plates in Oklahoma that passed during his first legislative session.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During his first term, he spoke against federal regulation at the United States House Committee on Public Works Sub-committee on Roads and voted in favor of an abortion liberalization law.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1968, he served as the vice-chair of the rules committee for the Oklahoma Republican Party state convention.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That May, he announced he would not seek re-election to the Oklahoma House of Representatives and instead would challenge Democrat state senator Beauchamp Selman for his seat in the next election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Oklahoma Senate

Election, first term, and USS Batfish

File:USS BATFISH 2013.JPG

The USS Batfish museum ship in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 2013

After Inhofe had already announced his campaign for the Oklahoma Senate, Beauchamp Selman announced he would not seek re-election, creating an open seat for the 1968 election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He faced Madison J. Bowers, who was endorsed by the Political Action Committee of Educators, in the Republican primary election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He won the primary and faced Democratic nominee Jerry L. Goodman in the general election.<ref name="1968 primary election results">Template:Cite news</ref> Governor Dewey Bartlett knocked doors with Inhofe during his campaign and he later won the general election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After winning the special election, Republican party officials began considering Inhofe as a potential future U.S. Senate candidate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1969, he was the chairman of the Tulsa County Republican Convention and he supported efforts to liberalize abortions laws in Oklahoma in the 32nd Oklahoma Legislature that passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives, but they failed in Senate committee.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Republican party officials tried to recruit Inhofe to run for Treasurer of Oklahoma in 1970, but he declined to run.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1970, Governor Dewey Bartlett created the Oklahoma Narcotics and Drug Abuse Council and appointed Inhofe as an inaugural member.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That November, he was elected minority caucus chair of the Oklahoma Senate for the 33rd Oklahoma Legislature.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1971, Inhofe served as the chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party's State Convention.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> While Inhofe had initially filed a resolution for Oklahoma to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972, he retracted his support later that year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1969, Inhofe sponsored a successful bill to bring a retired U.S. Navy submarine to Oklahoma. Inhofe initially wanted the USS Piranha for Tulsa, but it was determined that the Arkansas River was too shallow for the ship to travel that far upriver. The Muskogee City-County Trust Port Authority donated five acres of waterfront property to locate the ship in Muskogee. In September 1970, the USS Batfish was considered as an alternative and on December 9, 1971, the Batfish was given to the State of Oklahoma. The ship was unofficially opened to the public July 4, 1972, with its official opening on Memorial Day 1973.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1972 campaigning and second term

In 1972, Inhofe was appointed to serve as co-chair for Richard Nixon's 1972 presidential campaign in Oklahoma with Ralph Gordon Thompson.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During the campaign, Inhofe solicited Barry Goldwater to write a letter of endorsement for Nixon's campaign in Oklahoma to win over conservative Republicans and he represented Oklahoma at the 1972 Republican National Convention.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also worked on U.S. senator Dewey Bartlett's campaign as the co-chair for Oklahoma's 1st congressional district.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In his own district, Inhofe faced no Republican primary challenge and faced Democratic nominee Happy Miles in the general election.<ref name="No 72 Primary">Template:Cite news</ref> He won the general election by over 7,000 votes;<ref name="1972 election results">Template:Cite news</ref> afterward, he was elected by fellow Republican state senators to serve as the assistant floor leader in the 34th Oklahoma Legislature.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was elected minority leader of the Oklahoma Senate for the 35th Oklahoma Legislature to succeed Donald Ferrell who had lost re-election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In April 1975, he appointed the first blind page in Oklahoma history: 15 year-old Angela Keele.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Later that year, Inhofe and Charles Ford wrote an article criticizing David Boren and spending by the Democratic Party in a party newspaper. Newspapers in the state responded by pointing out Inhofe had supported just as much spending;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the article was syndicated by the Associated Press and Inhofe responded by publishing a Tulsa World op-ed arguing he had tried to amend bills to remove wasteful spending and was consistently critical of spending.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He did not seek a third term to the Oklahoma Legislature and was succeeded as minority leader by Senator Stephen Wolfe.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

1974 gubernatorial election

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

File:Inhofe Button.jpg

A campaign button for Inhofe's 1974 gubernatorial campaign

Inhofe had been floated as a potential gubernatorial candidate since 1972.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Inhofe was considered a strong Republican candidate with his only weaknesses being his feuding with Leo Winters and the backlash to the USS Batfish project.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By May 1973, he was openly campaigning, but had yet to officially announce his campaign.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October of that year, he was polling behind Denzil Garrison in the Republican primary 35% to 65%.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Inhofe officially launched his campaign in May 1974.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The main issue in both the Republican and Democratic primary campaigns was corruption during the term of incumbent Democratic governor David Hall.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Inhofe defeated Garrison in the August primary.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During the campaign, he lost 57 pounds and was down to 148 pounds.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In a 2011 interview, Inhofe claimed that he and David Boren were both upset with Hall, so the pair decided to both campaign against him; Boren would primary him as a Democrat to weaken his campaign and Inhofe would run as the Republican challenger and defeat him. However, the plan was thrown off when Boren won the Democratic nomination.<ref name="Voice of Oklahoma Interview" /> In October, then-President Gerald Ford visited Oklahoma to campaign for Inhofe.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A poll later that month by The Daily Oklahoman showed Boren leading Inhofe 74%–25%.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Inhofe ended up losing to Boren by 64%–36%.<ref name="1974 elections results" />

