Henry Bellmon

Henry Bellmon
18th and 23rd Governor of Oklahoma
In office
January 12, 1987 – January 14, 1991
LieutenantRobert S. Kerr III
Preceded byGeorge Nigh
Succeeded byDavid Walters
In office
January 14, 1963 – January 9, 1967
LieutenantLeo Winters
Preceded byGeorge Nigh
Succeeded byDewey F. Bartlett
United States Senator
from Oklahoma
In office
January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1981
Preceded byMike Monroney
Succeeded byDon Nickles
Member of the
Oklahoma House of Representatives
from Noble County
In office
January 7, 1947 – January 4, 1949
Preceded byRobert R. McCubbins
Succeeded byF. C. Seids
Personal details
Born
Henry Louis Bellmon

(1921-09-03)September 3, 1921
Tonkawa, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedSeptember 29, 2009(2009-09-29) (aged 88)
Enid, Oklahoma, U.S.
Resting placeBillings Union Cemetery, Noble County, Oklahoma
36°30′20.2″N 97°24′59″W / 36.505611°N 97.41639°W / 36.505611; -97.41639 (Henry Bellmon Burial Site)
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Shirley Osborn
(m. 1947; died 2000)
Eloise Morsman Bollenbach
(m. 2002)
Alma materOklahoma A & M
Occupationfarmer, politician
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Marine Corps
Years of service1942–1946
RankFirst lieutenant
Battles/warsWorld War II
Pacific theater
Battle of Iwo Jima
Awards Silver Star
Legion of Merit

Henry Louis Bellmon (September 3, 1921 – September 29, 2009) was an American Republican politician from the U.S. State of Oklahoma. A member of the Oklahoma Legislature, he went on to become both the 18th and 23rd governor of Oklahoma, mainly in the 1960s and again in the 1980s, as well as a two-term United States Senator in the 1970s. He was the first Republican to serve as Governor of Oklahoma and, after his direct predecessor George Nigh, only the second governor to be reelected.

A World War II veteran, Bellmon served a single term in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, before running for governor. After serving in the U.S. Senate, he returned to serve again as governor and was responsible for passing a large education reform package. He died in 2009 after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease.