Impeachment in Oklahoma

Impeachment or removal from office is a mechanism for removing a government official from office. In Oklahoma, impeachment of state officials is governed by the Oklahoma Constitution and covers statewide elected officials. Removal from office is governed by statute and applies to other elected officials in the state.^[1]

While there is no mechanism for recall elections of state officials, some municipal governments in Oklahoma allow for recall petitions and elections to remove officials from office.^[2]

Tribal nations in Oklahoma have their own constitutions and may have their own mechanisms for impeaching tribal officials.

The following is a list of officials impeached or removed from office in the U.S. State of Oklahoma.

Statewide officials

Impeached and removed

• Giles W. Farris (State Printer), removed from office on February 26, 1913, after the state's first impeachment trial^[3]
• A. P. Watson (Corporation Commissioner), removed from office on April 23, 1915, becoming the second official to be impeached in Oklahoma history^[4]
• Jack C. Walton (Governor), removed from office in November 1923 after attempting to use the Oklahoma National Guard to prevent his impeachment^[5]
• Henry S. Johnston (Governor), removed from office in March 1929 for "general incompetence."^[6]
• Napoleon Bonaparte Johnson (Supreme Court Justice), impeached and removed from office during the 1965 Oklahoma Supreme Court scandal^[7]

Impeached and resigned

• P. A. Ballard (Insurance Commissioner), resigned on April 29, 1913, after his impeachment by the Oklahoma House of Representatives^[8]
• Carroll Fisher (Insurance Commissioner), resigned on September 24, 2004, after his impeachment by the Oklahoma House of Representatives^[9]

Resigned after impeachment filed

• Leo Meyer (Auditor), resigned February 12, 1913, after the Oklahoma House of Representatives began impeachment proceedings^[10]
• Samuel Earl Welch (Supreme Court Justice), resigned during the 1965 Oklahoma Supreme Court scandal^[7]

Municipal officials

Removed from office

• Frank M. Wooden, the only Mayor of Tulsa removed from office^[11]

Recall elections

• Judd Blevins, was recalled from the Enid City Commission on April 2, 2024, after he admitted to marching at the Unite the Right Rally in 2017 and amidst allegations he served as the Oklahoma state coordinator for the now-defunct Identity Evropa.^[12]

Tribal officials

• John Red Eagle, Osage Nation Principal Chief impeached and removed from office in 2014^[13]

References

1. Adkison, Danny M.; Palmer, Lisa McNair (2020). "Impeachment and Removal from Office". The Oklahoma State Constitution (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford Academic. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
2. Denwalt, Dale (November 6, 2023). "Can voters fire an elected official in Oklahoma? Public Eye found three possible routes". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
3. "Progress of Investigation and Impeachment". Harlow's Weekly. March 1, 1913. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
4. "Impeachment Not New in Oklahoma". The Medford Patriot-Star. October 18, 1923. p. 8. Retrieved 24 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. O'Dell, larr. "Walton, John Calloway (1881-1949)". okhistory.org. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
6. Burke, Bob. "Johnston, Henry Simpson (1867–1965)". okhistory.org. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
7. Burke, Bob (May 2023). "From the Ashes of Scandal Came Court Reform". Oklahoma Bar Association. 5 (94). Retrieved 9 April 2024.
8. "Impeachment Not New in Oklahoma". The Medford Patriot-Star. October 18, 1923. p. 8. Retrieved 24 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Greiner, John; Clay, Nolan (September 25, 2004). "Investigation continues: Three felony charges still loom Impeached Fisher resigns". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
10. Lovett, John R. "Leo Meyer: Texas and Oklahoma Settler and politician" Western States Jewish History, Vo. XXVI, No. 1, Oct. 1993, pp. 55-64
11. "Gallery of Mayors". City of Tulsa. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
12. Zadrozny, Brandy (3 April 2024). "Oklahoma official with white nationalist ties is ousted in recall vote". NBC News. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
13. Polacca, Benny (21 January 2014). "Osage Nation Principal Chief John Red Eagle removed from office". Osage News. Retrieved 28 November 2023.