1976 congressional election

In 1976, State Senator Frank Keating announced his campaign for Oklahoma's 1st congressional district and announced that Inhofe would be the master of ceremonies at his campaign launch announcement;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> however, Inhofe did not appear at Keating's announcement and instead announced he was considering his own campaign.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Inhofe officially announced his candidacy on February 19, 1976.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the Republican primary, he defeated Keating and Tulsa Public Schools board member Mary Warner, 67%–25%–8%.<ref name="1976 election results" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In a 2011 interview, he credited his primary win to the use of the "Kasten Plan", a system of precinct organization.<ref name="Voice of Oklahoma Interview" /> He also criticized Democratic presidential candidate, and U.S. senator from Oklahoma, Fred Harris during his presidential primary campaign.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

During the primary, Inhofe had called for Democratic incumbent James R. Jones to be expelled from Congress for his conviction while in office for failing to report campaign contributions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Inhofe also criticized a donation Jones had received from Ross Perot, but he retracted his accusation that the donation affected Jones's voting record after threats from Perot and his lawyers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Inhofe was endorsed by the American Conservative Union and National Conservative Political Action Committee during the general election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Former California governor, and future president, Ronald Reagan endorsed and campaigned with Inhofe.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was also endorsed by President Gerald Ford, U.S. representative John Rousselot of California, and the Tulsa Tribune.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Polling before the election showed Jones leading Inhofe, 44% to 36%.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the general election, Jones won by 54%–45%.<ref name="1976 election results">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Mayor of Tulsa

File:Reagan Contact Sheet BW 6088 (cropped).jpg

Inhofe greeting President Ronald Reagan in 1982

In January 1978, the Tulsa Daily World reported Republican party officials were courting Inhofe to run for Mayor of Tulsa.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He initially denied he would run for any city office and instead insisted he was considering a rematch against Congressman Jones;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but, Inhofe announced his mayoral campaign in February.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He won the Republican primary with over 92% of the vote, defeating Keith Robinson and Paul Cull.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During the first three weeks of the primary, he was injured with a broken leg from a tennis injury and could not campaign.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the general election against Rodger Randle, he was endorsed by then-Mayor Robert LaFortune and U.S. senator Dewey Bartlett.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Randle had won the Democratic primary with a coalition of labor union and black voters, and Inhofe was supported in the general election by his Republican base, anti-union and anti-black Democrats, and 22% of black voters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In April, he was elected mayor of Tulsa, defeating Democrat Rodger Randle, 51%–46%.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Tulsa Daily World heralded the race as Inhofe's "first general election victory in six years, and Randle's first election loss since he entered politics in 1970."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The race broke then-fundraising records for a Tulsa mayoral election with Randle raising $78,062 and Inhofe raising $48,987. Inhofe's biggest donors were the Metropolitan Builder's Association, oilman Robert L. Parker, and Paul D. Hinch.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On May 2, he was sworn in as Mayor of Tulsa.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Inhofe's first proclamation as mayor was to celebrate Sun Day and support alternative energy; in the proclamation he said, "I think we're all interested in looking for alternative sources of energy. And of course, we want clean sources."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In his first month in office, he decried the city's reliance on federal funding,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> promised to "seek minorities to fill positions in city government,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and nominated Jewish, senior citizen, anti-abortion, and Christian fundamentalist members to the Tulsa Human Rights Commission.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 1979, Inhofe attended the first swearing in of a governor of Oklahoma to occur in Tulsa when George Nigh was sworn in to serve the last five days of David Boren's term after Boren was elected to the U.S. Senate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In February, he appointed Ronald L. Young, the first African-American to ever serve on the City Commission.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In December 1979, Inhofe officially announced his re-election campaign for a second term as mayor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He ran unopposed in the Republican primary and later won the general election, fending off Democratic nominee Richard Johnson and Independent candidate Robert Murphy.<ref name="1980 general election">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He broke Rodger Randle's record fundraising for a Tulsa mayoral race set in the last election by raising $87,667.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1982, he was reelected with 59% of the vote.<ref name="1982 general election" /> He lost his 1984 re-election campaign to Terry Young.<ref name="death" />

U.S. House of Representatives

File:Jim Inhofe, official 100th Congress photo.png

Jim Inhofe's official 100th United States Congress photo taken in 1987 after his first election to the United States House of Representatives

Elections

In 1986, when Representative James R. Jones decided to retire to run for the U.S. Senate, Inhofe ran for the 1st District and won the Republican primary with 54% of the vote.<ref name="1986 primary">Template:Cite news</ref> In the general election, he defeated Democrat Gary Allison 55%–43%.<ref name="1986 General" /> In 1988, he won reelection against Democrat Kurt Glassco 53%–47%.<ref name="1988 election results" /> In 1990, he defeated Glassco again, 56%–44%.<ref name="1990 elections results" /> After redistricting, the 1st District contained only two counties, all of Tulsa and some parts of Wagoner.Template:Citation needed In 1992, Inhofe was reelected with 53% of the vote.<ref name="1992 election results" />

