Tahrohon Wayne Shannon (born February 24, 1978) is an American banker and politician who served as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives 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 Oklahoma, State of Oklahoma, concurrently with the 2014 United States Senate election in O ...

to succeed

Tom Coburn Thomas Allen Coburn (March 14, 1948 – March 28, 2020) was an American politician and physician who served as a United States senator for Oklahoma from 2005, until his resignation in 2015. A Republican, he previously served as a United St ...

. 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, 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 James Paul Lankford (born March 4, 1968) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Oklahoma since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2015. ...

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 politi ...

, 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 James Mountain Inhofe ( ; born November 17, 1934) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Oklahoma, a seat he was first elected to in 1994. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the U.S. Senate Committ ...

. 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 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 Cameron University is a public university in Lawton, Oklahoma. It offers more than 50 degrees through both undergraduate and graduate programs. The degree programs emphasize the liberal arts, science and technology, and graduate and professional ...

and a Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University School of Law.

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 t ...

and later served in the same position for Congressman

Tom Cole Thomas Jeffery Cole (born April 28, 1949) is the U.S. representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party and serves as Deputy Minority Whip. The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) fr ...

. An enrolled citizen of the

Chickasaw Nation The Chickasaw Nation (Chickasaw: Chikashsha I̠yaakni) is a federally recognized Native American tribe, with its headquarters located in Ada, Oklahoma in the United States. They are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, original ...

, he worked as the chief administrative officer for Chickasaw Nation Enterprises.

Oklahoma House of Representatives

Shannon was first elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives 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 presiding officer of the lower house of the Oklahoma Legislature, the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The speaker exercises administrative and procedural functions, but remains a ...

. 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 (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 GOPAC is a Republican (GOP) state and local political training organization. Although often thought of as a PAC, or Political Action Committee, it is actually a 527 organization. History GOPAC was founded by Delaware Governor Pierre S. du Pon ...

, 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 and its surrounding communities.

US Senate campaigns

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

to succeed

. Despite

support and endorsements that included U.S. Senator

of Texas and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Shannon lost the Republican nomination for the Senate to

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

to succeed the retiring Republican

. He was endorsed by

Bill Anoatubby Bill Anoatubby (born November 8, 1945) is the Governor of the Chickasaw Nation, a position he has held since 1987. From 1979 to 1987, Anoatubby served two terms as Lieutenant Governor of the Chickasaw Nation in the administration of Governor Overto ...

, the Governor of the

. 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

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