Tom Coburn

For the American scholar of religions, see Thomas B. Coburn.
"Senator Coburn" redirects here. For the Vermont state senate member, see Carroll L. Coburn.

Tom Coburn
Official portrait, 2005
United States Senator
from Oklahoma
In office
January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2015
Preceded byDon Nickles
Succeeded byJames Lankford
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oklahoma's 2nd district
In office
January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Preceded byMike Synar
Succeeded byBrad Carson
Personal details
Born
Thomas Allen Coburn

(1948-03-14)March 14, 1948
Casper, Wyoming, U.S.
DiedMarch 28, 2020(2020-03-28) (aged 72)
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Carolyn Denton
​
(m. 1968)​
Children3, including Sarah
EducationOklahoma State University–Stillwater (BS)
University of Oklahoma (MD)
Tom Coburn's voice
Coburn speaks to Elena Kagan at her Supreme Court confirmation hearing
Recorded June 28, 2010

Thomas Allen Coburn (March 14, 1948 – March 28, 2020) was an American politician and physician who served as a United States senator from Oklahoma from 2005 to 2015. A Republican, Coburn previously served as a United States representative from 1995 to 2001.

Coburn was an obstetrician who operated a private medical practice in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1994 as part of the Republican Revolution. After being re-elected twice, Coburn upheld his campaign pledge to serve no more than three consecutive terms and did not seek re-election in 2000. In 2004, he returned to political life with a successful run for the United States Senate. Coburn was re-elected to a second Senate term in 2010 and kept his pledge not to seek a third term in 2016.[1] In January 2014, Coburn announced that he would resign before the expiration of his final term due to a recurrence of prostate cancer.[2] He submitted a letter of resignation to Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, effective at the end of the 113th Congress.[3]

Coburn was a fiscal and social conservative known for his opposition to deficit spending, pork barrel projects,[4][5][6] and abortion. Described as "the godfather of the modern conservative austerity movement",[7] he supported term limits, gun rights and the death penalty,[8] and opposed same-sex marriage and embryonic stem cell research.[9][10] Many Democrats referred to him as "Dr. No" due to his frequent use of technicalities to block federal spending bills.[11][12]

After leaving Congress, Coburn worked with the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research on its efforts to reform the Food and Drug Administration,[13] becoming a senior fellow of the institute in December 2016.[14] Coburn also served as a senior advisor to Citizens for Self-Governance, where he was active in calling for a convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution.[15][16][17]

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  4. ^ Murphy, Sean (March 28, 2020). "Ex-Sen. Tom Coburn, conservative political maverick, dies". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 29, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  5. ^ Mark, David (March 28, 2020). "Ex-Sen. Tom Coburn, who pressed Republicans to keep budget-cutting promises, dies at 72". Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  6. ^ Dinan, Stephen (March 28, 2020). "Tom Coburn leaves lasting legacy for taxpayers". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
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