Tenure

In 1987, Inhofe voted against President Ronald Reagan's budget, which included tax increases and no increase in defense spending.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He first came to national attention in 1993, when he led the effort to reform the House's discharge petition rule, which the House leadership had long used to bottle up bills in committee.<ref name="Voice of Oklahoma Interview" />

U.S. Senate

File:Neil Gorsuch and Jim Inhofe.jpg

Inhofe meeting with Neil Gorsuch in March 2017

Inhofe was the longest-serving U.S. senator from Oklahoma, having served between 1994 and 2023.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Elections

In 1994, incumbent senator David Boren, who had been serving in the Senate since 1979, agreed to become president of the University of Oklahoma and announced he would resign as soon as a successor was elected.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A special election was scheduled, in which Inhofe defeated Congressman Dave McCurdy in the general election.<ref name="death" /> 1994 also saw the Republican Party take both houses of the U.S. Congress and the Oklahoma governorship.

Inhofe took office on November 17, giving him more seniority than the incoming class of senators.<ref name="Voice of Oklahoma Interview" /> After serving the last two years of Boren's term, he won his first full term in 1996.<ref name="1996 election" /> He was reelected in 2002,<ref name="2002 election" /> 2008,<ref name="2008 election" /> 2014,<ref name="2014 election" /> and 2020.<ref name="2020 election" />

Tenure

Fundraising

In the 2008 election cycle, Inhofe's largest campaign donors represented the oil and gas ($446,900 in donations), leadership PACs ($316,720), and electric utilities ($221,654) industries/categories.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=Krehbiel/> In 2010, his largest donors represented the oil and gas ($429,950) and electric ($206,654) utilities.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:President Joe Biden meets with a bipartisan group of Senators.jpg

Inhofe meeting with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, February 11, 2021

The primary PACs donating to his campaigns were Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association ($55,869), United Parcel Service ($51,850), National Association of Realtors ($51,700), NRA Political Victory Fund ($51,050), and American Medical Association ($51,000). Additionally, if company-sponsored PACs were combined with employee contributions, Koch Industries would be Inhofe's largest contributor, with $90,950 according to OpenSecrets.<ref name=Krehbiel>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Undue weight inline

Armed Services Committee

File:Inhofe Gilday handshake (48423570207).jpg

Inhofe shakes hands with Vice Admiral Michael M. Gilday, director of the Joint Staff, before his confirmation hearing for the position of Chief of Naval Operations at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., July 31, 2019.

As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Inhofe was among the panelists questioning witnesses about the 2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse, saying he was "outraged by the outrage" over the revelations of abuse.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Although he believed that the individuals responsible for mistreating prisoners should be punished, he said that the prisoners "are not there for traffic violations ... they're murderers, they're terrorists, they're insurgents".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2006, Inhofe was one of only nine senators to vote against the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005, which prohibits "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment of individuals in U.S. Government custody.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Better source needed

When chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee John McCain was absent seeking medical treatment for brain cancer, Inhofe became acting chairman of the committee. During this time, Inhofe helped secure the passage of the record $716 billion National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> McCain died in August 2018, and Inhofe lauded him as his "hero". Inhofe also said that McCain was "partially to blame for" the White House's controversial decision to raise flags back to full mast after less than two days, as McCain previously "disagreed with the President in certain areas and wasn't too courteous about it".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On March 6, 2019, Inhofe said he intended to put language in the next defense authorization act to reinforce President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement and reintroduce severe sanctions on Tehran.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Committee assignments and caucus membership

File:CODEL James Inhofe visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, October 27-28, 2014 01.jpg

CODEL James Inhofe during a visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, October 27–28, 2014

During the 115th, 116th, and 117th Congresses, Inhofe was a member of the following committees:

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Airland
  • Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
• Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
• Committee on Environment and Public Works
• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Caucus memberships

• International Conservation Caucus
• Senate Army Caucus
• Senate Diabetes Caucus
• Senate General Aviation Caucus
• Senate Rural Health Caucus
• Senate Tourism Caucus
• Sportsmen's Caucus

Retirement

Template:See also On July 15, 2021, Inhofe told Tulsa World he planned to retire at the end of his current term, in 2027.<ref name="InhofeTulsaWorld2021" >Template:Cite news</ref> In February 2022, The New York Times reported that Inhofe was planning to resign at the end of the 117th Congress.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A special election for Inhofe's replacement was held in 2022 while he remained in office.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He endorsed his former chief of staff, Luke Holland, in the special election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district Congressman Markwayne Mullin won the Republican primary and the special election.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Inhofe resigned on January 3, 2023.<ref name="Congressional Bio" /> It was reported in February 2023 that the primary reason for Inhofe's retirement was related to him suffering symptoms of long COVID, which had severely limited his capacity to do day-to-day activities, after an initial infection he had described as "very mild".<ref name="long covid">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Political positions

Inhofe was ranked the most conservative member of Congress on the 2017 GovTrack report card.<ref name="ReportCard2017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He received the same ranking for 2018.<ref name="ReportCard2018">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> For 2019, he was ranked as the fifth-most conservative member of the U.S. Senate with a score of 0.91 out of 1, behind Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Ted Cruz (R-TX).<ref name="ReportCard2019">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Environmental issues

