The Seventeenth Oklahoma Legislature was a meeting of the

legislative branch A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as ...

of the

government of Oklahoma The government of the U.S. State of Oklahoma, established by the Oklahoma Constitution, is a republican democracy modeled after the federal government of the United States. The state government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and ...

, composed of the

Oklahoma Senate The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.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 ...

. The state legislature met in regular session at the

Oklahoma State Capitol The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature and executive branch offices. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City and contains 452,50 ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

from January 3 to April 29, 1939, during the term of Governor

Leon C. Phillips Leon Chase "Red" Phillips (December 9, 1890 – March 27, 1958) was an American attorney, a state legislator and the 11th governor of Oklahoma from 1939 to 1943. As a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and as Speaker of the Oklahom ...

.A Century to Remember

Oklahoma House of Representatives
(accessed June 19, 2013) Phillips was the first state representative to become

Governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gove ...

. As

Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the lieutenant governor becomes the new governor of Oklahoma upon the death, resi ...

James E. Berry James Edward Berry (October 2, 1881 – November 22, 1966) was an American politician who served as the sixth lieutenant governor of Oklahoma from 1935 to 1955.

served as the President of the Senate. Jim A. Rinehart served as

President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate The President ''pro tempore'' of the Oklahoma Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the Oklahoma Senate and the highest-ranking state senator. The Oklahoma Constitution designates the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma as the highest-r ...

, making him the chief leader and organizer of the chamber. Don Welch served as

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 ...

Dates of session

*Regular session: January 3-April 29, 1939 Previous: 16th Legislature • Next: 18th Legislature

Party composition

Senate

House of Representatives

Leadership

Senate

James E. Berry James Edward Berry (October 2, 1881 – November 22, 1966) was an American politician who served as the sixth lieutenant governor of Oklahoma from 1935 to 1955.

served as the President of the Senate, giving him a tie-breaking vote and the authority to serve as the presiding officer. Jim A. Rinehart of

El Reno, Oklahoma El Reno is a city in and county seat of Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 16,989, marking a change of 1.55% from 16,729, recorded in the 2010 census. The city was begun shortly after the 1 ...

, was elected by state senators to serve as

, making him the chief leader and organizer of the chamber.2005 Oklahoma Almanac
, Oklahoma Department of Libraries. (accessed July 1, 2013)

House of Representatives

The

Oklahoma Democratic Party The Oklahoma Democratic Party is an Oklahoma political party affiliated with the Democratic Party. Along with the Oklahoma Republican Party, it is one of the two major parties in Oklahoma politics. The party dominated local politics in Oklahoma ...

held 102 of the 115 seats in 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 ...

in 1939, allowing them to select the

. Don Welch of

Madill, Oklahoma Madill is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named in honor of George Alexander Madill, an attorney for the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway. The population at the 2010 census was 3,770, an increa ...

, served as Speaker during the regular session in 1939. Harold Freeman of

Pauls Valley, Oklahoma Pauls Valley is a city in and the county seat of Garvin County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,992 at the 2020 census, a decline of 3.2 percent from the figure of 6,187 in 2010. It was settled by and named for Smith Paul, a North ...

, served as the second-in-command, or Speaker Pro Tempore.

Members

Senate

*Table based on state almanac.

House of Representatives

*Table based on government database.Historic Members
, Okhouse.gov (accessed June 19, 2013)

References

External links

Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma House of RepresentativesOklahoma Senate
{{Oklahoma Legislatures Oklahoma legislative sessions 1939 in Oklahoma 1940 in Oklahoma 1939 U.S. legislative sessions 1940 U.S. legislative sessions