Jonathan Nichols (Oklahoma politician)
Jonathan Nichols | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Oklahoma Senate from the 15th district | |
| In office 2000–2012 | |
| Preceded by | Trish Weedn |
| Succeeded by | Rob Standridge |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jonathan Edgar Nichols November 14, 1965 Bad Hersfeld, West Germany |
| Died | June 5, 2019 (aged 53) Norman, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | Senator Nichols' Senate Website (2008 snapshot) |
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|---|
Jonathan Edgar Nichols (November 14, 1965 – June 5, 2019) was an American politician who served as a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 2000 to 2012. He was a member of the Republican Party. Prior to that, he was an attorney and became Assistant District Attorney.
Early life and education
[edit]Born in Bad Hersfeld, West Germany,[1] Nichols lived in Norman, Oklahoma. He graduated from Northeastern State University and received his Juris Doctor degree from University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1993.[2][3]
Career
[edit]Nichols was an assistant district attorney in Cleveland County for over six years. As an assistant district attorney, Nichols represented the State of Oklahoma in the prosecution of Kevin Ott.[4] Following the trial, Ott's sentence of life without parole for possession of 3.5 ounces of methamphetamine was the subject of several national news articles[5][6][7] and an award-winning documentary produced by actors Brad Pitt, and Danny Glover, and musical artist John Legend.[8][9] Nichols left the district attorney's office to pursue a career in politics. He was elected to the Oklahoma Senate in November 2000. He was re-elected two times, in 2004 and 2008, and became chairman of the Rules Committee of the Oklahoma Senate. He left office in 2013 when term limits prevented him from seeking a fourth term in office. Between 2016 and 2018, he served as vice president of government relations at the University of Oklahoma. Prior to his death, he worked as a Senior Policy Advisor for Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall.[10][11]
Personal life
[edit]Nichols was married and had two daughters.[10] On June 5, 2019, Nichols was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound at his home in Norman.[10][12] His death was investigated as a possible homicide because "the firearm believed to have caused the wound was in an unexpected position," according to a police affidavit,[13] with The Oklahoman reporting that undisclosed law enforcement sources told them that a gun was found on a table across the room from the body.[11] However, police ultimately determined that the gunshot wound was self-inflicted and ruled out foul play, concluding their investigation on June 27, 2019.[14]
Awards and honors
[edit]In 2001, he received the Most Courageous Legislator Award from the Higher Education Council of Oklahoma.[15]
Election results
[edit]| Candidates | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Nichols | Republican | 23,125 | 60.63% | ||
| Diane M. Drum | Democratic | 15,019 | 39.37% | ||
| Source:[16] | |||||
| Candidates | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Nichols | Republican | 20,526 | 57.41% | ||
| Lisa Pryor | Democratic | 15,228 | 42.59% | ||
| Source:[17] | |||||
| Candidates | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Nichols | Republican | 16,722 | 56.22% | ||
| Pat Martin | Democratic | 13,021 | 43.78% | ||
| Source:[18] | |||||
References
[edit]- ^ https://legacy.newsok.com/obituaries/oklahoman/obituary.aspx?n=jonathan-nichols&pid=193106128 [dead link]
- ^ Slinkard, Caleb (June 6, 2019). "Former state senator Jonathan Nichols has died". Enidnews. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
- ^ Votesmart.org.-Jonathan Nichols
- ^ "FindLaw's Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma case and opinions".
- ^ "'They Sentenced Me to die in Prison'". NBC News.
- ^ "Serving life without parole for drugs, Oklahoma man now hopes for release".
- ^ "Behind the story: Life without parole for drugs".
- ^ ""The House I Live In" examines the link between American drug laws and poverty. | Harvard Magazine". 28 March 2013.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ a b c ""It's such a huge loss," Death of former Oklahoma senator under investigation". KFOR.com. 2019-06-06. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
- ^ a b "Norman police investigating death of former state lawmaker". Oklahoman.com. 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
- ^ "Former Oklahoma state senator found dead from gunshot wound in Norman home". KOCO-TV. June 6, 2019.
- ^ "Former state lawmaker's death ruled suicide". The Oklahoman. June 26, 2019.
- ^ "Investigation into former senator's death finished, Norman police say". KFOR-TV. June 27, 2019.
- ^ Troxtell, Adam (December 2, 2016). "Boren taps former Okla. senator as VP of governmental relations to fight education budget cuts". Norman Transcript. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
- ^ "General Election Results - November 4, 2008". Archived from the original on 2008-11-07. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
- ^ "General Election Results - November 2, 2004". Archived from the original on 2007-04-02. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
- ^ "General Election Results 11/7/00". Archived from the original on 2008-03-12. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
- 1965 births
- 2019 suicides
- People from Norman, Oklahoma
- Northeastern University alumni
- University of Oklahoma College of Law alumni
- Republican Party Oklahoma state senators
- 21st-century members of the Oklahoma Legislature
- Oklahoma lawyers
- American prosecutors
- American politicians who died by suicide
- Suicides by firearm in Oklahoma
- People from Bad Hersfeld
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 2019 deaths