Inhofe was best known for his denial of climate change, which he called a "hoax", and his defense of the oil industry, a major industry in Oklahoma.<ref name="death" /><ref name="NYT Obit" /> In December 1997, Inhofe called the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, a "political, economic, and national security fiasco."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Committee on Environment and Public Works

Before the Republicans regained control of the Senate in the November 2002 elections, Inhofe had compared the United States Environmental Protection Agency to a Gestapo bureaucracy,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Mooney 16 April 2004">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and EPA Administrator Carol Browner to Tokyo Rose.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 2003, he became Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and continued challenging mainstream science in favor of what he called "sound science", in accordance with the Luntz memo.<ref name="Mooney 16 April 2004" />

Beginning in 2003, when he was first elected Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Inhofe was the foremost Republican promoting climate change denial. He famously claimed in the Senate that global warming is a hoax, invited contrarians to testify in Committee hearings, and spread his views via the Committee website run by Marc Morano as well as through his access to conservative media.Template:Sfn<ref name="OUP Dryzek">Template:Cite book</ref> In 2012, Inhofe's The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future was published by WorldNetDaily Books, presenting his global warming conspiracy theory.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He said that, because "God's still up there", the "arrogance of people to think that we, human beings, would be able to change what He is doing in the climate is to me outrageous",Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> but also that he appreciated that this argument was unpersuasive, and that he "never pointed to Scriptures in a debate, because I know this would discredit me."

As Environment and Public Works chairman, Inhofe gave a two-hour Senate floor speech on July 28, 2003, in the context of discussions on the McCain-Lieberman Bill.<ref name="revkin August 5, 2003">Template:Cite news</ref> He said he was "going to expose the most powerful, most highly financed lobby in Washington, the far left environmental extremists", and laid out in detail his opposition to attribution of recent climate change to humans, using the word "hoax" four times, including the statement that he had "offered compelling evidence that catastrophic global warming is a hoax" and his conclusion that "manmade global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people".Template:Sfn<ref name="climate">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He supported what he called "sound science", citing contrarian scientists such as Patrick Michaels, Fred Singer, Richard Lindzen, and Sallie Baliunas as well as some mainstream scientists. Two of these, Tom Wigley and Stephen Schneider, later issued statements that Inhofe had misrepresented their work.<ref name="climate" /><ref name="Mooney 84–86">Template:Citation</ref>

On July 29, the day after his Senate speech, Inhofe chaired an Environment and Public Works hearing with contrarian views represented by Baliunas and David Legates, and praised their "1,000-year climate study", then involved in the Soon and Baliunas controversy, as "a powerful new work of science". Against them, Michael E. Mann defended mainstream science and specifically his work on reconstructions (the hockey stick graph) that they and the Bush administration disputed.<ref name="revkin August 5, 2003" /><ref name="Mooney2007">Template:Citation</ref> During the hearing Senator Jim Jeffords read out an email from Hans von Storch saying he had resigned as editor-in-chief of the journal that published the Soon and Baliunas paper, as the peer review had "failed to detect significant methodological flaws in the paper" and the critique by Mann and colleagues was valid.<ref name="Mooney2007" /><ref name="mona2003">Template:Cite journal</ref>

In a continuation of these themes, Inhofe had a 20-page brochure published under the Seal of the United States Senate reiterating his "hoax" statement and comparing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to a "Soviet style trial". In a section headed "The IPCC Plays Hockey" he attacked what he called "Mann's flawed, limited research."Template:Sfn<ref name=". 2003">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The brochure restated themes from Inhofe's Senate speech, and in December 2003 he distributed copies of it in Milan at a meeting about the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, where he met "green activists" with posters quoting him as saying that global warming "is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people". He signed a poster for them,<ref name="Mooney 16 April 2004" /> and thanked them for quoting him correctly. In an October 2004 Senate speech he said, "Global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. It was true when I said it before, and it remains true today. Perhaps what has made this hoax so effective is that we hear over and over that the science is settled and there is a consensus that, unless we fundamentally change our way of life by limiting greenhouse gas emissions, we will cause catastrophic global warming. This is simply a false statement."Template:Sfn<ref name="CongressCongress2009">Template:Citation</ref> In January 2005 Inhofe told Bloomberg News that global warming was "the second-largest hoax ever played on the American people, after the separation of church and state", and that carbon dioxide would not be restricted by the Clear Skies Act of 2003.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Nicks 2009">Template:Cite news</ref> In a Senate Floor "update", he extended his argument against Mann's work by extensively citing Michael Crichton's fictional thriller State of Fear, mistakenly describing Crichton as a "scientist".<ref name="Mooney Jan05">Template:Citation. Reprinted from The American Prospect, January 10, 2005.</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On August 28, 2005, at Inhofe's invitation, Crichton appeared as an expert witness at a hearing on climate change, disputing Mann's work.Template:Sfn

In his 2006 book The Republican War on Science, Chris Mooney wrote that Inhofe "politicizes and misuses the science of climate change".<ref>Chris Mooney, The Republican War on Science, Basic Books, 2006, page 227.</ref>

