Pamela Peterson (born June 28, 1955) is an American Republican Party politician from the U.S. state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, who represented the 67th district 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 ...

from 2004 to 2016. The district is contained in

Tulsa County Tulsa County is located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in Oklahoma, behind only Oklahoma County. Its county seat and largest city is Tulsa, the secon ...

. She served as majority floor leader, the first woman to hold that post.

Biography

Peterson was born in New York City and lived there until she was eighteen years old. Her parents were very involved with politics and Peterson began working on campaigns at the age of twelve. After high school, Peterson moved to

Tulsa, OK Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

to attend

Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a private evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, evangelist Oral Roberts. Sitting on a campus, ORU offers over 70 undergraduate degree programs ...

. Shortly after graduation, Peterson married and moved to

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

with her husband. While her husband attended medical school at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, Peterson worked for a TV station in the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

area. Peterson and her family eventually moved back to Tulsa, where she volunteered on

Don Nickles Donald Lee Nickles (born December 6, 1948) is an American politician and lobbyist who was a Republican United States Senator from Oklahoma from 1981 to 2005. He was considered both a fiscal and social conservative. After retiring from the Senat ...

' campaign in 1992. When Representative Hopper Smith vacated his seat to serve in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

in 2003, Peterson ran, winning 68% of the vote against two male opponents.

House of Representatives

Peterson was elected in 2005 and still serves in the

. She will reach her term limit in 2016.

Committees
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Conference Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections, Chair Criminal Justice & Corrections, Chair Children, Youth & Family Services, Vice Chair Conference Committee on Children, Youth & Family Services, Vice Chair Appropriations & Budget Conference Committee on Public Safety General Conference Committee on Appropriations & Budget Joint Committee on Appropriations & Budget Public Safety

Positions
1992 National Delegate to
Republican Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of U.S. presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican N ...
Former Tulsa County Republican Chairman Former 1st Congressional District Vice Chairman for Republican Party Former
Majority Whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to their own individual ideology ...
(’05-‘06) Task Force to Stop Sexual Violence Chairman Oklahoma Commission on Status of Women

References

External links

Oklahoma State Legislature profile

Women of the Oklahoma Legislature Oral History Project -- OSU Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Pam Living people 1955 births Oral Roberts University alumni Republican Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Women state legislators in Oklahoma 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians