Tahrohon Wayne Shannon (born February 24, 1978) is an American banker and politician who served as a member of the

Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's b ...

for the 62nd district from 2007 to 2015. In a ceremony on January 8, 2013, Shannon took the oath of office to be Oklahoma's first African-American

speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

. Shannon stepped down as the speaker to run for the Republican nomination in the

2014 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma The 2014 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma took place on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Oklahoma, concurrently with the regularly-scheduled election to Oklahoma's othe ...

to succeed Tom Coburn. Despite

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...

support and endorsements that included U.S. Senator

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...

of Texas and former Alaska Governor

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

, Shannon lost the Republican nomination for the Senate to

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

James Lankford by almost 20 points."James Lankford defeats T.W. Shannon in Oklahoma Senate primary"

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...

, Benjy Sarlin, June 25, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014. In March 2022, Shannon announced that he was running in the

2022 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma The 2022 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate for Oklahoma. The election took place concurrently with the regularly scheduled election for Oklahoma's ...

to succeed the retiring Republican Jim Inhofe. He was defeated by U.S. Representative

Markwayne Mullin Mark Wayne "Markwayne" Mullin (born July 26, 1977) is an American businessman, former professional mixed martial arts fighter, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Oklahoma since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, ...

in the Republican primary by more than 26 points.

Early life and education

Born in

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

on February 24, 1978, to a Chickasaw father and an African-American mother (both of whom were history teachers), Shannon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Cameron University and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from

Oklahoma City University School of Law Oklahoma City University School of Law, also known as OCU Law, is the law school of Oklahoma City University. OCU Law is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and was founded in 1907. OCU Law was located in the Sarkeys Law Center on the southwest side ...

Career

Shannon worked as a field representative for former Congressman

J. C. Watts Julius Caesar Watts Jr. (born November 18, 1957) is an American politician, clergyman, and athlete. Watts was a college football quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners and later played professionally in the Canadian Football League. He served in ...

and later served in the same position for Congressman Tom Cole. An enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, he worked as the chief administrative officer for Chickasaw Nation Enterprises.

Oklahoma House of Representatives

Shannon was first elected to the

in 2006, defeating opponent Janice Drewry in the general election. He rose to leadership in the state House, where he served as deputy majority whip in his first term, chaired the transportation committee in his second term and was elected speaker-designate in his third term. On January 8, 2013, Shannon took the oath of office to be the

speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives The Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives is the speaker (politics), presiding officer of the lower house of the Oklahoma Legislature, the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The speaker exercises administrative and procedural functions ...

. He has advocated for identifying and selling off state-owned properties that were not being fully utilized. Shannon sponsored an eight-year plan to divert state income tax revenue to repairing Oklahoma's structurally deficient bridges. As speaker, Shannon authored legislation to create a long-term plan to address the maintenance of state-owned properties and consolidate property management entities. The first sale under the program to sell off state-owned properties was the sale of a former studio for the state public television station for $130,000. The next properties up for sale are a townlot in Buffalo and 5.58 acres in Marietta.Krehbiel, Randy.
Ex-OETA studio sold through new state program
, ''Tulsa World'', July 4, 2013. (accessed July 11, 2013) Shannon advocated a controversial measure to require Oklahoma recipients of the

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people. It is a federal aid program, ad ...

(food stamps) to perform at least 35 hours of work activities or be denied aid. The work requirement was scaled back after the cost of providing job training to SNAP recipients became clear. GOPAC, an organization whose mission it is to support up-and-coming Republican leaders, added Shannon to its national advisory board in 2013. House district 62 encompasses

Lawton, Oklahoma Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Ce ...

and its surrounding communities.

US Senate campaigns

Shannon stepped down as the speaker to run for the Republican nomination in the

to succeed Tom Coburn. Despite

support and endorsements that included U.S. Senator

of Texas and former Alaska Governor

, Shannon lost the Republican nomination for the Senate to

James Lankford by almost 20 points. In March 2022, Shannon announced that he was running in the

to succeed the retiring Republican Jim Inhofe. He was endorsed by Bill Anoatubby, the Governor of the Chickasaw Nation. Shannon finished in second place in the 13 candidate field, advancing to a runoff against

. Mullin defeated Shannon in the runoff.

Personal life

Shannon attends Bethlehem Baptist Church in Lawton. He met his wife, Devon (née Murray), at Cameron University and married her in 2001.Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon making name for himself
''Tulsa World'', April 28, 2013. They have two children, a daughter and son. Today, he is the CEO of Chickasaw Community Bank in Oklahoma City.

References

External links

TW Shannon Profile and Videos
– Chickasaw.TV * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Shannon, T.W. 1978 births Living people American bankers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American politicians 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native American politicians African-American state legislators in Oklahoma Black Native Americans Cameron University alumni Candidates in the 2014 United States elections Candidates in the 2022 United States Senate elections Chickasaw Nation state legislators in Oklahoma Native American Christians Oklahoma City University School of Law alumni Oklahoma lawyers People from Lawton, Oklahoma Speakers of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people Baptists from Oklahoma