During the 2006 North American heat wave, Inhofe said that the environmentalist movement reminded him of "the Third Reich, the Big Lie": "You say something over and over and over and over again, and people will believe it, and that's their strategy."<ref name="Nicks 2009" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In a September 2006 Senate speech Inhofe argued that the threat of global warming was exaggerated by "the media, Hollywood elites and our pop culture". He said that in the 1960s the media had switched from warning of global warming to warning of global cooling and a coming ice age, then in the 1970s had returned to warming to promote "climate change fears".<ref>Text of speech by James Inhofe in the Senate on September 25, 2006, on global warming Template:Webarchive. Retrieved September 28, 2006.</ref> In February 2007 he told Fox News that mainstream science increasingly attributed climate change to natural causes, and only "those individuals on the far left, such as Hollywood liberals and the United Nations", disagreed.Template:Sfn

In 2006, Inhofe introduced Senate Amendment 4682 with Kit Bond (R-MO), which would have modified oversight responsibility of the Army Corps of Engineers. The League of Conservation Voters, an environmentalist group, said analyses for corps projects "have been manipulated to favor large-scale projects that harm the environment."<ref name="autogenerated1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During the 109th Congress, Inhofe voted to increase offshore oil drilling, to include provisions for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the House Budget Amendment, and to deny funding for both low-income energy assistance and environmental stewardship, citing heavy costs and unproven programs.<ref name="autogenerated1" />

In May 2009, Inhofe gave support to the idea that black carbon is a significant contributor to global warming.<ref name="Goldenberg">Template:Cite news</ref>

Inhofe received money from the fossil fuel industry. For example: "Exxon's beneficiaries in Congress include the Oklahoma senator Jim Inhofe, who called global warming a hoax, and who has received $20,500 since 2007, according to the Dirty Energy Money database maintained by Oil Change International."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Climatic Research Unit email controversy

On November 23, 2009, as the Climatic Research Unit email controversy emerged, Inhofe said the emails confirmed his view that scientists were "cooking the science".Template:Sfn<ref name="Inhofe 23 Nov">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On December 7 on the CNN program The Situation Room, Inhofe said that the emails showed that the science behind climate change "has been pretty well debunked"; the fact checking organization PolitiFact concluded that Inhofe's statement was false.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On the same day, Inhofe said he would lead a three-man "truth squad" consisting of himself and fellow senators Roger Wicker and John Barrasso to the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Inhofe was unable to secure meetings with any negotiators or delegations to the conference and only met with a small group of reporters.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The minority group of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works prepared a report on "the CRU Controversy", published in February 2010, which listed as "Key Players" 17 scientists including Mann and Phil Jones. Inhofe said it showed that the controversy was "about unethical and potentially illegal behavior by some of the world's leading climate scientists."Template:Sfn<ref name="Inhofe Feb2010">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}
{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On May 26 Inhofe formally requested that the Inspector General of the United States Department of Commerce investigate how the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had dealt with the emails, and whether the emails showed any wrongdoing; it found no major issues or inappropriate actions.Template:Sfn<ref name="cbc.ca 110224">Template:Cite news</ref>

Global warming temperatures

In July 2010 Inhofe said, "I don't think that anyone disagrees with the fact that we actually are in a cold period that started about nine years ago. Now, that's not me talking, those are the scientists that say that." The Union of Concerned Scientists said that Inhofe was wrong, pointing to a NOAA report indicating that the summer of 2010 had so far been the hottest on record since 1880. Inhofe added, "People on the other side of this argument back in January, they said, 'Inhofe, it has nothing to do with today's or this month or next month. We're looking at a long period of time. We go into twenty year periods.Template:'"<ref name="UCS – Senator Inhofe Erroneously Claims We Are In A Nine-Year Cooling Trend – July 23, 2010">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="ABC News – Inhofe: 'Global Warming Is Not Occurring' – July 23, 2010">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="ABC News – Amid Heat Wave, Senator Talks 'Global Cooling' – July 23, 2010">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

During a House committee hearing in 2011, Inhofe testified, "I have to admit—and, you know, confession is good for the soul ... I, too, once thought that catastrophic global warming was caused by anthropogenic gases—because everyone said it was."<ref name="tnr031611">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Under questioning from committee member Jay Inslee, Inhofe dismissed the notion that he was less knowledgeable than climate scientists, saying that he'd already given "five speeches on the science."<ref name="tnr031611" />

2015: Chair of Environment and Public Works committee

File:Senator James Inhoffe throws a snowball in the Senate.webm

CitationClass=web }}</ref> The director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies distinguished local weather in a single location in a single week from global climate change.<ref name=Guardian_20150226>Template:Cite news</ref>

On January 21, 2015, Inhofe returned to chairing the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works as part of a new Republican majority in the Senate. In response to NOAA and NASA reports that 2014 had been the warmest year globally in the temperature record, he said, "we had the coldest in the western hemisphere in the same time frame", and attributed changes to a 30-year cycle, not human activities.<ref name="Cama 2101 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In a debate on the same day about a bill for the Keystone XL pipeline, Inhofe endorsed an amendment proposed by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, "Climate change is real and not a hoax", which passed 98–1. Inhofe clarified his view that "Climate is changing and climate has always changed and always will. There is archaeological evidence of that, there is biblical evidence of that, there is historical evidence of that", but added, "there are some people who are so arrogant to think they are so powerful they can change climate."<ref name="Tulsa 21012015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On February 26, 2015, Inhofe brought a snowball to the Senate floor and tossed it before delivering remarks in which he said that environmentalists keep talking about global warming even though it keeps getting cold.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Hydraulic fracturing

