Theodore Marshall "Ted" Risenhoover (November 3, 1934 – September 10, 2006) was a community newspaper publisher and American politician representing northeastern

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 ...

in the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

for two terms during 1975–1979.

Biography

Risenhoover was born in

Haskell County, Oklahoma Haskell County is a county located in the southeast quadrant of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,769. Its county seat is Stigler. The county is named in honor of Charles N. Haskell, the first governor ...

, in a town called East Liberty. He graduated from Stigler High School in

Stigler, Oklahoma Stigler is a city in and county seat of Haskell County, Oklahoma. The population was 2,685 at the time of the 2010 census, down from 2,731 recorded in 2000. History At the time of its founding, Newman, later Stigler, was located in Sans Bois Co ...

in 1952. After his high school graduation, Risenhoover worked for

Western Electric The Western Electric Company was an American electrical engineering and manufacturing company officially founded in 1869. A wholly owned subsidiary of American Telephone & Telegraph for most of its lifespan, it served as the primary equipment ma ...

for three years before enlisting in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

for an eight-year stint from 1955 to 1963. While in the military, he studied government and economics at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

. With his discharge from the service in 1963, he returned to Oklahoma. Two years later he received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Northeastern State College in

Tahlequah, Oklahoma Tahlequah ( ; ''Cherokee'': ᏓᎵᏆ, ''daligwa'' ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-century ...

. Married and divorced three times, he was the father of a son and a daughter. Risenhoover died on September 10, 2006, in

Claremore, Oklahoma Claremore is a city and the county seat of Rogers County in Green Country or northeastern Oklahoma, United States. The population was 19,580 at the 2020 census, a 5.4 percent increase over the figure of 18,581 recorded in 2010.Fort Gibson National Cemetery Fort Gibson National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located inside of the town of Fort Gibson, in Muskogee County, Oklahoma. It encompasses , and as of 2021 had more than 25,000 interments. History Fort Gibson was established in ...

Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Fort Gibson is a town in Cherokee and Muskogee counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 4,154 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.5 percent over the figure of 4,054 recorded in 2000. It is the location of Fort Gibson Histor ...

Career

Before his graduation from Northeastern State College, he became involved with the ''Pictorial Press'', a small

weekly newspaper A weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and electronic publishing, digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly new ...

in Tahlequah. As part owner and president, he reorganized this paper and also purchased the ''Tahlequah Star-Citizen''. Known for his crime-fighting efforts, he charged that organized crime had infiltrated northeastern Oklahoma, and the ''Pictorial Press'' was bombed. For his efforts against crime, he was named to the Oklahoma Crime Commission and served from 1970 to 1974. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Mid-term Convention in 1974. As a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Risenhoover was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from

Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district is one of five United States congressional districts in Oklahoma and covers approximately one-fourth of the state in the east. The district borders Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Texas and includes (in who ...

, assuming office on January 3, 1975. He served two terms in the House, then lost the 1978 Democratic nomination for his seat to

Mike Synar Michael Lynn Synar (October 17, 1950 – January 9, 1996) was an American Democratic politician who represented Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district in Congress for eight terms. Early life and career Synar was born in Vinita, Oklahoma, His ...

after ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' ran a lifestyle article about Risenhoover that mentioned he slept on a "heart shaped

waterbed A waterbed, water mattress, or flotation mattress is a bed or mattress filled with water. Waterbeds intended for medical therapies appear in various reports through the 19th century. The modern version, invented in San Francisco and patented in ...

" and the Synar campaign seized the opportunity to question the incumbent's judgement by printing and widely distributing copies of the controversial news article. He left office on January 3, 1979. Following his defeat, Risenhoover remained in Washington and worked at

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

and later for the doorkeeper of the House of Representatives. Returning to Oklahoma in the early 1980s, he sold his newspaper business, and remained in northeastern Oklahoma holding a variety of jobs.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Risenhoover, Ted 1934 births 2006 deaths People from Haskell County, Oklahoma United States Air Force airmen University of Alabama alumni Northeastern State University alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma People from Stigler, Oklahoma 20th-century American politicians