Tom Cole
Thomas Jeffery Cole (born April 28, 1949) is the U.S. representative for Oklahoma's 4th congressional district, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party and serves as the chairman of the House Rules Committee. During his tenure as the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) from 2007 to 2009, he was the fourth-ranking Republican in the House.
Tom Cole | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Chair of the House Rules Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Jim McGovern |
| Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Jim McGovern |
| Succeeded by | Jim McGovern |
| Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009 | |
| Leader | John Boehner |
| Preceded by | Tom Reynolds |
| Succeeded by | Pete Sessions |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 4th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | J. C. Watts |
| 26th Secretary of State of Oklahoma | |
| In office January 9, 1995 – March 16, 1999 | |
| Governor | Frank Keating |
| Preceded by | Glo Henley |
| Succeeded by | Mike Hunter |
| Member of the Oklahoma Senate from the 45th district | |
| In office November 1988 – July 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Helen Cole |
| Succeeded by | Helen Cole |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Jeffery Cole April 28, 1949 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Nationality | American Chickasaw Nation |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Ellen Decker (m. 1971) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Helen Cole (mother) |
| Education | Grinnell College (BA) Yale University (MA) University of Oklahoma (PhD) |
| Website | House website |
A member of the Chickasaw Nation, Cole is one of five Native Americans in Congress who are enrolled tribal members. The others are fellow Republicans Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma (Cherokee) and Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma (Choctaw), and Democrats Sharice Davids of Kansas (Ho‑Chunk) and Mary Peltola of Alaska (Yupik). In 2022, Cole became the longest-serving Native American in the history of Congress.