On March 19, 2015, Inhofe introduced S.828, "The Fracturing Regulations are Effective in State Hands (FRESH) Act." The bill would transfer regulatory power over hydraulic fracturing from the federal government to state governments. In his announcement of the bill, Inhofe said that hydraulic fracturing had never contaminated ground water in Oklahoma.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The U.S. senators from seven states (Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Dakota and Texas) cosponsored the bill.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Paris Agreement

Inhofe co-authored and was one of 22 senators to sign a letter<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> to President Donald Trump urging him to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement. According to OpenSecrets, Inhofe had received over $529,000 from the oil and gas industry since 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Foreign policy

Israel Anti-Boycott Act

In October 2017, Inhofe co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (S. 720), which would have made it a federal crime for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories if protesting actions by the Israeli government.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Western Sahara

Inhofe supported the Polisario Front and traveled to Algeria many times to meet with its leaders.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He urged Morocco to hold a referendum on independence for Western Sahara. In 2017, Inhofe blocked the Trump administration's nomination of J. Peter Pham for Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, citing a disagreement over Western Sahara.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After the December 2020 Israel–Morocco normalization agreement, Inhofe sharply criticized the Trump administration for recognizing Morocco's claim over Western Sahara, calling the decision "shocking and deeply disappointing" and adding that he was "saddened that the rights of the Western Sahara people have been traded away".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

War in Afghanistan

Inhofe opposed the 2021 withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan under President Biden, saying that Biden should maintain "a relatively small troop presence until the conditions outlined in the 2020 U.S.-Taliban Agreement are fully implemented."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Immigration

Inhofe wrote the Inhofe Amendment to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which was debated in Congress in May 2006. The amendment would make English the national language of the United States and require that new citizens take an English proficiency test. The amendment was passed on May 18, 2006, with 32 Democrats, one independent, and one Republican dissenting. The measure had 11 cosponsors, including one Democrat.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Social issues

Gun policy

In the aftermath of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Inhofe blamed the "culture of sanctuary cities" for the shootings.<ref name="twsVox1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

LGBT rights

File:Inhofefamily-noglbt.png

Inhofe pointing at a large photograph of his family, proclaiming none have been divorced or are LGBT

Inhofe was generally seen as overtly hostile by LGBT advocacy groups, earning a 0% in every one of his terms on the Human Rights Campaign's position scorecard.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Inhofe was in favor of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, against adding sexual orientation to the definition of hate crimes, and voted against prohibiting job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2008, Inhofe said his office "does not hire openly gay staffers due to the possibility of a conflict of agenda."<ref>Reprinted in Seattle Times Template:Webarchive, "Senate takes up fight on banning gay marriages." Chicago Tribune. Jill Zuckman and Anastasia Ustinova, Washington Bureau. July 11, 2004</ref>

Inhofe campaigned for his Senate seat in 1994 using the phrase "God, guns, and gays."<ref>Freshmen: What Happened to the Republican Revolution?Template:Dead link, Linda Killian, 1999. Basic Books. "From there it was on to Hominy, where Inhofe walked up and down Main Street and stopped by the local coffee shop to shake some hands. He told the morning customers the Senate race could be summed up by the "three Gs – God, gays, and guns." Inhofe asserted Dave McCurdy was a liberal Washington insider out of touch with what Oklahomans care about, who was against prayer in schools, for gays in the military and gun control, and who voted with Bill Clinton more than 80 percent of the time."</ref><ref>Jacob Weisberg. "Why It's Even Worse For Clinton Than You Think Template:Webarchive", New York Magazine, November 21, 1994, page 41. Inhofe describes how the phrase came to be in The Associated Press via USA Today Template:Webarchive, Ron Jenkins, September 18, 2008. "Inhofe, in a telephone interview from Washington, recalled that 14 years ago he was told by a small group in Hugo that he would carry McCurtain County, a Democratic stronghold in southeastern Oklahoma. He said he asked the Hugo residents why he would win, "and they said because of the three G's. They're the ones who came up with that and it became almost a chant out there."</ref> In 2008, his campaign was noted by the Associated Press for running an ad with "anti-gay overtones" featuring a wedding cake with two male figures on top, fading into his opponent's face.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1999, along with Republican colleagues Tim Hutchinson and Bob Smith, and Republican Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, Inhofe stalled the nomination of James Hormel, a gay man, as US Ambassador to Luxembourg for over 20 months specifically because of Hormel's sexual orientation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> President Bill Clinton eventually appointed him in a recess appointment, making him the United States' first openly gay ambassador in June 1999, and angering Inhofe, who held up seven more Clinton appointees in retaliation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2015, Inhofe condemned the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage bans violated the Constitution.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Racial and gender civil rights

