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 (1965-11-14)November 14, 1965 Bad Hersfeld, West Germany
Died	June 5, 2019(2019-06-05) (aged 53) Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Children	2
Website	Senator Nichols' Senate Website (2008 snapshot)

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

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

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

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

In 2001, he received the Most Courageous Legislator Award from the Higher Education Council of Oklahoma.^[15]

Election results

November 4, 2008, Election results for Oklahoma State Senator for District 15

Candidates		Party	Votes	%
	Jonathan Nichols	Republican	23,125	60.63%
	Diane M. Drum	Democratic	15,019	39.37%
Source:[16]

November 2, 2004, Election results for Oklahoma State Senator for District 15

Candidates		Party	Votes	%
	Jonathan Nichols	Republican	20,526	57.41%
	Lisa Pryor	Democratic	15,228	42.59%
Source:[17]

November 7, 2000, Election results for Oklahoma State Senator for District 15

Candidates		Party	Votes	%
	Jonathan Nichols	Republican	16,722	56.22%
	Pat Martin	Democratic	13,021	43.78%
Source:[18]

References

1. https://legacy.newsok.com/obituaries/oklahoman/obituary.aspx?n=jonathan-nichols&pid=193106128 ^{[dead link‍]}
2. 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.
3. Votesmart.org.-Jonathan Nichols
4. "FindLaw's Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma case and opinions".
5. "'They Sentenced Me to die in Prison'". NBC News.
6. "Serving life without parole for drugs, Oklahoma man now hopes for release".
7. "Behind the story: Life without parole for drugs".
8. ""The House I Live In" examines the link between American drug laws and poverty. | Harvard Magazine". 28 March 2013.
9. [1]^{[dead link‍]}
10. ""It's such a huge loss," Death of former Oklahoma senator under investigation". KFOR.com. 2019-06-06. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
11. "Norman police investigating death of former state lawmaker". Oklahoman.com. 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
12. "Former Oklahoma state senator found dead from gunshot wound in Norman home". KOCO-TV. June 6, 2019.
13. "Former state lawmaker's death ruled suicide". The Oklahoman. June 26, 2019.
14. "Investigation into former senator's death finished, Norman police say". KFOR-TV. June 27, 2019.
15. 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.
16. "General Election Results - November 4, 2008". Archived from the original on 2008-11-07. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
17. "General Election Results - November 2, 2004". Archived from the original on 2007-04-02. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
18. "General Election Results 11/7/00". Archived from the original on 2008-03-12. Retrieved 2022-06-11.