In 1995, Inhofe voted to ban affirmative action hiring with federal funds.<ref name="On the Issues – Affirmative Action">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1997, he voted to end special funding for minority- and women-owned businesses. The bill he voted for would have abolished a program that helps businesses owned by women and minorities to compete for federally funded transportation; it did not pass.<ref name="On The Issues – Civil Rights Fed Funding">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The next year, Inhofe voted to repeal the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program,<ref name="On the Issues – Civil Rights Highway Funds">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which is designed to "remedy ongoing discrimination and the continuing effects of past discrimination in federally-assisted highway, transit, airport, and highway safety financial assistance transportation contracting markets nationwide" by allocating 10% of highway funds to benefit the business enterprises of racial minorities and women.<ref name="DBE">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Overall, in 2002, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) rated Inhofe at 20%, indicating that he held an anti-racial civil rights record.<ref name="ACLU Rating">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Four years later, on December 31, 2006, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) rated Inhofe at 7%, indicating that he held an anti-civil rights and anti-affirmative action record.<ref name="NAACP Rating">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Privacy

In 2001, Inhofe voted to loosen restrictions on cell phone wiretapping.<ref name="On the Issues – Cellphone Wiretaps">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The bill, which passed, removed the requirement that a person or party implementing an order to wiretap a private citizen's cellphone must ascertain that the target of the surveillance is present in the house or using the phone that has been tapped.<ref name="Congress Wiretapping Bill">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Free speech and expression

In 1995, Inhofe co-sponsored a constitutional amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would give Congress and individual U.S. states the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the American flag. The bill's primary sponsor was Orrin Hatch (R-UT).<ref name="Constitutional Amendment on Flag Desecration">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

GI Bill reform

Inhofe, an initial sponsor of Senator Jim Webb's Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, subsequently withdrew support for this bill to support S. 2938, a competing bill that would have provided benefits beyond those offered in Webb's bill.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> But he voted to enact Webb's legislation in June 2008.<ref>States Senate Roll Call Votes, 110th Congress, 2nd Session Template:Webarchive. Retrieved September 1, 2009.</ref>

Inhofe agreed to support legislation allowing military mental health specialists to talk with veterans about private firearms in an effort to reduce suicides.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Economic issues

Aviation

Trained by the U.S. Navy, Inhofe was one of the few members of Congress holding a Commercial Airman certificate. In 1994, when he first ran for the U.S. Senate, he used his plane as a daily campaign vehicle to travel throughout Oklahoma and visit almost every town in the state.<ref>The Freshmen: What Happened to the Republican Revolution?Template:Dead link, Linda Killian, 1999. Basic Books. "Inhofe, one of Congress's few certified commercial pilots, has been crisscrossing the state in his 1969 Piper Aztec and managed to visit almost every town in Oklahoma before the end of the campaign."</ref> He was influential in Senate and Congressional debates involving aircraft regulation.<ref>The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association says this about Inhofe Template:Webarchive</ref> In 2012, he authored the Pilot's Bill of Rights bill.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Taxpayer-funded travel

Inhofe said that he made over 140 trips to Africa over about 20 years and helped to get United States Africa Command established.<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> He made multiple foreign trips, especially to Africa, on missions that he described as "a Jesus thing" and that were paid for by the U.S. government. He used these trips for activities on behalf of The Fellowship, a Christian organization.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Inhofe said that his trips included some governmental work but also involved "the political philosophy of Jesus, something that had been put together by Doug Coe, the leader of The Fellowship ... It's all scripturally based." Inhofe used his access as a senator to pursue religious goals.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Federal disaster relief

Inhofe consistently voted against federal disaster relief, most notably in the case of relief for the 24 states affected by Hurricane Sandy,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref> but argued for and voted for federal aid when natural disasters hit Oklahoma.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NYT Obit" /> In defense of his decision to vote against a relief fund for Sandy but not in Oklahoma after tornadoes ravaged it in May 2013, he claimed the situations were "totally different", in that the Sandy funding involved "Everybody getting in and exploiting the tragedy that took place. That won't happen in Oklahoma."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Inhofe pointedly did not thank President Obama for his attention to the tragedy in his state, so as to not be compared to Chris Christie.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Sought federal environmental cleanup funds

Inhofe was instrumental in securing millions of dollars of federal funds to clean up contamination at a former mining hub in northeast Oklahoma after the affected site had spent decades on the Environmental Protection Agency Superfund list. He supported participation in the massive federal government buyout program for the Tar Creek Superfund site that purchased homes and businesses within a 40-square-mile (104-square-kilometer) region where for decades, children consistently tested positive for dangerous levels of lead in their blood.<ref>Miller, Ken, Former US Sen. Jim Inhofe, defense hawk who called human-caused climate change a ‘hoax,’ dies at 89 Template:Webarchive, Associated Press, July 9, 2024</ref>

Earmarks

In April 2021, Inhofe expressed support for bringing back earmarks to the United States Senate.<ref name="Timplinson15Apr2021">Template:Cite news</ref> The Tulsa World credited Inhofe for how he "relentlessly pursued" federal investment for highways, aviation, and military bases in the state.<ref name="death" />

Tribal sovereignty

In 2005, Inhofe included a midnight rider in that year's transportation bill that prevented federally recognized tribes in Oklahoma from administering Environmental Protection Agency regulations, a practice allowed by federal law in other states.<ref name="NonDoc Obit">Template:Cite news</ref>

Presidential Impeachments

On February 12, 1999, Inhofe was one of 50 senators to vote to convict and remove Bill Clinton from office.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On February 5, 2020, he voted to acquit Donald Trump,<ref name="politico-imp.1">Template:Cite news</ref> and on February 13, 2021, he voted to acquit Trump for the second time.<ref name="politico-imp.2">Template:Cite news</ref>

2016 presidential election

Early during the Republican Party presidential primaries in 2016, Inhofe endorsed fellow Republican John Kasich.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During Donald Trump's presidency, he voted in line with Trump's position 94.2% of the time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Purchase of Raytheon stock

In December 2018, Inhofe bought $50,000 to $100,000 worth of stock in Raytheon, a major defense contractor that has billions of dollars' worth of contracts with the Pentagon. The week before, he had successfully lobbied the Trump administration to increase military spending. Ethics watchdogs said the purchase raised conflict of interest concerns, and noted that members of Congress are not allowed to purchase stocks on the basis of information that is not publicly available. Inhofe sold the stock shortly after reporters asked him about the purchase. He said the purchase was made by a third-party adviser who manages Inhofe's investments on his behalf.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Judiciary

File:Amy Coney Barrett and Jim Inhofe.jpg

Inhofe meets with Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.

In March 2016, around seven months before the next presidential election, Inhofe argued that the Senate should not consider Obama's Supreme Court nominee because "we must let the people decide the Supreme Court's future" via the presidential election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In September 2020, less than two months before the next presidential election, Inhofe supported an immediate vote on Trump's nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death.

Inhofe also voted to confirm Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh (Trump's other two Supreme Court nominations) while voting against Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan (Obama's two Supreme Court nominations). All four were successful.

2020 presidential election

Inhofe refused to support delaying the certification of the 2020 United States presidential election and said doing so would have violated his oath of office.<ref name="death" />

2021 storming of the United States Capitol

On May 28, 2021, Inhofe abstained from voting on the creation of an independent commission to investigate the January 6 United States Capitol attack.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life

File:Jim Inhofe boards his airplane positioned in front of Base Ops following a brief visit to Tinker Air Force Base.jpg

Inhofe boarding his airplane at Tinker Air Force Base in 2017

On December 19, 1959, Inhofe married Kay Kirkpatrick, with whom he had four children.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His mother, Blanche M. Inhofe, died in 1975.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On November 10, 2013, one of Inhofe's sons, Perry Inhofe, died in a plane crash in Owasso, Oklahoma, flying alone for the first time since training in a newly acquired Mitsubishi MU-2.<ref name=NTSB>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Molly Rapert, an academic, is Inhofe's daughter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Inhofe had his pilot's license since he was 28;<ref name="Voice of Oklahoma Interview" /> he flew a Van's Aircraft RV-8. He attended the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh for 20 years; in 2021, he said, "I've slept in the same tent for 20 years. If you're not sleeping in a tent, it's not like being at Oshkosh."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Inhofe had to emergency-land his plane multiple times throughout his career.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He was the first recipient of the U.S. Air Force Academy's Character and Leadership Award for his character and leadership in public service.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Towards the end of his life, Inhofe had symptoms of long COVID, which severely limited his capacity to do day-to-day activities.<ref name="long covid" />

Inhofe died from complications of a stroke at a hospital in Tulsa, on July 9, 2024, at the age of 89.<ref name="death">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NYT Obit">Template:Cite news</ref>

Electoral history

Tulsa mayor

1984 Tulsa Mayoral Election Results<ref>Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 70, No. 174, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 4, 1984 Template:Webarchive hosted by The Gateway to Oklahoma History pg 2</ref>
Candidates		Party	Votes	%
Template:Party color cell	Terry Young	Democratic Party	48,450	50.49%
Template:Party color cell	Jim Inhofe (incumbent)	Republican Party	47,526	49.51%
Total Votes			95,976	100%

See also

• Politics of Oklahoma
• List of United States senators from Oklahoma
• 2020 Congressional insider trading scandal

References

Sources

• Template:Cite book

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 2671811

 | name/{{#if:{{#invoke:ustring|match|1=2671811|2=^nm}}
   | Template:Trim/
   | nm2671811/
   }}
 | {{#if: {{#property:P345}}
   | name/Template:First word/
   | find?q=%7B%7B%23if%3A+%0A++++++%7C+%7B%7B%7Bname%7D%7D%7D%0A++++++%7C+%5B%5B%3ATemplate%3APAGENAMEBASE%5D%5D%0A++++++%7D%7D&s=nm
   }}
 }}{{#if: 2671811  {{#property:P345}} | {{#switch: 
 | award | awards = awards Awards for | biography | bio = bio Biography for
 }}}} {{#if: 
 | {{{name}}}
 | Template:PAGENAMEBASE
 }}] at IMDb{{#if: 2671811{{#property:P345}}
 | Template:EditAtWikidata
 | Template:Main other

}}{{#switch:{{#invoke:string2|matchAny|^nm.........|^nm.......|nm|.........|source=2671811|plain=false}}

 | 1 | 3 =  Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning
 | 4 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning

}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:IMDb name with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|showblankpositional=1| 1 | 2 | id | name | section }}

• Template:C-SPAN
• Template:CongLinks
• Inhofe, James Mountain entry in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

Template:S-start Template:S-ppo Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft |- Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft |- Template:S-off Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft |- Template:S-par Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft |- Template:S-par Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft |- Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft |- Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft |- Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft |- Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft |- Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft |- Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft Template:S-end